Dawasir

Dawasir (Arabic: الدواسر‎, sing. الدوسري al-Dawsari) is an Arabian bedouin tribal confederation that was formed between South Arabian tribes and Taghlib tribe in central Arabia.

The tribe gave its name to the famous valley in Najd or specifically the town of Wadi al-Dawasir (The Valley of Al-Dawasir) which had a population of 106,152 in 2010[1] and is divided into two main neighborhoods: al-Nawaima and al-Khamaseen, and spread in various parts of the Middle East.

Nomenclature

There are various theories surrounding the definition and origin of the term Dawasir, the two most popular ones being that it was derived from either the name of the tribe's purported forebear Dosser or the eponymous Arabic word which translates to "soldiers". Other sources include other terms such as the Arabic word for Lion or a type of Arabian horse.[2]

History

Bahrain

The Dawasir migrated to Bahrain in 1845 from Zakhnuniya Island, south of Uqair[3] and mainly settled in and around Zallaq and Budaiya. American author Yitzhak Nakash, a prominent expert on the history of Shiism,[4] described the tribe in his book Reaching for Power: The Shi'a in the Modern Arab World as being the "second largest and most powerful tribe after the Utub [in Bahrain]. So powerful were the Dawasir that their members recognized Sheikh 'Isa Al Khalifa as ruler in name only and considered themselves immune from taxation." Members of the tribe worked in the pearl industry and opposed the overthrow of Sheikh Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa. Virtually all members of the tribe left Bahrain for Dammam after suspecting that the new ruler, Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa would attempt to tighten his control over them with British support and force them into submitting to his rule in 1923. The Dawasir were officially allowed to return in April 1927 by Sheikh Hamad after being requested by Ibn Saud to do so.[5]

Years after the deportation of the Dawasir, a number of Huwala families arrived in Bahrain from southern Iran (mainly from the village of Jah Kotah), claiming to be members of the Dumkooh clan.[6] Their origin is disputed by some Dawasir scholars such as Sahood Aldosseri who deny claims put forward by apologists which assert that some Dumkooh clansmen are of Iranian origin because there are no records proving that an immigration of such a powerful clan would occur without any records remaining.[7]

Branches of Dawasir

They are a tribal confederation of three main tribes that allied with each other.[8]

Al-Zayed

Their homes were in ancient history, in the Ma'rib region, a tribe of Azd Bani Mazin branch. They allied with al-Jaid trib who belong to Hamdan tribe and moved from their homes to Wadi al-Dawasir in the 9th century and early 10th century. the main branch of the Dawasir tribe and the majority of its members belong to Al-Zayed as well as the Sheikhdom

Taghlib

They are from the tribe of Taghlib bin Halwan from Quda'a lived in the Aqiq Banu Uqayl (today known as Wadi Dawasir) before the arrival of Al-Zayed from the south of the Wadi and taking it from Banu Uqayl Taghlib is an ally branch of the Dawasir tribe

Al-Jamailat

They are part of the banu Taghlib bin Wa'il tribe.

See also

References
  1. "Saudi Arabia: Wadi Addawasir". Geohive. Archived from the original on 2013-08-28.
  2. al-Zabidi, Murtada (1965). Taj al-Arus Min Jawahir al-Qamus (6 ed.). p. 402.
  3. Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J.G. Lorimer. Volume 6, Historical Section: Qatar
  4. http://fora.tv/2006/03/30/Shi_a_in_the_Modern_Arab_World
  5. Reaching for Power: The Shi'a in the Modern Arab World. By Yitzhak Nakash, p57.
  6. يورد ج. ج. لوريمر في كتابه دليل الخليج القسم الجغرافي الجزء الاول صفحة (444 و 484
  7. ج ٨ ص ١٧ تاريخ الدموخ
  8. al-Zabidi, Murtada (1965). Taj al-Arus Min Jawahir al-Qamus (6 ed.). p. 402.
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