The Al Ali () is a tribe of the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
, notably in the United Arab Emirates. The tribe originally settled the island of
Siniyah off
Umm Al Quwain, later moving to the mainland and building a fort and defensive wall there in the late 1700s, founding the
Emirate of Umm Al Quwain (later a
Trucial State and then one of the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
). The emirate consists in the main of the coastal city of
Umm Al Quwain and the inland oasis town of
Falaj Al Mualla
Falaj Al Mualla is the inland oasis town of Emirate of Umm Al Quwain, Umm Al Quwain, one of the seven emirates which comprise the United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Originally called Falaj Al Ali, after the Al-Ali (tribe), Al Ali tr ...
, some from the coast.
The tribe was recorded by historian
JG Lorimer as comprising 1,000 settled families in Umm Al Quwain, 200 in Sharjah and 150 in Ras Al Khaimah as well as some 140 nomadic families.
The inland settlement of Falaj Al Ali was also fortified, including a trio of watchtowers (''Murabbaa'') which dominate the wide and fertile wadi there. This settlement later became known, after the ruling family, as
Falaj Al Mualla
Falaj Al Mualla is the inland oasis town of Emirate of Umm Al Quwain, Umm Al Quwain, one of the seven emirates which comprise the United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Originally called Falaj Al Ali, after the Al-Ali (tribe), Al Ali tr ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Al-Ali (Tribe)
Tribes of Arabia
Tribes of the United Arab Emirates