The tribe ofShammar (Arabic:شَمَّر,romanized: Šammar) is a tribalArabQahtanite confederation, descended from theTayy, which migrated into the northernArabian Peninsula from Yemen in the second century. It is the largest branch of the Tayy, and one of the largest and most influential Arab tribes. The historical and traditional seat of the tribe's leadership is in the city ofḤaʼil; where most of the people of the tribe of Shammar are found, in what was theEmirate of Jabal Shammar in what is nowSaudi Arabia.[1] In its "golden age", around the 1850s, the Shammar ruled much of central and northern Arabia fromRiyadh to the frontiers ofSyria and the vast area ofUpper Mesopotamia (Arabic:الجزيرة,romanized: al-Jazīra,lit. 'the region').
One of the early famous figures from the tribe was the legendaryHatim Al-Ta'i (Hatim of Tayy; died 578), aChristian Arab renowned for generosity and hospitality who figured in theOne Thousand and One Nights. The early Islamic historical sources report that his son,Adi ibn Hatim, whom they sometimes refer to as the "king" of Tayy, converted toIslam beforeMuhammad's death. Another figure from Tayy during this period wasZayd al-Khayr, a prominent member of Tayy who is said to have led Tayy's delegation to Muhammad accepting Islam.[2]
The Shammar are a tribal confederation made up of three main branches: Abdah, Al-Aslam, and Sinjarah. The earliest non-Arab sources refer to Arabs as Taits, thought of as referring to the Tayy, asIyas ibn Qabisah al-Ta'i, a governor ofal-Hirah inLower Mesopotamia in theLakhmid kingdom, had contact with both theByzantine andSasanian Empires. Since some sections of Tayy, and most of theGhassanids and Lakhmids, were present inMesopotamia and theLevant prior to Muhammad's preaching of Islam in the early7th century. In theNamara inscription (the second oldestpre-Islamic Arabic inscription, dating from 328 CE), the name "Shammar" is believed to refer to a city in Yemen, though it may refer to the city where theHimyarite KingShammar Yahri'sh lived,Radda District (located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) fromDhamar, an ancient historic site). Since King Shammar Yahri'sh ruled during the last decade of the third century, it could be referring to the city he lived in or one named after him. It could also be referring to the city of Ha'il, although there is no evidence thatImru Al-Qays fought the Tayy.
Led by Usma bin Luai, the Tayy invaded the mountains of Ajā andSalma fromBanu Assad andBanu Tamim in northern Arabia in their exodus from Yemen in 115 CE. These mountains are now known as theShammar. The Tayy became nomadic camel-herders and horse-breeders in northernNajd for centuries. Because of their strength and blood relations with the Yemenite dynasties that came to rule Syria (The Ghassanids) and Iraq (The Lakhmids), the Tayy expanded north into Iraq all the way to the capital at the time,Al-Hirah. The area of the two mountains subsequently came to be known as "Jabal Shammar" ("Shammar's Mountain") from the 14th century, the first time that the Shammar as a tribe were noted in literature.
Led by Usma bin Luai, the Tayy invaded the mountains of Ajaa and Salma from Banu Assad and Banu Tamim in northern Arabia in their exodus from Yemen in 115 CE. These mountains were renamed toJabal Tayy (Tayy's Mountain), and then again in the 14th century, after the tribe changed their name, toJabal Shammar. There, Tayy, later Shammar, became either city-dwellers in the city ofHa'il,nomadic pastoralists, camel-herders and horse-breeders in northernNajd, oragriculturists in the countryside outside Ha'il or in the surrounding desertoases. These divisions were based on profession, personal interest and skill, and not family or blood-line stratifications within the tribe. It is common for the same nuclear family to have members living each of the three different lifestyles. Because of their strength and blood relations with the Yemenite dynasties that came to rule Syria (Ghassanids) and Iraq (Muntherids), the Tayy expanded north into Iraq all the way toal-Hira, the capital at the time. Oral tradition mentions that the first chiefs of the Shammar tribe, Arar and Omair, were of the 'Abda family of Dhaigham, who ruled Shammar from Jabal Shammar. In the 17th century, a large section of the Shammar left Jabal Shammar under the leadership of the Al Jarba and settled in Iraq, reaching as far as the northern city ofMosul, their current stronghold. The Shammar are currently one of Iraq's largest tribes and are divided into twogeographical, as opposed togenealogical, subsections. The northern branch, known as Shammar al-Jarba, is mainlySunni, while the southern branch, Shammar Toga, converted toShia Islam around the 19th century[3][4][5] after settling in southern Iraq.
The Shammar that remained in Arabia had tribal territories extending from the city ofHa'il northwards to the frontiers of theSyrian Desert. The Shammar had a long traditional rivalry with the confederation of'Anizzah, who inhabited the same area.The city of Ha'il became the heart of the Jabal Shammar region and was inhabited largely by settled members of Shammar and their clients. Two clans succeeded each other in ruling the city in the 19th century. The first clan, theAl Ali, were replaced by theAl Rashid.
During the civil war that tore apart theSecond Saudi State in the late 19th century, the emirs of Ha'il, from the house of Al Rashid, intervened and gradually took control of much of the Saudi realm, finally taking the Saudi capital Riyadh in 1895 and expelling the Saudi leaders toKuwait. TheBedouin Shammari tribesmen provided the majority of the Al Rashid's military support. Later, in the first two decades of the 20th century, Al Rashid were defeated byIbn Saud and hisWahhabi forces when his campaign to restore his family's rule in theArabian Peninsula culminated in theConquest of Ha'il in 1921.[6] Following Al Rashid's defeat many Shammar fled to Syria and Iraq.[7] Eventually the clan of their uncles,Al Sabhan pledged allegiance to Ibn Saud inRiyadh. Ibn Saud also married a daughter of one of the Shammari chiefs, who bore him one Saudi King,Abdullah. After the establishment of modern borders, most Bedouins gradually left their nomadic lifestyle. Today, most members of the Shammar live modern,urbanized lifestyles in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and some sections settled inSyria andJordan. Despite this, the vast majority of Shammar continue to retain a strong tribal identity and loyalty to their tribe. Many also participate in Cultural Festivals to learn about their ancient lifestyles, and to take part in traditional activities such asfolk dancing.
The House of Rashid (Rasheed) were a historic Shammar dynasty on the Arabian Peninsula. They were the most formidable enemies of theHouse of Saud in Nejd. They were centered in Ha'il, a city in northern Nejd that derived its wealth from being on the route of theHajj. The Al Rashid derived their name from the grandfather ofAbdullah, the first Rashidi amir of Ha'il, who was named Ibn Rashid. The Rashidiemirs cooperated closely with theOttoman Empire. However, this cooperation became problematic as the Ottomans lost popularity. As with many Arab dynasties, the lack of a generally accepted rule of succession was a recurrent problem with Rashidi rule. The internal dispute normally centered on whether succession should be horizontal (i.e. to a brother) or vertical (to a son). These divisions within the family led to bloody infighting. In the last years of the nineteenth century six Rashidi leaders died violently. Nevertheless, The Al Rashid family continued to rule and fight together against Ibn Saud.
Saudi Arabia- The first twenty years of the 20th century on the Arabian Peninsula featured a long-running series of wars as the Saudis and their allies sought to unite the peninsula. Some members of the Rasheed family left the country and went into voluntary exile, mostly to Kuwait.[citation needed]
The Shammar isIraq's largest Arab tribe, along with theJubur, with more than 1.5 million members.[8] Under the leadership of Banu Mohamad, known as Al Jarba, there was a massive exodus into Iraq. Most of the Shammar in Iraq gave up their nomadic lifestyles to settle in major cities, especially theJazirah plain, the area between theTigris andEuphrates fromBaghdad toMosul. Droughts triggered several migrations of Shammar into Iraq, which, according to theOttoman census upon its annexation, had only 1.5 million inhabitants. The Shammar took over the Jazirah after displacingAl-Ubaid tribe. According to Sheikh Abdullah Humaid Alyawar, the son of the sheikh of Shammar, in Iraq the total population of Shammar is estimated to be more than 1.5 million. The Shammar Al-Sayeh, a tribal confederation of tribes from Shammar, is the branch of Shammar who were independent of Aljraba's authority. Shammar is composed of groups such as Al-Zuhairy and Al-Towej inNajaf.
The Shammar became one of the most powerful Iraqi tribes, owning vast tracts of land and provided strong support of theHashemite monarchy. Shammar power was threatened after the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958 byAbdul-Karim Qassem, and the Shammar welcomedBa'athist rule. After theoverthrow of Saddam Hussein,Ghazi al-Yawar, from the Al Jarbah clan, was unanimously chosen as interim president. Ghazi Al-Yawar's uncle is the current Sheikh of Sheikhs of Shammar.
The Shammar tribe have been present in Syria since at least the 1920s when rivalry between Syrian and Iraqi Shammar culminated in violence reported by theLeague of Nations in 1926. Syrian Shammar Sheikh Diham al Hadi, the paramount Shammar sheikh in Syria,[9] conducted an attack at the end of March 1926 upon 'Ajil al Yawar, a Sheikh of the Iraqi Shammar.[10] In April 1959 however, theCIA'sForeign Broadcast Information Service reported that the Iraqi and Syrian branches of the Shammar were able to bury their differences, both joining an alliance with theSyrian Baath Party against a common enemy.[11]
328 Namar inscription on the tombstone of "Imru Alqais bin Amru King of the Arabs" mentions the "city of Shammar."
1171–1172: Abda of Shammar tribe joinsSaladin against thecrusaders.
1301: First mention of the tribe Shammar, as a separate tribe in the bookMasalik Alabsar by Ibn Fadhl.
1417: The city ofAl Majma'ah is built by Abdullah ibn Saif Alwibari Alshammari.
1455: IBN Ali Emirate is formed under Ali Alkabeer bin Attya Bin Jaffar after the defeat and exile of former ruler of Jabal Tayy Bhaij Bin Theeban Alzubaidi
1446: The first known battle between Shammar andAnazah is fought by Bin Baqar of Alaslam and Altayyar of Anazah.
1489 Husain Al ali is dubbed Prince of the desert Shamar's Dominion is established in Najd
1792: Mohamad Bin Abdul mohsin Bin Ali (also believed to be Alsamn Alurabi) becomes Emir of Hail.
1795: Saudi forces attack Shammar near Samawa and Mutlag is killed.[18] (Some say this occurred in 1797 in the Battle of Alabyadh, and that Mutlag died and Shammar enteredAljazeera in the same year.)
1797: Alsaud attacks north of Soug Alshiokh; Faris Bin Mohammad Aljarba takes over; Wahabis are turned back.[16]
1798: A large coalition including Shammar, Alubaid and Ottoman armies – more than 500 strong – goes to Basra; Mutlag dies.[16]: 47
1799: Ali Basha leaves Zuabir with new allies from Almuntafig,Althufair and Bani Khalid; they fight for a year.[16]
1800: Truce is broken and an indecisive battle with the Wahabis takes place nearKarbala.[16]
1800: Incident[clarification needed] between Faris al Jarba and Shiekh Alamoud Fayez Ibn Huthayl.
1801: Wahabi pressure on southern Iraq subsides; Shammar migrates to reach Jabal Sinjar in northern Iraq.[16] The Shiite holy city of Karbala is raided by 10,000 men on 6,000 camels; the plunder Hussien's tomb.
1802: Late that year, a campaign against theYezedi is launched by the Ottomans, Shammar, and Alubaid.[16]: 50
1803: Ottoman seeks Shammar's help in a campaign against the Al Ubaid mutiny, but the campaign fails.[16]: 50
1805: Faris Aljarba decisively defeats Alubaid.[16]: 50
1808–1812: Baghdad comes under Saudi threats.
1809: Anti-Thufair rebellion; Ottoman campaign under Faris Aljarba and Sulaimna Basha Alsaghir, Althufair and Rola Triomph.
1814: Shammar Aljarba raids several Iraqi cities.
1815: Khazaal, Zuabair, and Shammar rebel against Said Basha. Uniza, Alubaid, and Thufair tribes put down the rebellion; Shiekh Banaia is killed in battle.
1818: Shiekh Sfoug bin Faris Aljarba takes over.[16]: 61 Mohamad Bin Abdul mohsin Bin Ali is beheaded byIbrahim Pasha and sent to his fatherMohamad Ali Pasha in Egypt.[19] The Saudi capital ofDirayiya is besieged by 2,000 cavalry and 56,000 infantry with 12 guns and falls to the Ottomans.
1820s: Mohamad bin Ali is killed and his brother Saleh becomes ruler of Hail.[which?][20]
1820 opposition to Bin Ali formed by Abdulla Bin Rasheed against Ali bin Abdul Mohsen. Attempts to his arrest sends Abdullah Bin Rasheed to Iraq fleeing.
1822 Shk. Sfoug aljarba defeats a 40,000-strong Persian army meant for Baghdad.[16]: 70
1823: Village of Anna is bequeathed to Sfoug by the Ottoman Pasha of Baghdad for his role in defeating the Persian invasion.
1824: Uniza raids Shammar and loots their prized Arabian horses.
1830: Adwan bin Twala Shk alaslam and Oqab alawaji Shk of Inn Sulayman of Anazah who lives South of Hail. There had been a long standing conflict between them. They met to stop theSiege of Ras. Ogab challenges the outnumbered Adwan. Adwan captures Ogab during battle and wins. He pardons Ogab and releases him. (كتاب من شيم العرب د فهد المالك)
1831: Shammar aids the Ottoman siege of Baghdad to remove its rebellious Dawood Pasha.[16]: 73
1832: Shammar retaliates againstAli Pasha and declares rebellion.[16]: 77
1832: TheEgyptian invasion of Syria forces Uniza to leave the Syrian desert and enter Aljazera with 35,000 men.
1833: Two Pashas join the rebellion and attack the Yazidis inSinjar to stop their looting.
July 1833: Shammar besieges Baghdad and intercepts all Ottoman correspondence20–30 miles north.[16]: 78 Abdullah bin Rashid, the future founder of the emirate ofHa'il is said to have taken part.
1833: Five thousand Ottomans under Mohamed Pasha leave a rebellion near Hilla and attack Shammar; the siege remains active.[16]: 79
1833: Late in the year, Shammar moves north to help Mosul's Pasha; the siege is broken and Ottomans launch a successful surprise attack.
1834: Rogue Sheikh Shlash of Shammar attacks Uniza in support of the Ottomans; Sfoug supports Shlash with 2,000 men; Uniza wins.
1835: Uniza crosses theEuphrates and leaves Aljazeera.
1835: Shammar is at the peak of its power in Aljazeera and Sfoug Aljarba is Soultan Albar.
1835: Rasheed Pasha ambushes Sfoug and his son Farhan and exile both to the Istana.
1835: Shammar retaliates by raiding and destroying the fields ofTikrit.
1836: Battles ensue between Shammar and Uniza; Sfoug's brother Faris bin Mohamad rules over 12,000 families; Mohamad Ali Pasha's forces reach Yanbo for a second invasion of Arabia.
1836: Alrashid establishes the Emirate of Jabal Shammar, centered at Ha'il.
1837: Shammar's unity fragments in Iraq.
1838: Abdullah bin Rasheed goes to Iraq.
1840: Shammar Jarba attacks the Egyptians at Orfa.
1841: Anna is taken away from Sfoug.
1842: Shammar jarba retaliates by raiding near Alkhabor; there is some internal splintering.
1842Baqaa battle at Baqaa 100 km North of Hail. Shk: N'ais Bin Twala joined the commander Sh. Abdullah Bin Rasheed commanding 2000 men against Quseem Coalition Abdul Aziz albrayyan emir of Braida, Qaid bin Mijlad Shk if Dahamsha clan of Unaiza tribe, under the command of yahay bin Sulaim aka. Su'oot almajaneen, he is killed in battle.
1843: Sfoug is reappointed as Shammar's Shiekh.
1844: Shammar Jarba raids Uniza near Harran; it is a famine year.
1844: In summer Uniza brings 20,000 men and raids the area between Baghdad and Mosul.
1844: Shammar, with only 1000 men, allies with the Kurdish cavalry to expel Uniza; Fighting continues in the fall.
1845: Uniza seeks a truce, giving 15,000 sheep, 3,000 camels and 8 horses.
1845: Shammar Jarba defeats Uniza. War spoils were 7,000 sheep; famine strikes Shammar.
1845: The Emirate of Hail is declared.
1846: Farhan becomes the Sheikh of Sheikhs; of the other six brothers, the runner-up is Abdulkareem.
1846?: Abdulkarim declares a revolution against the Ottomans; Naser Alsadoun delivers him to the Ottomans and he is hanged.
1847: Internal fighting between rebellious Shammaris; Sfoug is assassinated and beheaded by Najeeb Pasha (some say 1857).
December 1847: Shammar raids Aljazeera; Najeeb Pasha appoints Oda as Sheikh.
1848: In spring Uniza raids Shammar under Daham Ibn Gaishish and Ibn Hath-thal.
1882:siege of Aridh ended by Mohamad Ibn adullah bin Rashid. Abdullah ibn Faisal retreats (1299 Hijri)
1887: Mohammed Al Rashid is asked in a poem by Mohammed bin Jasem ofQatar to help against a coalition of other emirates. The coalition is defeated and Barzan Tower is built in Qatar to commemorate the occasion.
1882: Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rashid and Hassan bin Muhana defend the town of Almujama against Abdulla bin Faisal.
1883: Arwa Battle betweenUtaiba and Shammar, Utaiba is defeated. Utaiba's leaders were Hendi bin Humaid, Terky bin Rubaian and Ghazi bin Mohaya.
1897: Battle of Binban; all ofNajd is under Mohammed bin Rasheed.
March 1901:Battle of Alsarif: 1200 Shammaris lost 400 men underAbdul Aziz Almutab Alrashid to defeat an invasion of Hail that is attempted Emir ofKuwait,Muabarak Alkabeer, who lost 9000 men of the 64,000 men he commanded. The coalition included many some which Alsadoun ofAl-Muntafiq, Aldeweesh, Bedoor, abalkhail of Qaseem, Bin Mehana Bin hathleen ofAjman, Shafi ofHawajer,Alsubaie tribe,Qahtan under Hashr bin wraik،awazem tribe under Mubarak Bin Durai',alrashaida tribe under Mohammed bin Qurainees.
1887-1888 Mohammed Almehhad Emir of Jabal Shammar Emirate, leads an army to respond to Bin Thani's plea for help to face his enemies reprisal for their defeat in Khanour.
1907: Aljanazah is assassinated and Hail is ruled by the sons of Sheikh Humoud bin Ubaid Alrasheed.
1910:Battel of Ajumaima: Saud Abdulaziz bin Rasheed Shammar defeats Alruoula and Anazah. Hail is ruled by Aljanazah under the guardianship of Alsabhan.
March 1910:Battle of Hadya: 500 Shammari horsemen join Alsadoun's forces of 4000 in a battle again Sabah backed by Abdulaziz Alsaud and defeat them.
^Stirling, Walter Francis (1953).Safety last. Hollis and Carter. p. 225.
^abIraq, Report on Iraq Administration. H.M. Stationery Office. 1926. p. 58.... the quarrel between Shaikh 'Ajil al Yawar of the 'Iraq Shammar and Diham al Hadi of the Syrian Shammar. These two shaikhs are rivals with many old scores between them, but the issue of the time was the aftermath of Diham's attack on 'Ajil at the end of March, 1926...
^Service, United States Foreign Broadcast Information (1959).Daily Report: Foreign Radio Broadcasts. p. 20.Apr. 8, 1959 The alliance between the leaders of the Syrian Bath Party with Ahmad Ujayl, the Shaykh of Shammar in Iraq, and Daharn al-Hadi, the Shaykh of Shammar in Syria, shows how principles could be sacrificed to plot against Iraq....
AlfudailyThe Days of the Arabs before Islam (Arabic )
Hassan, Hussein D.;Tribal Structure, Social, and Political Activities Information Research Specialist Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Consultancy Knowledge Services Group (re Iraq)
