Iraq Tribes and Clans
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In other languages: Resources[edit | edit source]
Online Resources[edit | edit source]
- Al-Maktabah al-Shamilah (The Comprehensive Library) - Genealogy Category (Arabic) - catalogue of Arabic books on genealogy with detailed descriptions; books not accessible directly on website
- Arab Genealogy Books Online at FamilySearch Library; open access collection of Arabic genealogy books that have been digitized and can be browsed by country/region. They contain valuable information about tribal histories and family lineages.
- Genealogical Science Library (Arabic - مكتبة علوم النسب) - digital catalogue of Arabic books on family and tribal genealogies; open source books are linked and accessible
- Email: olomanasb@gmail.com
- Encyclopedia of Iraqi Tribes: History, Genealogies, Men, Achievements (in Arabic), by Abdel Aoun Rawdan. Beirut, Lebanon: Al-Ahlia Al Ahlia, 2008. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
- 2008, موسوعة عشائر العراق: تاريخ، أنساب، رجالات، مآثر
- The Anza Tribe: History, Men, and Lineages in Iraq, the Peninsula, and the Levant (in Arabic), by Riḍā Nāṣir Husayn. Beirut, Lebanon : Dār al-Rāfidayn, 2005. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
- 2005, قبيلة عنزة : تاريخها، رجالاتها، أنسابها في العراق والجزيرة والشام
- Tigris and Euphrates Clans (in Arabic), by Ali Saleh Kaabi. Beirut, Lebanon : Dār al-Rāfidayn lil-Ṭibāʻah wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʻ, 2013. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
- 2013, عشائر دجلة و الفرات
- Al-Muntafiq clans (in Arabic), by Suleiman Fayek Bey. Beirut, Lebanon : al-Dār al-ʻArabīyah lil-Mawsūʻāt, 2003. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Clans in Iraq
- 2003, عشائر المنتفق
- The Council of Chiefs of Iraqi Tribes (in Arabic), by Abdul Karim Al-Furati. Beirut, Lebanon : Dār al-Rāfidayn lil-Ṭibāʻah wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʻ, 2009. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
- 2009, ديوان الرؤساء للقبائل العراقية
- The Qahtani Nada and Bani Jamil Tribes: Their Origins and Branches (in Arabic), by Sa'id Dunayf al-Tawil al-Maryani. 2017. Online at: Archive.org.
- عشائر الندا وبني جميل القحتانية : اصولهم وفروعهم، المحامي سعيد دنيف الطويل المرياني. 2017.
- Al-'Ubayd in Mosul, by Azhar al-'Ubaydi. 2014: Bishar Akram Bookshop, Mosul. Online at: Archive.org.
- العُبَيد في الموصل، أزهر العُبَيدي. 2014: مكتبة بشار أكرم، الموصل.
- Names and Titles of Mosul, by Azhar al-'Ubaydi. 2014. Online at: Archive.org.
- أسماء وألقاب موصلية، أزهر العُبَيدي. 2014.
- The Christian Families of Mosul (in Arabic), by Bihnam Salim Habbabah. Iraq: The Working Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts, 2012. Online at: Archive.org.
- الأسر المسيحية في الموصل، بهنام سليم حبابه. العراق: المديرية العاملة للثقافة والفنون السريانية، 2012.
- Dictionary of Ancient and Modern Arab Tribes (in Arabic). Omar Reda Kahala. Damascus, Syria: Al-Risala Publishers Foundation, 2011. Online at: Archive.org
- معجم قبائل العرب القديمة والحديثة. عمر رضا كحالة. دمشق سوريا: مؤسسة الرسالة ناشرون, ٢٠١١
- The Turkmeni Tribes and Clans of Iraq (in Arabic, translated from Turkish), by Sabha Sa'atji. Istanbul: The Kirkuk Waqf Foundation, 2010. Online at: Archive.org.
- القبائل والعشائر التركمانية في العراق، صبحى ساعتجي. اسطانبول: مؤسسة وقف كركوك، 2010.
- The Collection of Genealogies. Abu al-Mundhir Hisham bin Muhammad bin al-Sa’ib al-Kalbi. Beirut, Lebanon: Alam al-Kutub, 2004. Online at: Archive.org
- جمهرة النسب. أبو المنذر هشام بن محمد بن السائب الكلبي. بيروت، لبنان: عالم الكتب, ٢٠٠٤
- The Arab Tribes: Their Historical Origins and Roots (in Arabic), by Jamal Mashari al-Rafdi. Online at: Archive.org.
- القبائل العربية: أصولها جذورها التاريخية، جمال بن مشاري الرفدي.
- The Facilitator of the News and Deeds in the Biography of the Gentleman of the Muqawtar Family (in Arabic), by Madar bin 'Abd al-Rada al-Ghalibi al-Radawi. Online at: Archive.org; history of the Muqawtar Tribe of Iraq.
- الميسر من الأخبار والمآثر في سيرة السادة آل مقوطر، مضر بن عبد الرضا الغالبي الرضوي.
- The Glorious Pearls in the News of the Latest Arabs (in Arabic), by Sheikh Muhammad al-Bisam al-Najdi. Online at: Archive.org; description of Arab tribes at time of writing in the 19th Century
- الدرر المفاخر في أخبار العرب الأواخر، الشيخ محمد البسام النجدي.
Print Publications[edit | edit source]
Arabic[edit | edit source]
- The Collection of Arab Genealogies (in Arabic), by Abu Muhammad Ali bin Ahmed bin Saeed bin Hazm Al-Andalusi. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, 2018.
- جمهرة أنساب العرب. أبو محمد علي بن أحمد بن سعيد بن حزم الأندلسي. بيروت، لبنان: دار الكتب العلمية, ٢٠١٨
- المشجر الوافي في السّلسلة الموسويّة الجزء الأوّل: أنساب السادات من ذريّة محمد العابد. حسين ابو سعيد الموسوي. بيروت: دار صادر, ٢٠١٥
- المشجر الوافي في السّلسلة الموسويّة الجزء الثاني: أنساب السادات من ذريّة جعفر الخواري. حسين ابو سعيد الموسوي. بيروت: دار صادر, ٢٠١٥
- المشجر الوافي في السّلسلة الموسويّة الجزء الثالث: أنساب السادات من ذريّة ابراهيم المرتضي الاصغر. حسين ابو سعيد الموسوي. بيروت: دار صادر, ٢٠١٥
- المشجر الوافي في السّلسلة الرضويّة. حسين ابو سعيد الموسوي. بيروت: دار صادر, ٢٠١٥
- The End of the Goal in Knowing the Genealogies of the Arabs (in Arabic). Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abdullah al-Qalqashandi. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2012. Online preview at: Google Books
- نهاية الارب في معرفة انساب العرب. أبو العباس أحمد بن علي بن أحمد بن عبد الله القلقشندي. بيروت، لبنان: دار الكتب العلمية
- سيرة آل هذال: شيوخ قبيلة عنزة، أخوان بتلا. الشيخ احمد العامري الناصري. لبنان - بيروت: الرفدين, ٢٠٠٩
- القاموس العشائري العراقي الجزء الأوّل أ-ط. الشيخ احمد العامري الناصري. لبنان - بيروت: الرفدين, ٢٠٠٩
- القاموس العشائري العراقي الجزء الأوّل ظ-ي. الشيخ احمد العامري الناصري. لبنان - بيروت: الرفدين, ٢٠٠٩
- قبيلة عنزة تاريخها، رجلاتها، أنسابها في العراق والجزيرة. الشيخ محروث الهذال (أمير عنزة). لبنان - بيروت: دار الرفدين, ٢٠٠٥
- Gold Necklaces in Knowing the Genealogies of Arab Tribes (in Arabic), by Mustafa Hamidi bin Ahmed al-Kurdi al-Balawi al-Dimashqi. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar and Library of Al-Hilal, Bir al-Abd, 2000. At various libraries (WorldCat)
- قلائد الذهب في معرفة أنساب قبائل العرب. مصطفى حميدي بن أحمد الكردي البالوي الدمشقي. بيروت، لبنان: دار ومكتبة الهلال بئر العبد , ٢٠٠٠
- Genealogical Trees of Arab Tribes and Families: With Historical and Geographical Notes (in Arabic), by Ferdinand Wüstenfeld. Beirut: Dar Al-Warak, 1852. At various libraries (WorldCat)
- مشجرات أنساب قبائل والعوئل العربية: مع مراصظات تاريخية وجغرافية. فرديناند فوستنفلد. بيروت: دار الورَّك, ١٨٥٢
German[edit | edit source]
- Ǧamharat an-nasab : das genealogische Werk des Hišam Ibn Muḥammad al-Kalbī (Band I und II). By Werner Caskel. Leiden, Netherlands: E.J. Brill, 1966. FS Catalog book INTL 953 D2c
- Register zu den Genealogischen Tabellen der Arabischen Stämme und Familien: Mit Historischen und Geographischen Bemerkungen. (Register of the genealogical tables of the Arabian tribes and families : with historical and geographical notes) By Ferdinand Wüstenfeld. London: Reprint: Forgotten Books. 2009. At various libraries (WorldCat)
Background[edit | edit source]
Tribes in Iraq[edit | edit source]
Tribal affiliation is an important part of Iraq's history and modern society. Led by a tribal leader or sheikh (شيخ sheykh), tribes can be further subdivided into clans (الفخذ fukhdh), houses (البيت beit), and extended family (الخمس khams). Some of the major tribes in Iraq include Al Khatib, Al Srai, Al Alattiya, Al Maliki, Al Qaraghoul, Al Khuza'ah, Al Samraie, Al Azzawi, Al Huraithi, Al Absawi, Al Asooli, Al Juaibar, Al Nuaimi, Al Jumaili, Al Salman, Al Naji, Al Kadhmi, Al Qarawi, Al Janabi, Al Wani, Al Ahmed, Al Khazali, Al Hasan, Al Salman, Al Kilab, Al Talafha, Al Sawae'id, Al Manaseer, Albu Badran. For more information about the ancient history of tribes in Iraq, see Encyclopedia of Iraqi Tribes: History, Genealogies, Men, Achievements (in Arabic) and other publications listed above. [1]
General Information about Tribes[edit | edit source]
In the Middle East and North Africa, the term "tribe" refers to large collection of inter-related families that can trace their lineage back to a common ancestor; although, as is discussed in greater detail below, a shared ancestry is not always necessary for a family to join a tribe. It is typically used as a translation for the Arabic word "قَبيلة" (qabīlah), although in the Research Wiki "tribe" is also used for other Arabic terms. Tribes in the region can number in the hundreds to tens of thousands; some are relatively localized, while others are stretched or scattered over vast areas. Tribes are often divided into increasingly smaller kinship groups, including "بَطْن" (baṭn), "فَخْذ" (fakhth), and "عَشيرة" (ʿashīrah). The latter is translated in the Wiki as "clan".
Tradition holds that all Arab tribes trace their lineage to two primary ancestors: Qahtan (قحطان), progenitor of the "pure" Arabs originating from modern Yemen, and Adnan (عدنان), ancestor of the "Arabicized" Arabs and a descendent of Abraham's son Ishmael.[2]
Throughout Arabian history, free, arms-bearing tribesmen, whether nomadic or settled, dominated society. Sultans, emirs, and sheikhs were often drawn from these tribes and sought their support. The descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, who hold the titles of sayyids and sharifs, traditionally enjoyed a higher social status and sometimes exercised theocratic rule as spiritual leaders.
It is important to note that affiliation with a particular tribe does not necessarily entail direct kinship to that tribe. In some cases, new tribes formed as the result of alliances between pre-existing tribal groups. Individual families may have occasionally become clients of a different tribe and eventually adopted as members. On an even smaller scale, individuals were sometimes adopted into a tribe. This was particularly true during the first centuries of Islam, when non-Arab converts to Islam were required to become clients, or "mawali" (Arabic مَوالٍ), of an Arab tribe.[3] Therefore, association with a tribe does not automatically imply descent or kinship relationship within a given lineage.
Information Recorded in the Records[edit | edit source]
- Books - There are numerous books written about Iraqi and, more broadly, Arab tribes. Both categories of books can be valuable to researchers, as many tribes found in Iraq are also found elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa.
Strategy[edit | edit source]
The published works above include information useful for tracing Iraqi tribal lineages. These works include lineages, tribal history, biographies of prominent individuals, poetry, or encyclopedic entries of tribes and their sub-divisions. Some of the resources listed above treat with specific tribes, while others look at groups of tribes. The scope of each resource affects the level of detail it contains on actual individuals and their families. While some books contain detailed genealogies with specific names from generation to generation, others treat with tribes generally, focusing more on their history and movement. The latter type of book can be especially useful for individuals who are unsure of where their ancestors lived, as these books can provide information on towns or regions where certain tribes can be found.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Arab tribes of Iraq," Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, accessed 12 February 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_tribes_of_Iraq.
- ↑ "People of Arabia," Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/place/Arabia-peninsula-Asia/People, accessed 5 September 2024.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Spread of Islam," Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spread_of_Islam, accessed 8 October 2024.