Mazari (Emirati tribe)

Last updated
Mazari
Arab tribe
Ethnicity Arab
Location Arabian Peninsula
United Arab Emirates
Language Arabic
Religion Islam

The Mazari (singular Mazrouei or Mazrui) is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). [1] The Mazari settled throughout the Trucial States but principally in Abu Dhabi. They are considered a subsection of the Bani Yas [1] and formed the majority of the Bedouin component of that federation of tribes. [2]

Contents

Liwa

The Liwa Oasis was the homeplace of many of the Mazari, where they were the principal property owners of the six Bani Yas tribes in the area, consisting of some 315 houses at the turn of the 20th century. They were closely associated with the AlMarar tribe at Liwa. [3] At that time there were also some 300 Mazari at Al Khan in Sharjah and 500 in the areas of Adhen and Asimah. [1] Those of the Mazari who settled in Dubai came to consider themselves as apart from the Bani Yas. [4] The area around Wadi Helou in the Hajar Mountains of Sharjah is also an area of Mazari settlement. [5]

They were herdsmen and records show they settled into an agrarian existence in the oasis following the decline in the value of camels and the use of traditional camel trains which took place in the Trucial States during the early 20th century. They were also involved in the seasonal pearl fisheries. Like their Bedouin counterparts the Manasir, many Mazari found employment in the burgeoning oil industry as modernisation forced changes in the lifestyle of the Bedouin of the area. [2] The Mazari also formed the second largest Bedouin contingent among the Ruler's retainers, being said to be loyal and "in their bedu fashion, disciplined." [6]

Conflict and schism

When Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnun Al Nahyan repelled the Wahhabis from the Buraimi Oasis in 1848, it was the Mazari, together with the Manasir, who waited South of Abu Dhabi to fall on the relieving force sent from Nejd under Saad bin Mutlaq. [7] The two tribes were also linked in events further north, where they were involved in a conflict with the wali of Al Khan, Muhamad bin Ubaid in 1920. Some 75 pearling boats sailed from Al Khan each season, owned by settled Mazari and Manasir families. However, the village was frequently plundered by Bedouin Mazari and Al Bu Shamis, the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, and the wali being accused of doing little to protect the village, whilst also insisting on a tribute of 50 bags of rice at the commencement of each pearling season. [8] When the wali died in 1931, the village appointed its own headman – a move which was punished by Sultan bin Saqr, who replaced the murdered headman with his brother Muhammad. [9]

An outbreak of hostilities between the Bedouin tribes of Dhafra (the area between Abu Dhabi and the Rub Al Kali) in the early 20th century rumbled on until the early 1920s, with the Mazari split between a group who sought Saudi protection and a group who migrated to Abu Dhabi and its islands. After Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan arranged a truce, the Mazari returned to Dhafra but fighting between the tribes continued: a conflict used by Abdelaziz Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia to increase his influence over the tribes and exact the tax zakat from them. These shifting allegiances and schisms were to form part of the Saudi claims which led to the Buraimi Dispute. [10]

Prominent Mazari today

A prominent UAE trading and industrial family; one of its most notable members is the UAE's Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui who, in February 2016, became the youngest government minister in the world. The Emirati businessman and UAE Minister of Energy & Industry, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Supreme Petroleum Council, Suhail Al Mazroui Suhail Mohammed Faraj Al Mazroui. [11] Another prominent Mazari is: Sheikha Shamsa bint Suhail Al Mazrouei, [12] the widow of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former President of the UAE and former ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Related Research Articles

The Marar is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a subsection of the Bani Yas.

The Bani Kaab is an Arab tribe in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, also evident in other Gulf countries.

The Al Bu Hamir is a tribe in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Originating in the Al Ain region of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, they are a small section of the Bani Yas tribal confederation. Under the Bani Yas, they were considered a subsection of the Manasir. They were Maliki Sunni in religion and partisans of the Hinawi faction in politics and, around the turn of the 20th century, comprised some 60 houses in Abu Dhabi, where they appear to have settled. The members of the tribe have usually enjoyed close relationships with the Al Nahyan ruling family. Several of its members held important positions in Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan's administration and Royal court.

The Shihuh is an Arab tribe living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. In the singular, the name is Al Shehhi, a common family name in the UAE and Oman today. Inhabiting the northern part of the Hajar Mountain range, specifically in the Ruus Al Jibal, the tribe has long been influential in the affairs of both the east and west coast settlements of the northern UAE and Oman and has fiercely maintained both its identity and independence.

Masfout is a village that forms part of the eponymous exclave of Masfout in Ajman, one of the seven emirates forming the United Arab Emirates. It is surrounded by Ras Al Khaimah, the Dubai exclave of Hatta and Oman. It is only accessible from Ajman itself by crossing territories of Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Oman.

Maktoum bin Butti was the joint founder and first ruler of Dubai, today one of the United Arab Emirates, alongside Obeid bin Said bin Rashid, with whom he led a migration of the Al Bu Falasah from Abu Dhabi, seceding from the Bani Yas.

Saeed bin Butti was the third Ruler of Dubai, succeeding Maktoum bin Butti bin Suhail on his death in 1852. He was a signatory to the landmark treaty with the British, the Perpetual Maritime Truce of 1853.

Obeid bin Said bin Rashid was the first Ruler of Dubai under the Al Bu Falasah, jointly leading a migration of the tribe from Abu Dhabi alongside Maktoum bin Butti bin Sohail. He ruled for three years prior to his death in 1836.

Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla was the Ruler of Umm Al Quwain from 1904–1922, one of the Trucial States and today one of the seven emirates forming the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He gained influence over the tribes of the interior at the expense of the pre-eminent Trucial Ruler of the time, Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan.

The Bani Qitab is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The singular form of the name, Al Ketbi, is a common family name in the Northern UAE today. Consisting of a settled southern section and a nomadic northern section, the tribe was long influential in the conduct of affairs in the interior of the Trucial States. The Northern branch mostly settled in the inland towns of Dhaid and Al Falayah.

The Na'im is an Arab tribe in the United Arab Emirates. The tribe is also present in other gulf countries.

Sheikh Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan was the Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1818–1833. Having deposed his brother Muhammad bin Shakhbut Al Nayhan with his father's support, he ruled in his father's name. Under Tahnun, Abu Dhabi became a Trucial State in 1820, eventually becoming the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan was the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, one of the Trucial States which today form the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 1833 to 1845. His bloody accession led to the secession of the Al Bu Falasah and the establishment of the Maktoum dynasty in Dubai.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnun Al Nahyan was the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, one of the Trucial States which today form the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 1845 to 1855.

The AlManasir is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Nomadic, warlike and fiercely independent, they roamed between Buraimi and Qatar, the Persian Gulf coast to Liwa and also settled in the Northern emirates. They subsisted through date farming, pearling and moving goods with their camel trains, as well as camel breeding.

The Sharqiyin is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

The Dhawahir is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The tribe's main centre was the Buraimi Oasis and the village, then town of Al Ain. They have long had a strong alliance with the Ruling family of Abu Dhabi, the Al Nahyan, and the Bani Yas confederation.

The Awamir is a Bedouin Arab tribe in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. Warlike and fiercely independent, they were camel breeders, raiders and occasionally date farmers before settling in the 1960s.

The Duru is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A relatively small tribe, they nevertheless managed to intersperse themselves in a number of territorial conflicts which broke out throughout the Trucial States in the 20th century.

Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the brother of Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1928 to 1966, and Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1966 to 2004 and the UAE's first President. Hazza was the Ruler's Representative in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf Vol II. British Government, Bombay. p. 1204.
  2. 1 2 Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 29. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  3. Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 32. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  4. Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 242. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  5. "Heart of Sharjah could become world heritage site". ArabianIndustry.com. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  6. Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 206. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  7. Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 431. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  8. Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 99. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  9. Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 100. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  10. Said., Zahlan, Rosemarie (2016). The Origins of the United Arab Emirates : a Political and Social History of the Trucial States. Taylor and Francis. pp. 82–3. ISBN   9781317244653. OCLC   945874284.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. "Members Of The Cabinet". uaecabinet.ae.
  12. https://www.mopa.ae/EN/UAEPresident/Pages/default.aspx