Al-Muntafiq

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Al-Muntafiq Emirate
المنتفق
1530–1918
Flag of Al-Muntafiq
Flag of the Muntafiq Emirate
CapitalBasra
Common languages
Religion
Sadoon Family
Historical era
Modern History
1530
13 November 1918
CurrencyOttoman lira
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Ottoman Empire
Mandatory Iraq
Sheikhdom of Kuwait
Sultanate of Nejd
Qajar Iran

Al-Muntafiq (

Shia
tribes. Therefore, a minority of individual tribes within the confederation is Sunni. Overall, it is almost impossible to delineate who is, and who is not part of the Muntafiq.

The tribe is divided into three main branches: Bani Malik, al-Ajwad, and Bani Sa'id. Most of the tribe traces its

Banu 'Amir confederation of Najd. However, the tribe's traditional leaders are Al-Saadun ("the house of Saadun"), who are said to be Sharifs originating from Mecca, while the al-Ajwad branch is said to partially originate from the ancient Arab tribe of Tayy. The Muntafiq tribe was led by Yusuf Beg of the Saadun clan.[2] They were traditional rivals of the Dhufir
and of Ibn Saud, although Yusuf sometimes co-operated with Ibn Saud.

The tribe migrated to

Banu Khalid
.

Alt
Map of the Ottoman Empire and the Vilayet of Basra in Red, which was under direct rule of the Sadoon Tribe

During the Ottoman era, most of the tribe settled into sedentary life and took up agriculture in southern and western Iraq. During the Ottoman era, from the late eighteenth century onwards, al-Muntafiq converted to Shia Islam.[3][4]

Al-Muntafiq Emirate, a union of Shiite clans based in the middle Euphrates region, was a major rival of the Emirate of Diriyah
Alt
Ottoman depictions of the Vilayet of Basra, early 20th century

The city of

Nasiriya
in southern Iraq was named after one of the tribe's sheikhs, and the surrounding province was known as "Al-Muntafiq Province" until 1976.

Those who were herders of small animals such as sheep and goat, rather than camels, and this made them less mobile and less competent as a fighting force compared to the camel-herding tribes of inner Arabia.

Although the tribe's nominal leaders, the Al Saadun, are

Shi'ite sect of Islam
. After many decades of sedentarization, the tribal bond has weakened and the leadership of the Al Saadun is largely nominal.

Many stateless Bedoon in Kuwait belong to the Muntafiq tribal confederation.[5][6]

Division

  • Bani Malik:
  1. Al Ibrahim
  2. Al Wadai
  3. Al Majid
  4. Al Diwan
  5. Al Taughiyah
  • Al Ajwad :
  1. Al Bdour
  2. Al Juwarin
  3. Al Ghazzi
  4. Al Shuraifat
  • Bani Huchaim:
  1. Al Zayyad
  2. Al Ghazalat
  3. Bani Salamah
  • Albu Salah:
  1. Al Shamlah
  2. Al Safaa
  3. Al Abada
  4. Al Araithib
  • Albu Salah:
  1. Al Aunan
  2. Al Rufiat
  3. Al Zuaba

See also

Sources

Notes

  1. ^ Thompson, Christiane. "Iranian Tentacles into Iraq". School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  2. ^ "Muntafiq". King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud Information Resource. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  3. ^ The Shi'is of Iraq By Yitzhak Nakash, pg.27
  4. ^ Lorimer, Gazetteer, 2B:1273; Great Britain, naval intelligence division, geographical handbook series, Iraq and the Persian Gulf, September 1944, 379-80; Great Britain, office of the civil commissioner, The Arab of Mesopotamia, Basra, 1917,6.
  5. ^ "بدون الكويت: كرة ثلج تتدحرج منذ 40 عاماً". Elaph (in Arabic). 2007.
  6. ^ Fayez Alfayez (26 February 2021). "أزمة الهوية الوطنية - د. فايز الفايز". Platform Post (in Arabic).