Dulaim

Dulaim

Total population
5 to 7 million
Regions with significant populations
Iraq	5,000,000 [1]
Languages
Arabic
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Islam; minority: Shia Islam

Dulaim or Dulaimi or Al Duliam or Dulaym (Arabic: الدليم‎) is one of the largest of all middle east tribes, with over seven million people. The tribe's history goes back to pre-Islamic times and millions descend from the tribe today in Iraq and neighboring countries such as Syria, Kuwait and Jordan.^[2]

It is pronounced locally as "Al-Dulaim" but written as Dulaim. Also spelled Dulaimi, Dulaym, Dalaimy. Members of this tribe are commonly identifiable by the surnames of their own clans or by the name Al-Dulaimi. The leadership of the Dulaim tribe is the Albu Assaf clan, which the hereditary leaders of the tribe are from.

Origins

The Dulaims are the largest Sunni Arab tribe in Iraq, living on the Euphrates from a point just below Al Hillah and southern Baghdad to Fallujah, Ramadi, al-Qaim, Samarra and Mosul.^[3] Some scholars believe they were part of the first Arab Conquests in the 7th century.

The Iraqi historian Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Bassam Al-Tamimi (1831) mentioned that the Dulaim tribe divided into four groups (Al-Bu Ridaini and Al-Bu Fahd and Al-Bu Alwan and Al-Mahamda).^[4]

German orientalist Max von Oppenheim speaks about the Dulaimi tribe:

Dulaim tribe is the strongest tribe among the three tribes of Zubid, even it's the strongest tribe in the southern part of the Al-Jazira, a quarter of the members of the Dulaim live as bedouin nomads, the rest are stable bedouins. they are between the Dulaim nomads and the Dulaim peasants who use agriculture. main place of tribe is Ramadi on the euphrates river.

Dulaim original composed from four clans (Al-Bu Alwan, Al-Bu Fahd, Al-Bu Ridaini, Al-Mahamda), joined to their tribe Albu Issa and Al-Jumeilat, which were south of Fallujah; this was the only change that has plagued combination of the tribe. it is noticeable that the number of Al-Bu Ridaini increased greatly since then significantly compared with the other clans, made it exceed its range as a clan. Al-Bu Dhiyab Hardan Alaath and Mtlaq Al-Shaws practiced their authority on the left bank of the river and Ali bin Suleiman Al-Bakr from Al-Bu Assaf governs the Dulaim on the right bank of the river _ all these three of them belongs to Al-Bu Ridaini.

Dulaim bedouin lives on both banks of the euphrates river between the Hit and Fallujah and skip this region they are sell their agricultural economy products in Hit, Baghdad and the Levantine cities , while Dulaim bedouin nomads mostly sheep farmers , they own and live in large wide area greatly expanded after the departure of the Al Ubaid tribe from Al-Jazira (about 1815 m), starting from Anah and exceed in the east line of Samarra - Fallujah, up in the north to the urban areas, in the spring Dulaimi nomads camped in the Syrian desert also. there is enmity between Dulaim and Shammar that pass area of Al-Jazira in the spring, but on the other hand the Dulaim allied with Al-Amart from Anza tribe who have the right of pasture in their areas.

Sheikh Ali bin Suleiman Al-Bakr rule the Dulaim tribe the greatest Dulaim sheikhs influential since the period before the war. unlike his father, he cared to not challenge the authorities, no matter what it was. Sheikh Hardan Alaath fomenting troubles in the face of the English. while Nargs bin Al-Kaoud Sheikh of Albu Nimr remained supportive and loyal to the Ottoman Turks until the end of the war although he was their worst enemies in the past.^[5]

History

The Dulaimis originally were Bedouins living between Ramadi and Al-Qa'im, but at the end of the fifteenth century The clans of Dulaim began migration towards the east until they arrived to Fallujah and south of Baghdad. The Principality of the Dulaim tribe (Amirate Al-Dulaim; أمارة الدليم) was almost a state of self-rule, the Dulaim tribe flourished in the eighteenth century, and continued their emigration and settlement on agricultural and pastoral areas on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, and controlled on the areas and subject the other tribes in the region.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century the Dulaimis had a role in fighting opponents of the Ottoman Empire from tribes and Ajam Iranians.

When the Turkish nationalists reached to power and when the tribe have abstained paying taxes to the Ottoman Caliphate for nearly a century and a half. occurred between them and the Ottoman troops series of battles from 1790, 1824 and 1890.^[6]

During and after World War I, most of the clans of the Dulaim tribe were considered well-armed. Their proximity to the desert made it relatively easy for them to obtain arms and ammunition. The Dulaim tribe also had a reputation as raiders who displayed good fighting skills both against other tribes and against Ottoman troops before World War I. Each year when the Ottoman authorities tried to assess the crops of the Dulaim clans, the Dulaimis came into contact with Ottoman troops. In many cases, the Ottoman troops were defeated by the tribesmen.^[3]

During World War I, the Ottoman Army occupied al-Ramadi and much of the Dulaim tribal area. As a result, the Dulaim assisted the Ottomans in their operations against the British. This changed when the British forced the Ottomans out of the Dulaim’s tribal lands in September 1917, at which time Shaikh Ali Sulaiman made "submission" to the British. Despite this, many clans of the Dulaim whose lands were still occupied by Ottoman forces continued to assist the Ottomans until their lands were occupied by the British.^[7]

Following World War I, most Dulaim clans went their own way and fought the British – particularly the Al-Bu Nimr, the Al-Bu Qartan, and the Al-Bu Alwan and the Al-Bu Mahal, along with the Zoba' tribe. The Abu Nimr, Albu Mahal, Al-Bu Ubaid, Al-Bu Risha and the Al-Mahamda also joined with the Jaghaifa and the Aqaidat to fight the British during the insurrection of 1920.^[8]

Republic of Iraq

The Dulaimis had a big role in founding the modern Iraqi state. They contributed to the stability in political and economic situation and the emergence of institutions of the modern state from army and police and other services especially during the monarchy period and during the rule of president Abdul Salam Arif Al-Jumaili.^[3]

During the Saddam era the Dulaimis formed 10% to 20% of the Iraqi army (Iraqi Republican Guard).

Dulaim and events of the War in Iraq

Dulaim is the largest tribe in Anbar province, which formed the nucleus of the resistance\insurgency against U.S. forces in Iraq.

The events of the war and the bombing of Fallujah and targeting the Sunnis in Baghdad and Basra and many other reasons pushed the Sunni Dulaimi clans to carry weapons against Iraqi government and U.S. forces in Iraq.

Dulaim region

The Dulaimis in Iraq

The large Dulaim tribe is composed of more than 1000 clans, found mostly in Iraq and Syria. The Dulaim tribe is composed mostly of Sunni Muslims. The Dulaim tribe forms the majority of the Sunnis in north - west Iraq. However, a Shiite branch exists in Najaf, Karbala, Basra, Babil and Baghdad. They are mostly from the Al-Mahamda clans, Al-Bu Alwan, Al-Bu Sultan, and Al-Fatlah clans.^[3] The Dulaimi Shi’ites were converted to Shi’ism only from the late 18th century.^[9] However, the Daghara section (of the Dulaim) converted to Shi’ism only in the latter part of the 19th century.^[10]

The tribe is located primarily in Anbar (western Iraq), however, the other Dulaimis are spread over the area between Ctesiphon (currently known as Salman Pak) stretching south to Babylon (Al Hillah) and west to Ramadi in Anbar Province and to the north Taji, Samarra and Mosul.
There also a large presence of the Dulaimis in Baghdad, especially in the western part of the Capital, areas such as Al-A'amiriya, Adhamiyah, Dora and Al-Saydiya in Baghdad and the areas surrounding Baghdad from the south, west and north, the region that lies between Baghdad and Al Hillah.^[3] Sunni Muslims in Iraq are predominantly from Dulaim, Al Jubour, Al Janabi, Al Azza, and Al Ubaid.

References

• De Gaury, Gerald. Review of the Dulaim Tribe. Kutub. ISBN 9953-417-97-0.