Kuwait Tribes and Clans

Kuwait Wiki Topics

Kuwait Beginning Research

Getting Started Online Learning Record Finder Research Strategies Finding Town of Origin

Record Types

Cemeteries Census Church Records Civil Registration Colonial Records Compiled Genealogies Emigration & Immigration Newspapers Online Genealogy Records Religious Records Tribes and Clans

Kuwait Background

Biographies Gazetteers History Languages Maps Naming Customs Social Life & Customs

Kuwait Genealogical Word Lists

Arabic

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Local FamilySearch Center

In other languages: العربية

Kuwait

Tribes and Clans

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
• 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.
• Bani Khalid Tribe in History by Nāṣirī, Aḥmad al-ʻĀmirī. Beirut, Lebanon :Al Rafidayn,, 2009. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • قبيلة بني خالد في التاريخ، الناصري ، أحمد العامري.
• Clans of the Tigris and Euphrates by Kaabi, Ali Saleh. Beirut, Lebanon : Dār al-Rāfidayn lil-Ṭibāʻah wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʻ, 2013. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • عشائر دجلة و الفرات، كعبي، علي صالح
• 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
• Dictionary of Arabic Genealogies by Al Qasimi, Khalid bin Mohammed. Alexandria, Egypt :Dar al-Kutub Waldirasat al-Earabiati, 2017. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • معجم الأنساب العربية، القاسمي، خالد بن محمد،
• Dictionary of genealogies of the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula by Zubaydi, Majid Nasir. Beirut, Lebanon :Al-Rafidain House, 2010. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • معجم انساب قبائل الجزيرة العربية، الزبيدي، ماجد ناصر
• Dictionary of the land of Bani Kalb, the Sahul tribe, and its most important families in the Arabian Peninsula by Sahlī, Fahhād ibn Saʻd ibn Hamalān. Beirut, Lebanon :Al Dar Al Arabiyah lil-Mawsu'at, 2004. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • معجم بلاد بني كلاب وقبيلة السهول وأهم أسرها في الجزيرة العربية، سهلي، فهاد بن سعد بن هملان.
• Encyclopedia of Arab tribes: field and historical research by Ok, Muhammad Suleiman. Madīnat Naṣr, Cairo :Dār al-Fikr al-ʻArabī,, 2005. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • موسوعة القبائل العربية : بحوث ميدانية وتاريخية، طيب، محمد سليمان
• Encyclopedia of the Banu Tamim Tribe: its history, lineage, and notable figures by Dhahabī, Muḥammad ʻAbd al-Riḍā. Beirut, Lebanon :Al Dar Al Arabiyah lil-Mawsu'at, 2004. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • موسوعة قبيلة بني تميم: تاريخها، أنسابها، أعلامها، ذهبي، محمد عبد الرضا.
• 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
• Genealogies of the civilized Najdi families in Kuwait by al-Said, Mutab Othman. Kuwait :Maktabat Āfāq, 2011. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • أنساب الأسر النجدية المتحضرة بالكويت، السعيد، متعب عثمان
• Gold Ingots in the Knowledge of Arab Tribes by Swede, Muhammad Amin and Qalqashandi, Ahmad ibn Ali. Beirut, Lebanon Dār al-Kutub al-ʻIlmīyah, 2016. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • سبائك الذهب في معرفة قبائل العرب، سويدي، محمد أمين،, قلقشندي، أحمد بن علي
• Mutair tribes, by al-Musallat, Salih Hawwash. Damascus, Syria :Dar al-Maktabi, 2014. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • قبائل مطير، مسلط، صالح هواش
• Origins of Tribes in the World by Abu Saeeda, Hussein. Beirut, Lebanon :Dār al-Maḥajjah al-Bayḍāʼ lil-Ṭibāʻah wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʻ, 2020. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • أصول القبائل في العالم، أبو سعيدة، حسين
• 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 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 Core in the Refinement of Lineages by Ibn al-Athir, Izz al-Din. Beirut, Lebanon : Dar El Fikr, 2002. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • اللباب في تهذيب الأنساب، ابن الأثير، عز الدين
• The Extraction of Lights and the Gathering of Flowers in the Genealogies of the Companions and the Narrators of Traditions by Al-Lakhmi, Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Hisham. Beirut, Lebanon :Dar Alkutub Aleilmia, 1999. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • اقتباس الأنوار والتماس الأزهار في أنساب الصحابة ورواة الآثار، اللخمي، محمد بن أحمد بن هشام
• The Family of Rashid Bani Hajir, by Ghanim Mnahi Ghanim Mnahi Al-Rashid al-Hajiri. 2011: Kuwait City. Online at: Archive.org.
  • آل راشد بني هاجر، غانم مناحي غنيم مناحي آل راشد الهاجري. 2011: الكويت.
• "The Gulf, its countries and tribes by Miles, S. B. and Abdullah, Muhammad Amin. Muscat, OmanWizāraẗ at-turāt̲ wa-al-t̲aqāfaẗ, Salṭanaẗ ʻUmān, 2016. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library"
  • الخليج بلدانه وقبائله، عبد الله، محمد أمين
• The History of the 'Awaliq Tribes and Their Impact on Contemporary Media (in Arabic), by Dr. 'Alawi 'Umar bin Furayr al-'Awaliqi. Beirut: Dar Qutaybah, 2005. Online at: Archive.org
  • تاريخ قبائل العوالق وأثره في الإعلام المعاصر, الدكتور علوي عمر بن فرير العوالقي. بيروت: دار قتيبة، 2005
• The history of the Juhayna tribe and its migrations from the Arabian Peninsula, and its role in spreading Arabism and Islam in East Africa by Ali, Ismail Hamid Ismail. Damascus, Syria :Nūr Ḥūrān lil-Dirāsāt wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Turāth,, 2021. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • تاريخ قبيلة جهينة وهجراتها من جزيرة العرب، ودورها في نشر العروبة والإسلام في شرق أفريقيا، علي، إسماعيل حامد إسماعيل
• The lineage of Ma'ad and Greater Yemen by Al-Mundhir Hisham ibn Muhammad ibn al-Sa'ib al-Kalbi and Naji Hassan. Damascus, Syria :Dar Alyaqazat Alearabia,, 1988. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • نسب معد واليمن الكبير، المنذر هشام بن محمد بن السائب الكلبي ناجي حسن
• The Mutair tribe: its lineage, history, poetry, horses, camels, and its abandonment during the Brotherhood movement by Sanah, Abdul Aziz bin Saad and Nayef bin Awad bin Ghaben. Kuwait :Manshūrāt Dhāt al-Salāsil, 2023. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • قبيلة مطير : نسبها، تاريخها، وأشعارها، وخيلها، وإبلها، و هجرها أثناء حركة الإخوان، سناح، عبد العزيز بن سعد، وسمي، نايف بن عوض بن غبن
• The Pure Tree in the genealogies and biographies of the family of the Prophet: among them are the Alawite Sayyids of the Shafi’iyya al-Husayniyyah: Among their families are the Sayyids of the Jamal al-Layl family, 319 AH - 1436 AH/ by Youssef bin Abdullah. al-Riyāḍ, Saudi Arabia :Maktabat al-Tawbah, 2015. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • الشجرة الزكية في الأنساب وسير آل بيت النبوة : منهم السادة العلوية الشافعية الحسينية : من عوائلهم، السادة آل جمل الليل، 319 ھ - 1436 ھ، جمل الليل، يوسف بن عبد الله،
• The Refugee from the Lineage of the 'A'ith Tribe (in Arabic), by Abd al-Hakim bin 'Abd al-Rahman al-'Awad. United Arab Emirates: Thaqafa Publishing and Distribution, 2009. Online at: Archive.org.
  • اللائذ من نسب قبيلة عائذ، عبد الحكيم بن عبد الرحمن العواد. الإمارات العربية المتحدة: الثقافة للنشر والتوزيع، 2009.
• The Taghlib tribe in pre-Islamic times and Islam: lineage, notables, poetry, literature by Harfoush, Abdelkader Fayyad. Damascus, Syria :Dār al-Bashāʼir,, 1999. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • قبيلة تغلب في الجاهلية والإسلام : نسب، أعلام، شعر، أدب، حرفوش، عبد القادر فياض
• The various tribes and their combinations by Muhammad bin Habib and Wüstenfeld, Ferdinand. London, England: Al-Warrak Publishing, 2021. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • مختلف القبائل ومؤتلفها ، محمد بن حبيب
• Anṭākīyah al-Urthūdhuksīyah, aw, tārīkh al-Ābā’ Baṭāriqat Anṭākiyah by Burayk, Mīkhāʼīl. al-Qāhirah:al-Maṭba‘ah al-Tijārīyah, 1903. Online at: New York University; History of the Patriarchs of Antioch.
  • .انطاكية الارثوذكسية، أو تاريخ الآباء بطارقة انطاكية .مخائيل بريك القاهرة:المطبعة التجارية،, 1903
• Muʻjam qabāʼil al-ʻArab al-qadīmah wa-al-ḥadīthah v.1 by Kaḥḥālah, ʻUmar Riḍā. Dimashq:al-Maktabah al-Hāshimīyah, 1949. Online at: New York University; Encyclopedia of Arab tribes
  • .معجم قبائل العرب القديمة والحديثة الجزء الأول .عمر رضا كحالة دمشق:المكتبة الهاشمية ,1949
• Muʻjam qabāʼil al-ʻArab al-qadīmah wa-al-ḥadīthah v.2 by Kaḥḥālah, ʻUmar Riḍā. Dimashq:al-Maktabah al-Hāshimīyah, 1949. Online at: New York University; Encyclopedia of Arab tribes
  • .معجم قبائل العرب القديمة والحديثة الجزء الثاني .عمر رضا كحالة دمشق:المكتبة الهاشمية ,1949
• Muʻjam qabāʼil al-ʻArab al-qadīmah wa-al-ḥadīthah v.3 by Kaḥḥālah, ʻUmar Riḍā. Dimashq:al-Maktabah al-Hāshimīyah, 1949. Online at: New York University; Encyclopedia of Arab tribes
  • .معجم قبائل العرب القديمة والحديثة الجزء الثالث .عمر رضا كحالة دمشق:المكتبة الهاشمية ,1949
• Sabāʼik al-dhahab fī maʻrifat qabāʼil al-ʻArab by Suwaydī, Muḥammad Amīn. Qum:al-Maktabah al-ʻIlmīyah, 198-. Online at: New York University; Overview of Arab tribes
  • .سبائك الذهب في معرفة قبائل العرب .محمد أمين سويدي قم:المكتبة العلمية، 198-
• Nihāyat al-arab fī maʻrifat ansāb al-ʻarab by Qalqashandī, Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd Allāh. Baghdād:Maṭbaʻat al-Najāḥ, 1958. Online at: New York University; Important classical text detailing the histories and genealogies of major Arab tribes
  • .
• Kitāb nasab Quraysh by Zubayrī, Muṣʻab ibn ʻAbd Allāh. al-Qāhirah:Dār al-Maʻārif lil-Ṭibāʻah wa-al-Nashr, 1953. Online at: New York University; Classical genealogy of the Quraysh tribe, the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad
  • .كتاب نسب قريش .المصعب بن عبد الله الزبيري [القاهرة]:‏دار المعارف ,1953نهاية الأرب في معرفة أنساب العرب .أحمد بن عبد الله القلقشندي بغداد:مطبعة النجاح ,1958

Print Publications

Arabic

• Baloch: Arab Baloch tribes and their role in defending Arabs and Muslims by Attar, Adnan. Damascus, Syria :ʻA. al-ʻAṭṭār, 2009. FamilySearch Digital Library
  • البلوش : قبائل البلوش العربية و دورها في الدفاع عن العرب و المسلمين، عطار، عدنان
• 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
• 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)

English

• Area Handbook for the Persian Gulf States. by Richard F. Nyrop. Washington DC: Foreign Area Studies of The American University, 1977.

Background

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".

Like many regions of the Middle East and the Gulf in particular, tribes in Kuwait continue to play an essential role in shaping society and identity for Kuwaitis. Specific tribes in Kuwait include the 'Awazim (العوازم), Mutairi (المطير), al-Muntafiq (المنتفق). Given that the Arabian Peninsula is the ancestral homeland of Arabs and the area from which Arabic and Islam spread throughout much of the Middle East and North Africa, many of these tribes extend beyond the borders of Kuwait.

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.

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. Therefore, association with a tribe does not automatically imply descent or kinship relationship within a given lineage.

Types of Records

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

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 Kuwaiti tribal lineages. These works include lineages, tribal histories, 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.