TRIBES OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SYRIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-02771R000400170001-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 78
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 31, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 21, 1958
• Content Type: REPORT

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 Approved For Release-1999/08/24: C - 78-02771 R000400170001-6
TRIBES OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SYRIA
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Art on 1,
VEMWERI ?01189
IDATII
21, January 1958
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TRIBES OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SYRIA
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
A. Origin and Structure
B. Status and Number,
C. Tribal Groupings and Alliances
II. Tribes of North and Central Syria
A. Nomadic, Semi-nomadic, Semi-sedentary and
Sedentary Tribes
B. Nomadic Tribes
C. Semi-nomadic and Semi-sedentary Tribes
D. Part Nomadic, Part Sedentary Tribes
E. Sedentary Tribes
III. Tribes of Northern and Central Syria (Alphabetical
Listing)
IV. Tribal Chiefs of North and Central Syria
(Alphabetical Listing)
Tribal Map of Syria
54+
75
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TRIBES OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SYRIA
Scope and Limitations
I
This report was prepared as a working paper for internal
use and should not be considered an exhaustive or complete
study of the subject. It covers Arabic-speaking' tribes
located permanently or seasonally in northern and central
Syria. Excluded are the Kurdish tribes and groupings on
which detailed information Is lacking.
Statistics reported in this study should be considered
only as rough estimates because no official surveys have been
made on the tribes of Syria.
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TRIBES OF NO~THE.RN AND CENTRAL SYRIA
1. Introduction
A. Origin and Structure
Tribal groups which are located permanently or seasonally
in Syria (excluding those of Kurdish and Turkic descent) are
basically of Arabian origin. These groups, as is the case in
the rest of the Arab world, generally belong to one of the two
great moities, the Qaysi northern, i.e. from North Arabia)
and the Yamani (southern,,i.e. from Yaman or other south Arabian
regions) from which they claim to descend.*
Within the Qaysi-Yamani duality most of the tribes, especially
the nomadic, have been traditionally grouped into loosely-knit
parent formations, which could be best described as c.onfedera-
tions. Groupings above the level of a tribe have also developed
within most of the confederations.** These generally link
closer together tribes of directly associated lineage. Thus
within a confederation there could be -found independent tribes
or groups' and sub-groups of tribes either independent or under
the paramountcy of one leader.
The tribes themselves are divided into sections, which, depend-
ing on their individual number, are further divided and sub-
divided down the line untjl the immediate family level, i.e.
tent, is reached.
Until the recent past this affiliation had split local Arab
commu4ties ,into two hostile factions. Traces of this hos-
tility are still evident in certain Lebanese villages and
oot nun ,ties. The only 'remaining observable significance
among tribal groups of, this distinction is the tendency and
sometimes rea i..ne, e of ,one group to ally or align itself
:With one of its own lineage against another of the opposite
in the, oase of a dispute .
ondfy e. pdo of formations above the level of a tribe within
# The
wally been the result o_f multiplication
of a tribe into two or ,more and the repetition of this process
over leadership or physical separation of the various sections
of the tribe or a comb,n.ation thereof. Exceptions, however,
have been found in certain groups where one tribe of different
lineage became affiliated by choice or otherwise with another.
A reverse process has also taken place whereby a tribe which
because of loss a membership or, weak leadership or both be-
came apart of another tribe or was dismembered and absorbed
by it.
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The grand tribal structure in schematic fQr thus proceeds
down the line from a moiety to a tent.
B. S~}s a-nd Number
The tribes inhabitingor traversing Syria fall mainly into
three categories: (1) nomadic, (2) semi-nomadic, and (3) seden-
tary.* The Government of,Syria as of July 1953, however,, has
recognized as tribes only those which have retained their
nomadic status.
Only,rough estimates exist as to the number of nomadic,
semi-nomadic and sedentary, individuals, since no official Syrian
Government statistics on the subject have been published. These
estimates are unofficial, based largely on personal observations,
{
and have varied considerably.
Estimates on the number of tribal individuals have ranged
from 150,000 to over 500,000. Similarly, those on the number
of tribes:have also varied, depending on the author's knowledge
or his structural division of tribal formations.
A 1956 study, basing its information on data assembled be-
fore 1939, listed l0-J- tribes in the whole of Syria with a grand
total minimum of 103,052 and a maximum of 123,415 tents, Of
these tribes, nine were listed as Kurdish with a total of 23,100
to 23,150, tents; eleven as located in the Hawran region with a
The nomadic tribes are those which do not maintain a fixed
residential territory. They live in tents and migrate sea-
sonally from one generally established grazing region to
another, usually northward in the spring-summer and southward
in the 'all-winter.
The semi-nomadic (sometimes referred to also as semi-sedentary)
tribes.4re those which have acquired certain lands and become
partially sedentarized, They live in tents, and sometimes in
thatched ,huts in their o,wn villages and adjacent territories.
They migrate, however, in the fall or winter, usually south-
ward to,established locations for grazing purposes, and return
in. the spring or summer to their villages and adjacent terri-
tories.,
The sedentary tribes are those which have abandoned nomadism
and become permanently settled, and attached to the soil. They
live either in tents or in thatched or mud houses, usually in
villages of their own and adjacent territories,
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total of 2,5+0. to 3.,140 tents; and three as 1.oc ted in the
.I mascus region with a total of 54+0 to 920 tents, On balance
there were 8.0 tribes located, in northern and central Syria
with a 'total of 76,872 to{ X6,205 tents. The atu.dy further
accepted the figure of 500,000 as the approximate number of
tribal in ~
dividuals. The ptudy, however, did not explain the
Study, the results would be a minimum of 515,260, and a maximum
Of about 680, 000 tribal indiv'idua_ls permanently or seasonally
five to
seven individual,, including two men of fighting age. Applying
pppenheim's estimate to tIe tent figures listed in the196
Baron von Oppenhe im, a German trave l.le r, reckoned in hip
book., Die Beduinen (1939, 19)-3), that a tent comprised
located in Syria. Repeating the same conversion process on
ding
maximum of 673,_435 and anestimated average of about 520,000
the Kurd" h) , the results would be a minimum of 384,360.
those tribes located in ngrthern and. Qent.ral
individuals.
The tribal reference guide (attached to
is based mainly on the 19'6 study but which
other supplemental data, lists 87 tribes as
d the estimated, average,,would be about 4941000. The total
or easonally in northern,and central Syria with a
'perr tent estimate, the total number of individuin these
minimum
71,130 and a maximum of 9~,,491 tents. Applying Oppenheim's
gibes may be reckoned at 355,6 0 minimum to 655 437 maximum
number of
men of fighting gage would be a minimum of 142262
and a maximum of 186,982. A further classifica.tion of the,s.e
tribes in Q n madiQ ancj sedentary would give the following
results:
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a minimum of 28,610 and a.m.aximum o X3,595 tents;
(l)
(2
a minimum of 143a 0504 a maximum of
3# 165, and
a, . ' nomadic tribes with;
an e stime t wer e of 186, 6,6175 individual and
Syria (exclu
this study), which
takes account of
located permanently
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men of fight
ng age.
b. ~5 semi-nomadic gibes with.
;
i
(1) a minimum of . 29, 780 and
tents
a minimum of 148. ,900,, a maximum of 291,E 970 and
an estimated' average of 214o470 individuals; and
a minimum ofj59,560 and a maximum of 8-3,420
a minimumof,7,110 and a maximum of 1;,8.86 tents
a minimum of35z550, a maximum of 8,202 and an
e.stimatQd.av rage of 56,98E individuals; and
l sedentary tribes totalling:
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f1ght.ing ge.
To su'n up,, the best rough estimate
individua..s in North and cQntr,
about 500
,000. In the absence of
that
men
can be made of
tribal
Syria puts their number at,
ext..data~
however, it is
oBSible that there are as' few as ~55_nnn or as many
as 65_5,000
The Qterall distr3buton.. of the tribes obporVable today in
tribal in0iv.iduals in this area.
C . Triba, CrpL Dints and Alliance s
Syria originated in the 18th centu,rr
when several
the Qaysi 'Inizi and Yamani Shammar confederations,
branches
of
Wr ..d fr9m
the ri Jaz into,S ria and Iraq. Subsequently the dis-
placed weaker tribes which h 4p previously held sway in the
regions the two confederal ons Qc,,.cupied in the Syrian desert and
the J.azirah region of Ares) nt-day Syria and Iraq,
Men of fighting age.
7,3 part-nomadic, part-sedentary tribes with:
1) a minimum of , 5, 630 and a maximum of
6,300 tents;
a minimum of 28, 150, a maximum of l1,100 and an
q.verage of 35,790 individu-alsa
and
a minimum of!ll,260 and a maximum of 12,,600
n4th-
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The 'Iniz.i tribes e.etablished themselves in the .,Syrian
des-ert as
the undisputed 11 verlords of all the zpnaller tribes
in their area as well as f the villagers tilling the outskirts
of the de om
,sett, both of whom became their '~ khuwa'j tribute )paying subjects. The Shammar tribes established tta,emse,"vee
in the Jazirah region (mostly in Iraq), and also attained a
position of ov'erlordship n their areas similar to that of the
t Inizj.
some older confe,der_,t~ons, groups and independent tribes in
this area, such as
I
manage d
to
the Tary confederations in the Jazirah,
retain their independent status in their original
location;;
ana some had teen established west. of the Syrian desert in the
LL
Euphs, the Homs,_ Hama Aleppo and Hawran rezions. Chief
some,
group, had to move westward,
among the latter cateRorv are the Abu Shalban
dic groups and the part-settled part
hem -nna
group.
and ' Uclaydat
nomadic Hadidiyyin
Traditional Qaysi-Yamani antagonisms, disputes over tribal
and government inter-tribal policies had often resulted in
nomads and
'emi-nc ds, attempts by one confederation, group or tribe to
im ose it
p its authority on and collect the `~khuwa" from another,
territories, a mutual inimical attitude between
inter--triba .,. warfare whic
t times ended in
tering or decimation of the vanquished by
as was the case between the 'Inizi and Sharmarcon-
c_onfine,d o the struggle between the two great
federa.tipTls, 4. but also occtrred between
aib orption,
members
the same
oo federat4.on, for example between the two main groups of
tInzi, the Dana Muslim and Dante..
Altho .gh government authority over
the
tribes was finally
established after I or~..d W. r I and tribal laws were 3
.r.gtituted
~rhich ro
j hibited raiding.,_many tribes have continued to harbor
hotze:
1, 1 d_es ,tQwa-rd _ old antagonists.
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in sumn ry
there are at present eight main tribal group-
.
of which in addition to their own sib-
iraZs in Syria, some
d~ison~ have
uslim, the Tayy, the Hadidiyyinz the Mawali.E the Abu Sha'ban
and the t'Ugaydat.
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the Dana Bishr, the Dana
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II. TRIBES Q' NQRTH AN. CENTRAL SYRIA
(An estimate of number of tribes, tents and individuals.)
A. Nomadic Semi-nomadic Semi-sedentary
1. Total number of tries
2. Total
Total
number
number
tens
in.d;viduals:
seven to
i
one tent
six to one teat
five to one tent
and Sedentary Tribes
87
71,130 min. 93,491, max.
497,910 min.
426,780 min.
355,650 min.
Total number of men of
fighting age
@ two to one tent 142,262 min.
655,437 max.
560,946 max.
467,455 max.
186,982 max.
B.
Nomadic Tribes
1.
Total number of tribes
34
2.
Total number of tens .
28,610 min.
33,595 max.
3.
Total number of individuals:
a. @ seven to one tent
2QQ, 270 min.
236,165 max.
b. @ six to one teat
171,66o min.
201,570 max.
five to one tent .
143,050 min.
167,, 975 max.
4.
'dot 1 number Q_f men of
fighting age
two to one teat
57,220 min.
67,190 max.
C.
Semi-nomadic an d Semi-sedentary Tr
ibes
1. Total number of trib1e s
25
2. Total number of tentis
29,780 min.
41,710 max.
3. Total number of individuals:
seven to one tent
20,8,460 min.
291,970 max.
b. @ six to one tent
178,680 min.
250,260 max.
e. @ five to one teat
148,9oo min.
208,,550 max.
Wt 4- number of men ;of
fightinZ age
a. two to one tent
59,560 min.
83,420 max.
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Part Nomadic, Part Sedentary Tribes
1. Total number of triter 13
2. Total number of tents 7,110 min. 11,886 max.
3.
Total number of ind.1viduals:
a. @ seven to one tent 49,770 min. 83,202 max.
b. @ six to one te.nt , 42,660 min. 71,,316 max.
c. @ five to one tent 35,550 min. 59,430 max.
4. Total number of men of
fighting age
two to one tent 14,220 min. 23,772 max.
E.
Sedentary Tribes
1.
Total number of tri~es
15
2.
Total number of tens
5,630 min.
6,300 max.
3.
Total number of individuals:
a.
seven to one tent
39,410 min.
45,100 max.
@ six to one tent
33,780 min.
37,800 max.
c.
@ five to one tint
28,150 min.
31,500 max.
4.
TQt,al number of men of
fighting age
@ two to one tent
11,260 min.
12,600 max,
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