Manasir (tribe)
Al Manasir | |
---|---|
Arab tribe | |
Ethnicity | Arab |
Location | Arabian Peninsula United Arab Emirates Qatar Saudi Arabia Bahrain |
Branches | Al Bu Mundir, Al Bu Rahamah, Al Bu Shaar |
Religion | Islam |
The Al Manasir (
Independent Bedouin
One of the most important tribes in the emirate of Abu Dhabi (together with the Bani Yas, with whom they cooperated and coexisted closely),[2] the tribe was traditionally predominant in the desert areas between Buraimi and Qatar and the Persian Gulf coast to Liwa, but Manasir families had settled Abu Dhabi, Buraimi, Al Khan and Jumeirah by the turn of the 20th century.[3] Apart from the settled population in the towns, the Manasir were entirely nomadic Bedouin, while the tribe they shared this region with, the Bani Yas, was largely settled.[3] There were also a number of nomadic Marar families in the Liwa region.
Manasir houses in the Liwa Crescent were mostly seasonal areesh, or palm frond constructions, maintained as dwellings during the summer date season.
Some 1,400 Manasir roamed this tribal area or dar[3] at the turn of the century, but surveys in the 1950s point to a total population of some 4,000: 2,800 of these lived in the emirate of Abu Dhabi while the balance lived both settled and nomadic lives in the other Trucial States.[4]
The Manasir were fiercely independent and, unlike their settled counterparts the Bani Yas, did not necessarily consider themselves dependents of the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi.[5] They did co-operate closely with the Bani Yas, however, and of 42 settlements in the Liwa area, Manasir were found in 36.[4] They were an inland people with limited maritime resources and had few boats of their own. They worked the pearl banks with the Bani Yas,[6] or worked as divers or haulers for various nakhudas. During the date season, Manasir who did not own their own plantations would work on settled plantations for payment in kind.[7] The Manasir were exempted from paying the customary date tax to the Ruler of Abu Dhabi.[8]
Decline in revenues
Subsections of the tribe include the Al Bu Mundir (Kaabara, Mani, Marashid, Matawaah, Midahima); Al Bu Rahamah (Al Bu Khail, Tarsif, Tararifah and Wabran) and the Al Bu Shaar (Ghawainam, Rashaiyid and Al Bu Thuwaibit), and Al Rabeea. All of these wintered to the North West (by the border with Qatar) and summered in Liwa, although the Al Bu Khail section of the Al Bu Rahamah wintered in Semeih and Abu Dhabi and summered in Buraimi.
Formerly subject to the Wahhabi government, they had asserted their independence by the turn of the 20th century and were closer to Abu Dhabi, but remained essentially independent, with their own sheikhs.
The Manasir bred camels and also carried trade goods from the oases to Abu Dhabi. They made their own charcoal and would carry this, dates, limes, wheat and other produce from the oases to the towns. The annual seasonal migration of families from Abu Dhabi took place to the oases of the interior (both Al Ain, then known as Buraimi and Liwa) for the hot summer months and the date season – and the Manasir would be hired to provide the camel trains.[9]
As the revenues of the pearl trade declined in the late 1920s, the Manasir's trade in breeding and hiring camels for the carrying trade suffered and an increase in Manasir raids on the communities of the Northern emirates resulted. This led to the respective rulers of Abu Dhabi being pressed for reparations by other Trucial Sheikhs as their own dependents took their claims to the majlis to be settled.[10]
Alternative sources of revenue
An alternative source of revenue for the Manasir was working for the oil companies:
Another source of revenue as the march of civilisation forced changes to their way of life was to work as a retainer for the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. The Sheikhs of Abu Dhabi in their turn recognised that the Manasir was a potent and influential force and ensured that employment opportunities were open and subsidies paid to the Sheikhs of the Manasir.[10] In the 1950s, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi had 85 regularly paid Manasir retainers.[12]
Conflicts
The Manasir frequently formed an important part of Abu Dhabi's fighting force, and always fought alongside the Bani Yas.
The Manasir were fighting again in Buraimi in 1923, when they fought against the Duru, Bani Qitab and Awamir in Buraimi – a conflict that was to lead to a long period of inter-tribal skirmishing and raiding throughout the interior.[15]
However, they were also a force to be reckoned with and willing to play king-maker: in 1927,
Notable members
- Mariam Al Mansouri– The first female fighter pilot of the United Arab Emirates
- Hazza Al Mansouri – The first Emirati astronaut in space
- Reem al-Mansoori – is a Qatari civil servant and politician. In 2017 she was one of four women appointed to the Consultative Assembly, becoming one of the country's first female parliamentarians.
- Emiratiengineer who was the Minister of the Economy of the United Arab Emiratesfrom 2008 until 2020.
- Hawaa Al Mansoori – is an Emirati physician, inventor and politician. She was appointed to the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emiratesin 2019.
- Royal Bahrain Naval Force,Commander Combined Task Force 152, and Commander Flotilla. Al-Mansoori also has a PhD in international relations and was awarded the Legion of Merit. He is currently the head of the national defence college of Bahrain.
References
- ^ Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf Vol II. British Government, Bombay. p. 1162.
- OCLC 64689681.
- ^ a b c Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf Vol II. British Government, Bombay. p. 415.
- ^ OCLC 64689681.
- ^ Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf Vol II. British Government, Bombay. p. 427.
- OCLC 64689681.
- OCLC 64689681.
- OCLC 64689681.
- OCLC 64689681.
- ^ OCLC 64689681.
- OCLC 64689681.
- OCLC 64689681.
- OCLC 64689681.
- ^ Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. British Government, Bombay. p. 729.
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