Mazari (Emirati)
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The Mazari (singular Mazrouei or Mazrui) is an Arab tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Mazari settled throughout the
Trucial States The Trucial States, also known as the Trucial Coast, the Trucial Sheikhdoms, or Trucial Oman, was a group of tribal confederations to the south of the Persian Gulf (southeastern Arabia) whose leaders had signed protective treaties, or truce ...
but principally in
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
. They are considered a subsection of the Bani Yas and formed the majority of the
Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...
component of that federation of tribes.


Liwa

The Liwa Oasis was the homeplace of many of the Mazari, where they were the principal property owners among 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 Marar tribe at Liwa. At that time there were also some 300 Mazari at Al Khan in
Sharjah Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...
and 500 in the areas of Adhen and Asimah. Those of the Mazari who settled in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
came to consider themselves as apart from the Bani Yas. The area around Wadi Helou in the Hajar Mountains of Sharjah is also an area of Mazari settlement. 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 The Manasir people () constitute one of many Sunni Arab riverine tribes of Northern Sudan. They are not to be confused with the Manasir (tribe), Manasir of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Persian Gulf region in the Arabian Peninsula-based ma ...
, many Mazari found employment in the burgeoning oil industry as modernisation forced changes in the lifestyle of the Bedouin of the area. 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."


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. 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. 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. 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 Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
to increase his influence over the tribes and exact the tax
zakat Zakat (or Zakāh زكاة) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Zakat is the Arabic word for "Giving to Charity" or "Giving to the Needy". Zakat is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam a relig ...
from them. These shifting allegiances and schisms were to form part of the Saudi claims which led to the Buraimi Dispute.


Notable Mazari

* Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui * Suhail Al Mazroui * Shamsa bint Suhail Al Mazrouei


References

{{Arab tribes in the United Arab Emirates Tribes of the United Arab Emirates Tribes of Arabia