Bedouin

The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu are nomadic Arab tribes who live in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq/Kuwait). They started in the Syrian Desert and Arabian Desert and later moved through the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa after the spread of Islam. The word bedouin means "desert-dweller" in Arabic.

Bedouins are known for their traditions, such as herding camels, sheep, and goats. Most follow Islam, but some are Christian, especially in the Fertile Crescent. Even though many now live in cities, they still keep their culture alive. This includes their clan groups, music, poetry, dances like saas, and other customs.

Urban Bedouins often have festivals to celebrate their heritage. These festivals include poetry, traditional dances, playing instruments, and learning about making tents. Many enjoy camel riding and camping in the desert.

Society

The Bedouin have a famous saying: "I am against my brother, my brother and I are against my cousin, my cousin and I are against the stranger." This shows how their loyalties are organized, starting with oneself, then moving to family, and finally to a larger group. Their families, often living in tents, usually included a married couple, their siblings or parents, and their children.

Bedouin tribes did not follow a central government or empire. Instead, they were led by tribal chiefs, sometimes from special places called oases where trade happened. What kept the tribes together was a feeling of shared family history rather than just following a leader.

The Bedouin valued courage, welcoming guests, loyalty to family, and pride in their ancestry. Their society followed traditional rules and ways of making fair decisions, including a known practice called bisha'a, which was a method of finding the truth.

Traditions

Herding

Livestock and herding were very important to the Bedouins. They mostly raised goats, sheep, and dromedary camels. These animals gave them food, milk, and wool. Milk products were a big part of their meals.

Camels were very special to the Bedouins. They were a main food source and helped them travel. Camels could give milk even in tough desert places, and sometimes their meat was eaten too. The Bedouins loved camel races, especially during happy events like weddings or religious festivals.

Some Bedouin groups lived in dry places where rain was hard to predict. When there was no green grass, they would move their camp to find food for their animals. In places with more regular rain, like farther south, they would plant grains for their animals to eat in winter. In some areas with good rainfall, like western Africa, they would plant crops near their homes and move their animals to higher lands with grass.

Oral poetry

Oral poetry was a favorite activity among the Bedouins. Having a poet in a tribe was something to be proud of. Poetry was not just for fun—it was also used to share news and keep order in the community. Bedouin poetry, called nabati poetry, was often spoken in their local language. Other types of Arabic poetry were usually in a more formal language called Modern Standard Arabic.

Raiding or ghazw

See also: 1757 Hajj caravan raid and Ikhwan raids on Transjordan

The Bedouin tribes had a tradition of raiding other tribes, groups traveling together, or small towns. This was called ghazw in their language.

History

Early history

The Bedouin have lived as nomadic herders, farmers, and sometimes fishers in the Syrian steppe since around 6000 BCE. By about 850 BCE, they had created a network of settlements and camps. The earliest Arab tribes came from the Bedouin.

By the time of the Roman Empire, the Bedouin had a clear identity and were known as a single group with many families, clans, and tribes. They made money by taxing caravans and collecting gifts from non-Bedouin settlements. They also earned money by moving goods and people across the desert in caravans led by camels. Because water and land for animals were scarce, they had to move often.

The Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta wrote that in 1326, on his way to Gaza, Egyptian officials had a checkpoint at Qatya on the north coast of Sinai. There, Bedouin helped guard the road.

Ottoman period

In 1757, Bedouin tribes led by Qa'dan al-Fayez attacked a group of people traveling to holy places. This was because the leaders were upset that the Ottomans had not paid them for helping protect travelers. Many people were hurt or lost.

During the Ottoman land changes in 1858, new laws were made that affected Bedouin lands. Because of changes in rules and loss of land, many Bedouin had to change their way of life.

By the late 1800s, the leader Abdülhamid II moved many people to areas where Bedouin lived. This made many Bedouin unhappy because new settlers took over their lands.

Ottoman leaders also allowed rich people to buy large pieces of land, often taking land that belonged to Bedouin.

In the late 1800s, many Bedouin began living in one place instead of moving. The Ottoman leaders wanted Bedouin to settle down because they saw them as hard to control. During World War I, some Bedouin fought with the Ottomans, but others switched to fight against them.

In the 20th century

In the early 1900s, some Bedouin still followed old traditions, such as contests called ghazzu.

In the 1950s and 1960s, many Bedouin moved to cities in the Middle East. This happened because lands for animals became scarce and populations grew. Severe droughts, like one in Syria from 1958 to 1961, forced many to find new jobs. Governments encouraged settlement, seeing the Bedouin way of life as outdated. Some Bedouin chose to settle for better living standards.

In the 21st century

Gulf States have brought back some Bedouin traditions like falconry, horse and camel races, and pearl-diving to celebrate their history. Some Bedouin now raise white doves or learn falconry to connect with their past.

In different countries

Saudi Arabia

The Arabian Peninsula was one of the original homes of the Bedouin. From there, they spread out to surrounding deserts because of a lack of water and food. Tradition says that Arabian Bedouin tribes come from two groups: Qahtanis, also called Yaman, from the mountains of Southwestern Arabia, and Adnanis, from North-Central Arabia.

Many Bedouin tribes live in Saudi Arabia. They include Anazzah, Juhaynah, Shammar, al-Murrah, Mahra, Dawasir, Harb, Ghamid, Mutayr, Subay', 'Utayba, Bani Khalid, Qahtan, Rashaida, and Banu Yam. In the early 20th century, Saudi Arabia started a policy to settle Bedouin people. Because of this, fewer Bedouin today live a nomadic lifestyle.

Kuwait

In the 1960s and 1970s, leaders in Kuwait gave Bedouin people from Saudi Arabia citizenship to gain support. Even though Kuwait is a city-based country with almost no nomadic people left, leaders have used differences between city dwellers and Bedouin people.

Qatar

After an event in 1996, the government of Qatar arrested many members of the al-Murrah tribe who supported Saudi Arabia and took away their citizenship for a time. Many stayed in jail until 2010. During a difficult time for Qatar in 2017, Saudi Arabia encouraged Bedouin people to gather near the border. In response, Qatar took away the passports of some al-Murrah members.

Syria

The Syrian Desert was where Arab Bedouin tribes first lived. Today, over a million Bedouin people live in Syria, caring for sheep and goats. The largest Bedouin group in Syria is called Ruwallah, part of the 'Anizzah tribe. Another group from the Anizzah tribe is the Hasana and S'baa, who came from the Arabian peninsula in the 18th century.

Bedouin people often cared for animals until the late 1950s, when a severe drought made it hard to continue. Because of this, many Bedouin people had to find new jobs. In 1958, Syrian law also changed to no longer recognize Bedouin tribes.

There are many types of Bedouin people in Syria: Hourani Bedouins, Mesopotamian Bedouins, and a few tribes in different areas.

Because of the Syrian Civil War, some Bedouin people left Syria and found safety in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, and other countries.

Lebanon

Bedouin people live in the Beqaa Governorate, though they are a small group there. Many people in Lebanon have some Bedouin roots because Arabs moved to Lebanon from Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Today, Bedouin communities in Lebanon, especially near the southern border, have changed from moving around to living in one place and farming.

Palestine

Palestinian Bedouins originally lived in the Negev Desert. During the war in 1948, they had to leave their land. Others were moved from the Negev in 1953 to the West Bank. Today, there are 40,000 Bedouin people in the West Bank, with 27,000 living in an area under Israeli control. Unlike Bedouin people in the Negev, those in the West Bank are not Israeli citizens. Bedouin communities in the West Bank have been moved to towns to make space for settlements. Bedouin people also live in the Gaza Strip.

Israel

Before 1948, about 65,000 to 90,000 Bedouin people lived in the Negev desert. All Bedouin people in Israel became citizens in 1954. As of 2020, there are 210,000 Bedouin people in Israel: 150,000 in the Negev, 50,000 in Galilee and the Jezreel Valley, and 10,000 in central Israel. Galilee Bedouins have lived in northern Israel for four centuries.

The Bedouin people who stayed in the Negev were part of the Tiaha confederation and smaller groups like the 'Azazme and the Jahalin. After 1948, some Negev Bedouin people were moved. The Jahalin tribe used to live in the Tel Arad area of the Negev but moved to an area called E1 near Jerusalem. Bedouin shepherds were the first to find the Dead Sea Scrolls, important Jewish texts, in the Judean caves of Qumran in 1946.

In 2011, Israel approved a five-year economic development plan called the Prawer plan. It included moving about 30,000 to 40,000 Negev Bedouin people from areas not recognized by the government to government-approved towns. In 2012, the European Parliament asked for the Prawer plan to be stopped and for the rights of Bedouin people to be respected.

Jordan

Most Bedouin tribes moved to what is now Jordan between the 14th and 18th centuries. They are important to the country, often supporting the monarchy.

Most Bedouin people in Jordan live east of the Desert Highway. Those in the east breed camels and care for sheep and goats, while those in the west care for sheep and goats. Some Bedouin people in Jordan move between places.

The largest moving groups in Jordan are the Bani Hasan, Bani Sakher, Banū Laith, and Howeitat. There are also smaller groups such as the al-Sirḥān, Banū Khālid, Hawazim, ʿAṭiyyah, and Sharafāt. The Ruwālah (Rwala) tribe, not originally from the area, travels through Jordan between Syria and Saudi Arabia.

The Jordanian government provides services like education, housing, and health clinics to Bedouin people.

Egypt

Bedouin people in Egypt live mainly in the Sinai Peninsula, Matruh, Red Sea governate, parts of Sharqia governate, Suez, Ismailia, and near Cairo. Traditional Bedouin culture changed with the growth of towns on the Red Sea coast, like Sharm el-Sheikh. With more cities and schools, many Bedouin people now marry outside their tribe, which was not common before.

Bedouin people in the Sinai Peninsula did not benefit as much from building projects because they were paid low wages. Instead, workers from Sudan and Egypt were hired. When tourism grew, local Bedouin people found jobs as drivers, guides, and managers of camps and coffee shops.

In many Middle Eastern countries, Bedouin people do not own land but only use it. This is especially true in Egypt. Since the mid-1980s, Bedouin people who had land near the coast lost much of it when the government sold it to hotel companies.

In summer 1999, the Egyptian army removed Bedouin-run tourist camps north of Nuweiba as part of hotel development projects.

Maghreb

The Arab migration to the Maghreb happened over many centuries, starting in the 7th century. Early waves from the 7th to the 10th centuries involved Arabs setting up communities in cities and rural areas. Later, from the 11th to the 15th centuries, many nomadic Bedouin tribes moved to the region.

In the 11th century, Bedouin tribes of Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym, living between the Nile and the Red Sea, moved west into the Maghreb. They were joined by the Ma'qil tribe from South Arabia and other Arab tribes.

This large movement happened when the Zirid dynasty of Ifriqiya declared independence from the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. In response, the Fatimids sent Bedouin tribes, mainly the Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym, to defeat the Zirids and settle in the Maghreb.

According to Ibn Khaldun, they came with their families and animals. They settled in the Maghreb after fighting the Berbers. They changed the culture of the Maghreb to Arab culture and brought nomadism to areas that once focused on farming. This also spread Bedouin Arabic to rural areas, including the countryside, steppes, and areas near the Sahara.

These Bedouin tribes developed into several modern sub-tribes. Well-known Bedouin tribes in Algeria include Awlad Sidi Shaykh, Ouled Naïl, Chaamba, Doui-Menia and Hamyan, living mainly in the Algerian Desert.

Bedouin dialects, called Hilalian dialects, are spoken in parts of Morocco, the Atlantic coast, the High Plains and Sahara in Algeria, the Sahel in Tunisia, and Tripolitania. These dialects have several varieties: Sulaym, Eastern Hilal, Central Hilal, Western Hilal, and Maqil dialects.

Tribes and populations

There are many Bedouin tribes, but it can be hard to know how many people belong to them. Many Bedouin families no longer move around as they used to. Below is a list of some Bedouin tribes and where they come from.

• Otaibah, located in Najd and Hijaz, found mainly in the Arabian Peninsula in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
• Harb, located in the Arabian Peninsula.
• Beni Sakher, located in Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. Families in the tribe such as the Al-Fayez, Al-Zaben, Al Hgeish, Al-Jboor, and the Al-Khreisheh represent the tribe in Jordan. There are other families that are smaller in size including Al-Mteirat, Al-Hamed, Al-Badarin, and Al-Othman.
• Banu Hilal, located in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. The tribe originated in Najd, but moved in the 11th century to North Africa.
• Banu Sulaym, located in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Syria.
• 'Anizzah, some of the clans of this tribe are Bedouins, they live in northern Saudi Arabia, western Iraq, the Gulf states, Syrian steppe and in Bekaa.
• 'Azazima, Negev desert and Egypt.
• Beni Hamida, east of Dead Sea, Jordan.
• Banu Yam centered in Najran Province, Saudi Arabia and Iraq and is divided into Bedouins and urban
• Al Bu Shamis (Tribe), Buraimi, Sultanate Of Oman - Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Na'im (Tribe), Buraimi, Sultanate Of Oman - Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Nu'aym (Tribe), southern and central Syria, particularly Golan Heights, Hauran and Homs
• Balush (Tribe), Buraimi, Sultanate Of Oman - Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Bani Qitab (Tribe), Buraimi, Sultanate Of Oman - Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Bani Kaab (Tribe), Buraimi, Sultanate Of Oman - Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Khawatir (Tribe), Buraimi, Sultanate Of Oman - Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Ghafalah (Tribe), Buraimi, Sultanate Of Oman - Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Dulaim, a very large and powerful tribe in Al Anbar, Western Iraq.
• al-Amad (alAmad, Al Amad, Al-Amad family) of al-Umdah clan ("The Mayors Tribe"), one of the smaller yet prominent tribes of the Arabian Peninsula. Mostly scattered across Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Palestine and United Arab Emirates. This tribe is also associated with Samaritan ancestry (Samaritans).
• al-Abadi "Abadi clan" mostly based in Jordan. Very well respected across the country with influential positions in the Army and national services.
• al-Duwasir, also known as al-Dousari located in central Saudi Arabia, especially Wadi Al-Dawasir, as well as Eastern Arabia in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
• Ghamid, large tribe from Al-Bahah Province, Saudi Arabia, mostly settled, but with a small Bedouin section known as Badiyat Ghamid.
• al-Hadid, large Bedouin tribe found in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. Now mostly are settled in cities such as Haditha in Iraq, Homs & Hama in Syria, and Amman in Jordan.
• al-Howeitat, one of the largest tribes in Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia, and eastern Egypt. The descends from Judham, an ancient north Arabian Qahtanite tribe.
• Qahtan, one of the largest tribes in the Arabian Peninsula. The Bedouin portion of the tribe roamed an area extended from the South of Najd to the Southwest of Saudi Arabia.
• Al-Dhafeer in Northeast Saudi Arabia, Southern Iraq, and Kuwait.
• Mawali, central and northern Syria
• Mutayr in Central and Eastern Saudi Arabia.
• Bani Khalid, some of its clans are Bedouins in Eastern Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and Syria.
• Al Murrah are one of the largest and powerful tribes of the Arabian Peninsula covering Southeastern Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. The tribe historically roamed the Empty Quarter desert.
• Ajman of Eastern Saudi Arabia.
• al-Mawasi, a group living on the central Gaza Strip coast.
• Ma'qil, a Bedouin tribe of Yemeni origin, located in Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, and west Algeria.
• Muzziena tribe in Dahab and South Sinai (Egypt).
• Shahran (al-Ariydhah), a very large tribe residing in the area between Bisha, Khamis Mushait and Abha. Al-Arydhah 'wide' is a famous name for Shahran because it has a very large area, in Saudi Arabia.
• Shammar, a very large and influential tribe. The Bedouins of this tribe live in Iraq, northern Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan. Descended from the ancient tribe of Tayy from Najd.
• Subay', Some of the clans of this tribe are bedouins and live in the far south of the Najd region.
• Tarabin—one of the largest tribes in Egypt (Sinai) and Israel (Negev).
• Tuba-Zangariyye, Israel near the Jordan river cliff in the Eastern Galilee.
• Al Wahiba, a large tribe in Oman residing in the Sharqiya Sands, also known as the Wahiba Sands
• Al Rashaida is originally a tribe from the Hejaz, but large portions of it have migrated to Eritrea and Eastern Sudan. Although bedouins from other tribes have migrated with them as well, the name has come to refer to all of them.