The Ruwallah (, Rwala Arabic ir-Rwāle, singular Ruweili/Ruwaili) are a large Arab tribe of the northern Arabian Peninsula and Syrian Desert, including Jordan.
History
Until the demarcation of borders in the
Middle East in the early 20th century, the Ruwallah were an almost entirely
warrior tribe centered in the region of
al-Jawf Province and
Sirhan Valley in northern Arabia, though their tribal territories extended as far southwards as
al-Qasim and as far northwards as
Damascus. The tribe came to being sometime in the 16th century, or shortly thereafter, and belongs to the Dhana Maslam branch of the large
Anizah tribal confederation. They were active in the
Arab Revolt during the reign of Nuri bin Hazaa Al Shalaan against the
Ottoman Empire during World War I. The leadership of the tribe is with the House of Sha'lan or
Al Sha'lan, who in recent decades have had close ties with the Lebanese Government and Saudi royal family. Most of the tribe's members have settled into sedentary or urban life in
Saudi Arabia,
Jordan, and
Syria.
Branches
The Ruwallah tribe mostly consists of five major branches:
-
Al-Kwakbah – singular (Kwikbi)
-
Al-Doughman – singular (Doughmani)
-
Al-Murre 'eth – singular (Murr 'ethee)
-
Al-Frrejah – singular (Frreeji)
-
Al-Ga' 'a' 'gaah – singular (Ga 'ee'ga'ae)
-
Al-Alrahmoun
Sources
Further reading
-
Alois Musil, 1928, The Manners and Customs of the Rwala Bedouins
-
Lancaster, William, 1981, The Rwala Bedouin Today (Changing Cultures series) Cambridge University Press
-
Michael E. Meeker, 1979, Literature and Violence in Northern Arabia Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
See also
