Al-Uqaydat () is a large
Arab tribe
The tribes of Arabia () have inhabited the Arabian Peninsula for thousands of years and traditionally trace their ancestry to one of two forefathers: Adnan, whose descendants originate from West Arabia, North Arabia, East Arabia, and Central A ...
which straddles
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
's eastern border with
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
. It is the largest tribe in the
Deir ez-Zor province and according to
Max von Oppenheim
Baron Max von Oppenheim (15 July 1860 – 17 November 1946) was a German people, German lawyer, diplomat, ancient historian, Panislamism, pan-Islamist and archaeologist. He was a member of the Oppenheim family, Oppenheim banking dynasty. Aban ...
, it is the largest tribe in all of Mesopotamia. Members of the tribe can be found on both sides of the
Iraqi-Syrian border.
Uqaydat tribe is descended from the tribe of
Zubaid
Zubaid or Zubayd () is an Arab tribe from the Madhhaj confederation, that is one of the largest, richest tribes of Arabia.
It participated in the Islamic conquests in the early days of Islam. Among them were Abu Bakr al-Zubaydi, the great compa ...
.
Structure
The tribe is divided into three branches which are in turn divided into multiple clans:
Busaraya clan
* Abu Kamel
** Abu Hassan clan
** Al-Qaraan clan
** Abu Rahmat clan
** Al-Baqir clan
** Al-Shuwait clan
* Abu Kamal
** Al-Mireh clan and their sheikh is Mohamed Al-Gharab Al-Harsa
**Al-Hassoun clan and their sheikh is Ayman Al-Daham Al-dandal
** Al-Damim clan and their sheikh is Kamal Al-Naji Al-Jirah
** Al-Daleej clan
** Al-Marashda clan
** Al-Jaalkah clan
* Abu Zamil (
al-Shaitat
Al-Shaitat (), in Standard Arabic al-Shuʿaytāt, is a Sunni Arab clan which lives in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate in eastern Syria. Its members number between 70,000 and 90,000 and it is led by Sheikh Rafaa Aakla al-Raju. )
** al-Khanfour
** al-Shabab
** al-Aliyat
References
Tribes of Arabia
Tribes of Iraq
Tribes of Syria
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