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| Ajman العجمان | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Arabs |
| Nisba | Banu Yam |
| Location | |
| Language | Arabic |
| Religion | Islam |
Al-Ajman oral-'Ijman (Arabic:العُجمان, singular AjmiArabic:العجمي) is anArabian tribal confederation in theArabian Peninsula, with Ajman spread acrossSaudi Arabia,Qatar, theUnited Arab Emirates andKuwait.[1][2]
Al-Ajman is aQahtanite Arab tribe that is descended fromBanu Yam tribe. Most of Ajman left their nomadic life and lived in northeastern of Saudi Arabia.[1]
The Ajman were noted[by whom?] for being important players in the politics of eastern Arabia in the 18th and early 20th centuries. Their most famous leader (orsheikh) during the 19th-20th century wasRakan bin Hithlain, who is still well known in Arabian tribal lore.[3] He was noted for his poetry and is often known as the maternal grandfather of the currentCrown Prince of Saudi ArabiaMohammed bin Salman. In 1861 the Ajman were defeated byFaisal bin Turki, the Imam of theSecond Saudi State, after challenging his rule in the 1850s.[4] Faisal bin Turki later married into the tribe. Later they supported the cause of theSaud Al Kabir branch of theAl Saud against their cousinAbdulaziz bin Saud, the founder ofSaudi Arabia.
A section of the Ajman led byDhaydan bin Hithlain joined theIkhwan movement in 1900, providing military support for Ibn Saud, but later rebelled against him.[5] The Ajman and their allies from the tribes ofUtaybah andMutayr were defeated by Ibn Saud in 1929 in theBattle of Sabilla, which put an end to the Ikhwan rebellion.[5]
Nearly all the Ajman have abandoned nomadic life and have settled in thePersian Gulf states, particularly in theEastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Their main tribal territory is known asWadi Al-Ajman ("the valley of the Ajman"), spanningAl Nairyah governorate to the town of Judah.
It is disputed whether theEmirate of Ajman in theUnited Arab Emirates is named after the tribe of Ajman or theAjam (Persians).[6][7][8]
The Ajman tribe, alongside their cousin tribeAl-Murrah, have an Arabic dialect that is part of the southernNajdi group. This dialect group is characteristic ofBanu Yam, the parent tribe of Ajman. The tribe's dialect differs from neighboring east Arabian bedouins, such asBani Khalid andMutair, as it possesses some south Arabian features like the "-ish" feminine suffix.[9]
