Sharqiyin

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Sharqiyin
Arab tribe
Ethnicity Arab
Location United Arab Emirates
Language Arabic
Religion Islam

The Sharqiyin (singular Al Sharqi) is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). [1]  

The Al Sharqi family is the ruling royal family of Fujairah, one of the seven emirates that together comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

United Arab Emirates Country in Western Asia

The United Arab Emirates, sometimes simply called the Emirates, is a country in Western Asia at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south, as well as sharing maritime borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the north. The sovereign constitutional monarchy is a federation of seven emirates consisting of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain. Their boundaries are complex, with numerous enclaves within the various emirates. Each emirate is governed by a ruler; together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the rulers serves as the President of the United Arab Emirates. In 2013, the UAE's population was 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates.

Contents

The Sharqiyin were long the dominant tribe along the East coast of the Trucial States (and the second most numerous in the area around the start of the 19th century), an area known as Shamailiyah. [2] A 1968 census showed 90% of the tribal population of Fujairah was Sharqiyin. [3] They were traditionally dependents of Sharjah and, over the centuries, made several attempts to secede and declare independence, finally practically managing this from 1901 onwards [4] and finally gaining British recognition as a Trucial State, Fujairah, in 1952. [5]

Trucial States British protectorate 1820–1971, precursor to United Arab Emirates

The Trucial States was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in south-eastern Arabia which had been known as the "Pirate Coast". The name derived from the territories whose principal sheikhs had signed protective treaties with the British government from 1820 until 1892. They remained an informal British protectorate until the treaties were revoked on 1 December 1971. The following day six of the sheikhdoms formed the United Arab Emirates; the seventh – Ras Al Khaimah – joined the Federation on 10 February 1972.

Fujairah Emirate in United Arab Emirates

Fujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. The only of the seven with a coastline solely on the Gulf of Oman and none on the Persian Gulf, its capital is Fujairah City.

Sharjah City in United Arab Emirates

Sharjah is the third largest and third most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula.

They settled all along the East Coast of the Trucial States, from Kalba to Dibba, as well as in the Wadi Ham and Jiri plain and by the turn of the 20th century they were some 7,000 strong. Three sections of the tribe are notable, the Hafaitat (from which the ruling family of Fujairah derives), the Yammahi and the Hamudiyin. [1] After the Bani Yas, the Sharqiyin were the second most numerous tribe in the Trucial States.

Kalba City in United Arab Emirates

Kalba is a city in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is an exclave of Sharjah lying on the Gulf of Oman coast north of Oman. Khor Kalba, an important nature reserve and mangrove swamp, is located south of the town by the Omani border. The town was captured by the Portuguese Empire in the 16th century and was referred to as Ghallah.

Dibbā is a coastal area at the northern tip of the eastern Arabian peninsula on the Gulf of Oman. It is politically divided into three segments:

Wadi Ham Wikimedia disambiguation page

Wadi Ham is a wadi in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

Independence

Fujairah Fort today Fujairah Fort (1).jpg
Fujairah Fort today

In 1879, the head of the Hafaitat, Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi, led an insurrection against Sheikh Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi of Sharjah, who claimed suzerainty over the Shamaliyah and had placed a slave named Sarur in charge of Fujairah. [6] The insurrection replaced Sarur and a delegation was sent to Sheikh Saqr but they were badly received, imprisoned and a force sent back against the insurrectionists, taking Fujairah Fort and forcing Hamad bin Abdullah into exile. At the end of that year or possibly early 1880, Hamad returned from his exile and led a fresh bid to proclaim the independence of Fujairah, this time forcing a rout of Fujairah Fort, with eight men among the defenders killed. [6]

Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi is the first recognised leader of the Al Sharqi Ruling family of Fujairah, one of the Trucial States and today one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He led Fujairah in a number of insurrections against Al Qasimi rule, presiding over a turbulent time when the emirate was practically independent but denied recognition of status as a Trucial State in its own right by the British.

Sheikh Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi (1883–1914) was the Ruler of Sharjah from 1883–1914. He took control over Sharjah in a coup during the absence of his uncle, Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, and ruled both Sharjah and, from 1900 until his death in 1914, Ras Al Khaimah.

Emirate of Sharjah Emirate in United Arab Emirates

The Emirate of Sharjah is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, which covers 2,590 square kilometres (1,000 sq mi) and has a population of over 1,400,000 (2015). It comprises the capital city of Sharjah, after which it is named, and other minor towns and exclaves such as Kalba', Al Dhaid, Dibba Al-Hisn and Khor Fakkan.

The settlement of a peace was placed in front of the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah to arbitrate and, in 1881, Hamad bin Abdullah signed a document confirming him as a dependent of Sharjah. However, he expanded his influence over the area, taking Bithnah Fort in a move which was to support his eventual declaration of independence from Sharjah in 1901, a move which enjoyed the recognition of this status by all concerned, with the sole exception of the British. [7] Fujairah's status as a Trucial State was not formally recognised by the British until 1952.

Subsisting in the main on agriculture, pearling and fishing, the Sharqiyin lived a relatively harsh life, a fact underlined by a survey of the late 1960s, which showed the majority of households in the emirate of Fujairah still lived in barasti (palm frond) houses. [8]

Conflict

The Sharqiyin were frequently in conflict with their neighbours, particularly the Shihuh, Khawatir and Naqbiyin, but would make common cause with these against Sharjah whenever the opportunity arose. [3]

The long history of squabbles and disputes between the Sharqiyn and neighbouring tribes came to the fore once again following the act of Union, when a land dispute with Kalba broke out into open fighting. In early 1972, the newly founded Union Defence Force was called in to take control of the fighting which, by the time the UDF moved in, had killed 22 and seriously injured a dozen more. The dispute was finally settled after mediation between Sheikh Rashid of Dubai and other Rulers and a statement announcing the settlement was sent out on 17 July 1972. [9]

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References

  1. 1 2 Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf Vol II. British Government, Bombay. p. 1769.
  2. ↑ Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 72. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  3. 1 2 Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 73. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  4. ↑ Bey, Frauke (1996). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates. UK: Longman. pp. 92–94. ISBN   0582277280.
  5. ↑ Bey, Frauke (1996). From Trucial States To United Arab Emirates. UK: Longman. p. 296. ISBN   0582277280.
  6. 1 2 Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. British Government, Bombay. p. 781.
  7. ↑ Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 94. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  8. ↑ Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 74. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  9. ↑ Wilson, Graeme (1999). Father of Dubai. UAE: Media Prima. p. 178. ISBN   9789948856450.
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