State of Palestine Tribes and Clans

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Resources

Online Resources

• 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
• 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
• The Tribes of Acre District (in Arabic), by Mahmud 'Abdullah Kallam. Beirut: Bissan Publishing and Distribution, 2016. Online at: Archive.org.
  • عشائر قضاة عكا، محمود عبد الله كلّم. بيروت: بسيان للنشر والتوزيع، 2016.
• 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 Genealogy of Ma'ad and Greater Yemen (in Arabic). Abu al-Mundhir Hisham bin Muhammad bin al-Sa'ib al-Kalbi. Beirut, Lebanon: Alam al-Kutub, 2010. Online at: Archive.org
  • نسب معد واليمن الكبير. أبو المنذر هشام بن محمد بن السائب الكلبي. بيروت، لبنان: عالم الكتب, ٢٠١٠
• 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 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

Arabic

• 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
• 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
• Dictionary of Genealogies of the Tribes of the Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic). Majid Nasser Al-Zubaidi. Beirut, Lebanon: Al-Furat, 2010. At various libraries (WorldCat)
  • معجم انساب قبائل الجزيرة العربية. ماجد ناصر الزبيدي. بيروت لبنان: الفرات, ٢٠١٠
• 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

• 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)
• Ǧamharat an-nasab : das genealogische Werk des Hišam Ibn Muḥammad al-Kalbī (Band I und II) (Ǧamharat an-nasab : the genealogical work of Hišam Ibn Muḥammad al-Kalbī (Volume I and II)). By Werner Caskel. Leiden, Netherlands: E.J. Brill, 1966. FS Catalog book INTL 953 D2c; At various libraries (WorldCat)

English

• History of Beersheba and its tribes. Aref Al-Arf. Cairo, Egypt: Religious Culture Library, 2008.

Background

Tribes have traditionally played a critical role in the structure of Arab society and continue to be extremely important in many parts of the Arab world, including Palestine. In Palestine, the term "tribe" (قبيلة) typically refers to Bedouin, nomadic or semi-nomadic Arab groups that are found throughout the Middle East. Today, many Palestinian Bedouin have moved towards a sedentary lifestyle by choice or necessity, so the term today does not strictly refer to nomadic peoples. Tribal are most common in the Gaza Strip, where many have formed large confederations and include the 'Azazmah (العزازمة), Tayaha (التياها), and Tarabin (الترابين). Bedouin tribes also live in the West Bank, concentrated primarily in the hill country east of Hebron, with scatterings east of Jerusalem and on the west banks of the Jordan River.

A much more common familial unit in Palestine is the clan or "حمولة", consisting of a small group of families that trace their lineage back to a common ancestry through the fathers' lines. The clan structures are most common in rural areas. Traditionally, women who married outside of the clan are counted, along with their children, with their husbands' clan rather than their clan of birth. It is important to note that inclusion within a clan does not necessarily entail a direct kinship relationship to that clan. Occasionally, families are adopted into clans due to economic or other factors, sometimes leading to the fabrication of ancestral lines aimed at justifying the inclusion.

Additionally, urban regions of Palestine are typically centers of notable families, many of which served as officials or administrators under the Ottoman regime. Such prominent families include the Husayni (الحسيني), Abd al-Hadi (عبد الهادي), Nabulsi (النابلسي), Khoury (الخوري), Tamimi (التميمي), and others.

Types of Records

• Books - There are numerous books written on Palestinian and, more broadly, Arab tribes. Both categories of books can be valuable to researchers, as many tribes found in Palestine are also found elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa and can provide historical context for families and tribes in Palestine.

Information Recorded in the Records

Tribal histories and genealogies can contain a variety of data useful for family history researchers. Depending on the type and detail of tribal genealogy, typically include the names of fathers and sons but may exclude wives or daughters. Additionally, these genealogies may not include exact birth or death dates, although background information can often allow the researcher to estimate these data for individuals in the records.

Even without detailed lineages, tribal histories can still be useful for researchers. These records often contain details on tribal origins, migrations and movement, and traditional beliefs and culture.

Strategy

The published works above include information useful for tracing Palestinian tribal lineages. These works include lineages, tribal history, biographies of prominent individuals, poetry, or encyclopedic entries of tribes and their sub-divisions.

As with all genealogical research, start with what you know. If you know your ancestor's tribal affiliation already, search books on that tribe. If not, search for resources on their country or region of origin, which can often identify the major tribes located there. Become familiar with the various branches within the tribe to better understand where your ancestors fit within the larger tribal structure. Within tribal lineages, search for the names of familiar individuals or places as clues to identify your exact family line.