Bani Sakher

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Mithqal Pasha Al-Fayez
, Jerusalem, 1933
The borders of Bani Sakher in the first half of the 20th century.
Sheikh Haditha Al-Khraisha of the Bani Sakher Tribe

The Beni Sakhar confederacy is one of the largest and most influential tribal confederacies in both Lebanon and Jordan. Its founder, Sakher bin Tha'labah al Tayy likely lived in the 3rd century AD, making the tribe around 18 centuries old. The Bani Sakher began migrating to The Levant as early as the 16th century and grew to become an influential tribe as by around the mid 18th century.[1] The Beni Sakher is made out of many clans, both through ancestry and alliances. These clans are primarily separated into three groups, Al-Twaqa headed by the princely Al-Fayez family, Al-Ka'abneh headed by the Khreisha family, and Al-Khdeir.[2]

History

Origin

The Bani Sakher was a tribe title that was given to more than one tribe, but the greatest and most famous of this tribes are the sons of Sakher bin Tha'labah bin Amro bin Alghouth bin

Ha'il Region, where Sakher Al-Ta'yun and the now Bani Sakher mainly lived on top of the "Mountain of Lions".[citation needed
]

Then the Bani Sakher migrated to occupy the lands

Bani Anazzah, whom inhabited the Khayber, and between the two tribes there were several conflicts, including the orientalist Frederick Gerard Peake in his book "A History of Jordan and its Tribes, x, 1958" that the tribe of Bani Sakher clashed with tribes of Anazzah on the way to migrate to the Levant. The battle ended with the Anazzah's defeat, forcing some of their sub-groups to migrate to the northern more, and this explains the hostility between the two tribes.[citation needed
]

In Frederick's book, he also documented the clash between Bani Sakher and the Al-Dhafeer tribes and that they defeated Al-Dhafeer. However, Al-Dhafeer regrouped again under the leadership of their knight Sultan Ibn Suwit, and followed Bani Sakher, whom where heading heading north of the Arabian Peninsula. The two tribes met again in Wadi Azraq, now known as Azraq, on the Saudi-Jordanian border. Banu Sakher was able once again to defeat the tribes of Al-Dhafeer, killing Sheikh Sultan Ibn Suwit where he lies in his tomb in that region next to a water ravine that was named after him (Ghadeer Sultan).[citation needed]

The Bani Sakher then headed towards Al-Balqa however their stay did not last long because the tribes didn't welcome them, most notably the Al-Adwan (العدوان) whom where extending their influence over the region. The Bani Sakher went to Palestine and stayed for a period of time until they soon returned to Al-Balqa. At this time, the area was under the sovereignty of the Sardiyya tribe, which was imposing a tax on the tribes that inhabited the areas in and around Al-Balqa, however when the Bani Sakher returned, they refused to get taxed, which led to a heated situation between them.[citation needed]

This conflict lead to the first alliance between Bani Sakher and Al-Adwan where they joined forces with the intent to annihilate the Sardiyya tribe.[citation needed]

Background

In the 1799, the Beni Sakher joined the Es-Sabhah and other tribes in a full-scale

General Kleber. The fighting occurred south of Nazareth, with the French having such an advantage in terms of guns and artillery that Amir Rabah, the leader of the Beni Saqr, commenting on the effectiveness of his spear, said that he "could not swim in hell with a stick."[3]

In the 19th century, the Beni Sakher lived as nomads. Their income came from their monopoly in trading camels and from the protection they could gave to pilgrims and visitors. In 1867, the Ottoman Empire launched a raid which defeated the Beni Sakher and ended their practice of collecting khuwwa (protection money) from established settlements.

For fifty years up to 1920 the Bani Sakher were friends and allies of the

Nejd. It had its roots in the early nineteenth century when Abdullah Ibn Rashid was fleeing the Ibn Ali family after a conflict over leadership of the Shammar tribe. Ibn Rashid and his brother with a single camel arrived at the tents belonging to Ali Al-Khraisha, leader of the Beni Sakher and father of Haditha Al-Khraisha. Sheikh Ali Al-Khraisha was not there but all the same they were given hospitality. During the night the camel died and the next day they continued their flight on foot. Some distance from the camp they met Sheikh Ali Al-Khraisha returning home. On hearing their story he insisted on them taking the camel he was riding, claiming that no guest who came into his camp riding should leave on foot. When Ibn Rashid came to power in the Nejd this deed was remembered.[4]

In 1875, a member of the

Ghor, who claim descent from the Beni Sakher of the Hauran, had several herds containing 100 to 300 head of cattle and many sheep and goats as well as camels and horses. He mentions that they had fewer camels than previously since their power had been broken 7 or 8 years earlier by Mohammed Said, Pasha of Nablus, but that the current government was impotent. He counted 150 tents and estimated the tribe strength as 400 men.[5]

Sheikh of Bani Sakher Fendi Al-Fayez "The Old King" circa 1860s
Sheikh of Bani Sakher Fendi Al-Fayez "The Old King" circa 1860s

Two years later, 1877, the survey team led by Lieutenant

Beisan and Tiberias. Kitchener reported that their Sheikh, Fendi Al-Fayez, was the most powerful local leader and could muster 4,500 fighting men. The sheikh showed Kitchener a coat of mail that probably dated to the early centuries of the Arab conquests and appeared to be on good terms with the government. The tribe showed no sign of lawlessness, though local farmers had to harvest their crops early to avoid them being eaten by the grazing camels. The Beni Sakher showed no interest in the ongoing war in the Balkans and expressed a strong dislike of the Turks.[6]

In November 1877 Kitchener visited the Beni Sakher again. This time they were camped in

Haj. The Beni Sakher were close to having a monopoly in this trade and could make £1,500 in a season. Whilst in Bosra the sheikh was arrested. His son was killed in a rescue attempt. The father was released and is reported as having said "My son and I were servants of the Sultan, now he has one less". This was taken to mean that the tribe would not engage in a blood feud.[7]

In 1891 missionaries reported fighting north of

Anazi.[8]

In June 1917 Fawaz el Fayez, one of the leaders of the Bani Sakher, had a secret meeting with

Madeba.[9]

In 1923 Ibn Saud's Ikhwan initiated their first attack on the Emirate of Transjordan by massacring two villages 12 miles south of Amman belonging to the tribe of Bani Sakher. In a two-day battle, the tribesmen of Bani Sakher assisted by the Hadid tribe managed to defeat the raiders.[10] The raiders were intercepted by British armored cars and planes only after they had begun to withdraw.[11] [12]

On 8 April 1933 Sheikh

Chaim Arlosoroff, at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.[13]

A series of events in the 1920s and 1930s put further pressure on their nomadic lifestyle, eventually leading to famine. The Bani Sakher were saved from this by the

King Abdullah I.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Falconry in Arabia, Mark Allen; 1980, p.33.
  2. ^ Muhammad, Ghazi bin (1999). The Tribes of Jordan at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century (first ed.). p. 10. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  3. ^ Macalister and Masterman, 1906, p. 114.
  4. ^ Glubb, 1978, pp. 157-8.
  5. ^ Tyrwhitt Drake, 1875, pp. 28, 32
  6. ^ Kitchener, 1877, p. 164; Kitchener, 1878, p. 11; Reports dated 23 August and 7 September 1877.
  7. ^ Kitchener, 1878, p. 63
  8. ^ Forder, 1902, pp. 16, 27
  9. ISBN 0-434-87235-0
    . Pages 415, 515. The figure of 11,000 comes from a report by Lawrence.
  10. ISBN 9781845111380
    . Retrieved 2016-05-20.
  11. ^ Peter W. Wilson, Douglas Graham. Saudi Arabia: the coming storm . M.E.Sharpe, 1994: p.143
  12. ^ Glubb, 1978, p. 156
  13. ISBN 0-491-00003-0
    . Pages 252-255.
  14. ^ "Land and People: Baduw". September 2007.

Bibliography

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