The Tunaij (), also spelled as Tanaij (singular Al Tunaiji ), is an Arab tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Tunaij mostly settled in
Dhaid
Dhaid, or Al Dhaid (), is the capital of the Central Region of the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. An oasis town, it has extensive irrigated date palm plantations with water channelled from the nearby Hajar mountains, at least in p ...
, the inland oasis town of
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 the
Ras Al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah (; ), often referred to its initials RAK, is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the U.A.E. The city had a population of 191,753 in 2025, and is the sixth-most populous city in UAE after Dubai, Abu ...
town of
Rams
In engineering, reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS)Hamriyah.
At the turn of the 19th century, there were some 4,000 Tunaij in the Northern Emirates, of whom 1,500 were
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 ...
. Influential in tribal politics because they could raise a force of some 500 fighting men, the Bedouin Tunaij used Dhaid as a centre and a fortified tower protected the 70-odd Tunaij houses there (the
Na'im
The Na'im () (singular Al Nuaimi ) are an Arab tribe in the United Arab Emirates. The tribe is also present in other gulf countries.
The Na'im are divided into three sections, the Al Bu Kharaiban, the Khawatir and the Al Bu Shamis (singular ...
maintained a similar arrangement at Dhaid). The Tunaij have been linked to the
Bani Qitab
The Bani Qitab (Singular ''Al Qetbi'', ) is an Arab tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. The singular form of the name, ''Al Ketbi'', is a common family name in the Northern UAE today. Consisting of a settled southern section and a n ...
.
The Tunaij of Rams were mostly involved in pearl fishing and, during the pearling season, both Bedouin Tunaij and
Shihuh
The Shihuh (, ') is an Arab tribe living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. In the singular, the name is Al Shehhi, a common family name in the UAE and Oman today. Inhabiting the northern part of the Hajar Mountain range, specifically in ...
would come to the coast to work as seasonal labour.