Many Iraqi Arabs identify strongly with a tribe (العشيرة '''ashira''). 30 of the 150 or so identifiable tribes of

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 ...

are the most influential. They are grouped into federations (قبيلة ''qabila''). Within the tribe, there is the clan (الفخذ ''fukhdh''), the house (البيت ''beit'') and the extended family (الخمس ''khams''). Tribes are led by sheikhs (شيخ ''sheykh'') who represent the tribe and deal with its domestic affairs. Due to the large sizes of Iraq's tribes, an individual may belong to the Shammar tribe, but also the Aslam branch within the same tribe, and therefore can identify with both. There are hundreds of Arab tribes across Iraq from the north to the south. On its accession to power in the

17 July Revolution The 17 July Revolution () was a bloodless coup in Iraq in 1968 led by Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, Abd ar-Razzaq an-Naif, and Abd ar-Rahman al-Dawud that ousted List of Presidents of Iraq, President Abdul Rahman Arif and Prime Minister of Iraq, Pri ...

of 1968, Iraq's

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

announced its opposition to tribalism ( القبلية ''al-qabaliyya''), although for pragmatic reasons, especially during the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

, tribalism was sometimes tolerated and even encouraged.

List of major tribes

Al-Khafaji Al-Khafaji () is an Arabic surname that denotes a relationship to or from Khafajah, Diyala Governorate. Notable people with the surname include: * Raschad Al-Khafaji (born 1970) UN Diplomat * Ala'a Hussein Ali Al-Khafaji Al-Jaber (born c. 1948), ...

* Al-Srai * Al-Sari * Al-Alattiya * Al-Maliki * Al-Qaraghoul * Al-Khuza'ah *

Al-Shammari The tribe of Shammar () is a tribal Arab Qahtanite confederation, descended from the Tayy, which migrated into the northern Arabian Peninsula from Yemen in the second century. It is the largest branch of the Tayy, and one of the largest and most ...

* Al-Samraie * Al-Azzawi * Al-Huraithi * Al-Absawi * Al-Asooli * Al-Dulaimi * Al-Jubouri * Al-Juaibar *

Al-Suwaidi The Sudan (Arabic: السودان) (singular Al Suwaidi ) are an Arab tribe of Qahtanite origin in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and other Gulf states. At the turn of the 20th century settled Sudan numbered some 405 houses in Abu Dhabi an ...

Al-Amri Al-Amri () is an Arabic language surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Abdulelah Al-Amri (1997), Saudi Arabian footballer * Abdul Rahman al-Amri (1973–2007), Saudi Arabian extrajudicial prisoner of the United States * Ali Al-Amri ...

* Al-Nuaimi * Al-Jumaili * Al-Salaman * Al-Naji * Al-Kadhmi * Al-Qarawi * Al-Janabi * Al-Wani * Al-Ahmed * Al-Kaabi * Al-Anzi * Al-Ubaid * Al-Ali * Al-Duraji * Al-Khazali * Al-Hasan * Al-Khazraji * Al-Lami *

Al-Malik al-Malik (), literally "''the King''", is a name that may refer to: *The title King of Kings *One of the 99 names of God in Islam *Imam Malik *Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Umayyad caliph * Al-Malik al-Rahim, Buyid rulers * Al-Malik al-Aziz, Buyid princ ...

Al-Muntafiq Al-Muntafiq () was a large Arab tribal confederation of southern Iraq and Kuwait. The confederation's tribes predominantly settled in Iraq's southern provinces and northern Kuwait. The confederation is not homogeneous in terms of sect/religion. ...

Al-Nasiri Nasiri may refer to: * Ahmad ibn Khalid al-Nasiri, Moroccan writer * Mohamed Ali al-Nasiri, Iraqi journalist * Mohammed al-Makki al-Nasiri, Moroccan writer * Moharam Khan Nasiri, member of the Meshrano Jirga * The Nawabs of Bengal and Murshidabad#H ...

Al-Dhafeer Al-Dhafeer () is a Bedouin Arab Tribe. That descend from Tayy. The Nisba of Al-Dahfeer is Al-Dhafeeri (Arabic: الظفيري) They lived in the Desert east of Medina in from around 1200 AD to 1450 AD, then they moved to Najd and settled there u ...

Al-Musawi ''al-Musawi'' () is an Islamic title indicating a person descended from Musa al-Kazim, the seventh of the Twelve Shi'a Imams. Family members from this dynasty are amongst the most respected and well-known Muslims. Members of this family are referre ...

Al-Yasiri Al-Yasiri () is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aziz Al-Yasiri (1945–2007), Iraqi politician * Isa Hasan al-Yasiri Isa Hasan al-Yasiri (; born 1942) is an Iraqi-Canadian poet. He was born in a village in southern Iraq, l ...

* Al-Asadi * Al-Salman *

Al-Zubaidi Al-Zubaidi is an Arab surname. They are one of the largest Arab families. Notable people with the surname include: * Aidarus al-Zubaidi (born 1967), Yemeni leader * Ali Al-Zubaidi (footballer, born 1986), Saudi footballer * Ali Al-Zubaidi (footb ...

Al-Mutairi Almutairi, Al-Mutairi or Al Mutairi () is an Arabic surname that may refer to * Abdullah Al-Mutairi (born 1986), Saudi football player * Adah Almutairi, American scholar, inventor, and entrepreneur * Ahmad Almutairi (born 1994), Kuwaiti para-sport ...

* Al-Otaibi * Al-Kilab *

Al-Bayati Al-Bayati () is a surname. It is connected to the Iraqi al-Bayat tribe. The ancestry and ethnicity of the al-Bayat tribe is contentious. The tribe's ancestry is often linked to the Oghuz Turkic Bayat tribe and its ethnicity described as Iraqi Tu ...

* Al-Kaabi *

Al-Uqaydat Al-Uqaydat () is a large Arab tribe which straddles Syria's eastern border with Iraq. It is the largest tribe in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Deir ez-Zor province and according to Max von Oppenheim, it is the largest tribe in all of Mesopotamia. M ...

Al-Bu Badri Al-Badri is an Arab tribe in Iraq, predominantly based in Samarra, Diyala and Baghdad. It is mostly a Sunni tribe of around 25,000 but has a small Shia minority of about 1,500. History The eponymous founder of the tribe, Badri bin Armoush, mov ...

Al-Baggara Al-Baggara or Bakara (, ' or ') is an Arab tribe of the Euphrates tribes spread widely between Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon. The tribe was named by the name of their grandfather, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, one of the grandsons of Ali ibn Abi Ta ...

Al-Rahabi Al-Rahabi () or Rahabis is an Arab clan. It is a branch of the Taghlib tribe. Al-Rahabi are cousins with the tribe of Anizzah, Rahba and Khabur and the cities of Abu Kamal and Asharah, and a large section in Iraq in Anbar and Tikrit, and the ...

* Al-Talafha * Al-Sawae'id * Al-Manaseer *

Albu Badran Albu may refer to: *Albu (surname) *Albu Parish Albu () was a rural municipality of Estonia, in Järva County Järva County ( or ''Järvamaa''; ; ) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in the central part of the country and borde ...

Partial source:

References

*Tripp, Charles (2000) ''A History of Iraq''. Cambridge University Press. / *Al-Azzawi, Abbas. ''Asha'ir al-Iraq'' (The Tribes of Iraq). Baghdad Press, Iraq. *Al-Amiri, Thamir. "Mawsu'at al-Qaba'il al-Iraqiyya" (The Encyclopedia of Iraqi Tribes). 9 vols. Baghdad, 1991–1997. *Al-Samarra'i, Younis Al-Sheikh Ibrahim. ''Al-Qaba'il al-Iraqiyya'' (Iraqi Tribes). Al-Sharaf Al-Jedid Press, Baghdad, Iraq. *Al-Samarra'i, Younis Al-Sheikh Ibrahim. ''Al-Qaba'il wa al-Biyoutat al-Hashimiya fi al-Iraq'' (Hashimi Tribes and Families in Iraq). Al-Umma Press, Baghdad. *Al-Durubi, Ibrahim. ''Al-Baghdadiyun, Akhbaruhum wa Majalisuhum'' (The Baghdadis, Their Annals and Assemblies). Al-Rabita Press, Baghdad, 1958. *ath-Thuroihi, Abdul Maula. (Ar-Riyaadh al-Azhariyyah Fii Taariikh al-Usor al-‘Alawiyyah) {{Arab tribes in Iraq

* Lists of tribes

List of major tribes

See also

References