| Chaamba الشعانبة | |
|---|---|
 Chaamba riding a camel in southern Tunisia | |
| Ethnicity | Arab |
| Location | Algerian Desert |
| Parent tribe | Banu Sulaym |
| Language | Arabic |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
TheChaamba (Arabic:الشعانبة,romanized: Sha‘āniba) are anArab tribe in the northernSahara of centralAlgeria. They are a large tribe ofBedouins and live in a large desert territory to the south of theAtlas Mountains,[1] aroundMetlili,El Golea,Ouargla,El Oued, and theGreat Western Erg, includingTimimoun andBéni Abbès[2] While traditionally they were nomads specialised in raising camels and caravan trade, most have settled in the oases over the past century.[1] The date palm is the most important agricultural product for the Chaamba.
The Chaamba are ofArab origin and are descended fromBanu Sulaym who migrated from theArabian Peninsula withBanu Hilal.[3] They speak anArabic dialect classified asHilalian.[4]
In 1937 it was estimated that 80 percent of all shops in the southwestern Sahara in Algeria were owned by the Chaamba[1] and in 1961 they had a population of 20,000 people.[5] In 1984 clashes broke out between theMalikiSunni Chaamba andIbadiMozabites.[6] In 2008 there were several clashes between Chaamba and Mozabite youths in the oasis ofBerriane, following a miscarriage caused by a firework.[7] Clashes broke out again in July 2015 between the Chaamba and Mozabites in theMzab valley which left at least 22 dead and hundreds injured.[8]
Part ofArab tribes |
