| Huwaytat الحويطات | |
|---|---|
| al'iishraf Arab tribe | |
 SheikhAuda Abu Tayi and men of his tribe with a group of officers of the Arab Army in 1916. | |
| Ethnicity | Arab |
| Location | Hejaz,southern Jordan,The Negev,Sinai,Sharqia |
| Parent tribe | al'iishraf |
| Language | Arabic (Northwest Arabian dialect) |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
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TheHoweitat orHuwaitat (Arabic:الحويطاتal-Ḥuwayṭāt,Northwest Arabian dialect:ál-Ḥwēṭāt) are a largeJudhami tribe that inhabits areas of present-day southernJordan, theSinai Peninsula andSharqia governate in Egypt, theNegev, and northwesternSaudi Arabia. The Howeitat have several branches, notably theIbn Jazi, the Abu Tayi, the Anjaddat, and the Sulaymanniyin, in addition to a number of associated tribes.
Howeitat nomads were recorded as the only tribesmen living in the southern, inland area of theKarak Sanjak of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century.[1] According to the Ottoman historian Qutb al-Din al-Nahrawali (d. 1582), the tribe was a branch of theBanu Uqba, the dominant tribe of theal-Karak-Shawbak region duringMamluk Sultanate rule (1260–1516) and whose chieftains were officially recognized by theMamluk authorities.[1]
The Howeitat are unusual in claiming descent from a single ancestor, anEgyptian named Huwayt.[2] However, according toKamal Salibi, their presence in the area may date from the 18th century, when tribes of the northern Arabian desert were being pushed northwards by expansion of theWahhabite-associatedBedouin of central Arabia; by the late 18th century the Howeitat were already laying claim to areas aroundAqaba and northwards;[3] they also laid claim to land inEgypt. They developed into a partly settled tribe, combining farming in the fertile areas ofal-Sharat withpastoralism, but early in the 20th century were rendered more or lessnomadic by the activities of two rivalshaikhs, Abtan ibn Jazi andAuda Abu Tayi, who concentrated on raiding, collection of tribute and camel-herding.[4]
The abu-Tayi subclan of the tribe were supporters of theHashemite cause during theArab Revolt, in which they formed an important part ofFaisal's forces; Auda Abu Tayi was able to muster a force of Bedouin tribesmen willing to march on Aqaba under the banner of Prince Feisal bin Hussein. Theibn-Jazi subclan of the tribe remained loyal to theOttoman Empire: their leaderHamad ibn Jazi was decorated by the empire in early 1917.[5] In later years, the Howeitat returned to farming; they were also prominent in theArab Legion, the ibn-Jazi section becoming the most powerful component in the federation. The Howeitat still have possession of large areas of land aroundWadi Rum and stretching intoSaudi Arabia; they have historically been a significant source of manpower for theSaudi Arabian National Guard and theRoyal Jordanian Land Force.
In 1938, the Huwaitat tribe in Transjordan was estimated to be around 1,000 tents. They resided in theMa'an and 'Aqaba region, aroundTafilah, and in the plan of ash-Sher'ah inEdom.[6]
Nowadays, the Howeitat tribe has largely given up its nomadic lifestyle, and settled into villages.[7] On 13 April 2020 a Howeitat man namedAbdul Rahim al-Huwaiti posted videos online announcing that Saudi security forces were trying to evict him and other members of the tribe from their historic homeland to make way for the development ofNeom.[7] Alya Abutayah Alhwaiti, a Saudi human rights activist also of the Howeitat tribe, circulated the videos.[7] In the videosAbdul Rahim al-Huwaiti said he would defy the eviction orders though he expected Saudi authorities would plant weapons in his house to incriminate him.[7]
He was later killed by Saudi security forces, who claimed he had opened fire on them.[7] This version of events was disputed byAlya Abutayah Alhwaiti who said that he did not own firearms.[7] His funeral was held near the village ofal-Khoraibah and was well attended despite the presence of Saudi security forces.[7]
Eight cousins ofAbdul Rahim al-Huwaiti have been arrested for protesting against the eviction order but Alya Abutayah Alhwaiti said that she and human rights activists in the west hoped to challenge the arrests.[7] Alhwaiti says that the Howeitat are not opposed to the development of Neom, but do not want to be evicted from their traditional homeland.[7] Alya Abutayah Alhwaiti says she has received death threats from people she says are supporters ofMohammed bin Salman.[7] She reported the threats to British police.[7]
On 6 October 2020,The Independent reported that ancient Saudi Arabia's tribe Howeitat was in danger because of the $1.5 trillion hi-tech city project calledNeom. In recent months the Saudi authorities allegedly arrested, harassed, hounded and even killed members of the tribe on being questioned for their plans and denied the sale of their land to the state. According to a London-based activist and spokesperson of the tribe, Alya Alhwaiti, and members of the tribe called the United Nations to investigate the matter. Alhwaiti claimed that the kingdom's crown princeMohammed Bin Salman promised the tribe in 2016 to be a part of the Neom project along with a share in the development and improvement of the area. However, in 2020 the Howeitat tribe was instead forced to leave their land without a place to stay in exchange.[8] In May 2023, the Saudi Arabian government convicted six members of the Howeitat tribe of "terrorism" due to their opposition to the planned city's development. Three of the convicted men received the death penalty, while the other three received sentences ranging 27 to 50 years.UN Special Rapporteurs working on behalf of theOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights dispute the veracity of the charges and sentencing, stating that the men were "arrested for resisting forced evictions", along with alleging torture of the detained.[9][10]
The Howeitat speak a variety ofBedouin Arabic, specificallyNorthwest Arabian Arabic.
The Howeitat are often mentioned inRichard Francis Burton's travelogueThe Land of Midian, in which he gives the following account of their origin:
According to their own oral genealogists, the first forefather was a lad called‘Alayán, who, travelling in company with certainShurafá ("descendants of the Apostle"), and ergò held by his descendants to have been also aSherif, fell sick on the way. AtEl-‘Akabah he was taken in charge by‘Atíyyah, Shaykh of the then powerfulMa’ázah tribe, who owned the land upon which the fort stands. A "clerk," able to read and to write, he served his adopted father by superintending the accounts of stores and provisions supplied to theHajj. The Arabs, who before that time embezzled at discretion, called him El–Huwayti’ ("the Man of the Little Wall") because his learning was a fence against their frauds. He was sent for by his Egyptian friends; these, however, were satisfied by a false report of his death: he married his benefactor’s daughter; he becameShaykh after the demise of his father-in law; he drove the Ma’ázah from El-‘Akabah, and he left four sons, the progenitors and eponymi of the Midianite Huwaytát. Their names are ‘Alwán, ‘Imrán, Suway’id, and Sa’id; and the list of nineteen tribes, which I gave inThe Gold–Mines of Midian, is confined to the descendants of the third brother.
They are also mentioned inT. E. Lawrence'sSeven Pillars of Wisdom[12] and the filmLawrence of Arabia.
Media related toHuwaitat Tribe at Wikimedia Commons
