Dulaim
Encyclopedia
Dulaim or Dulaimi or Al Duliam or Dulaym is one of the largest of Arab
tribes , with over seven million people. The confederation's history goes back to pre-Islamic
times and millions descend from the original tribe today in Iraq
and neighboring countries such as Syria
and Jordan
.
The Dulaim tribe is best categorized as a tribal confederation of several other tribes. Originally considered sub-tribes, most Dulaim tribes now self-identify as tribes in their own right of the Dulaim Confederation. The leadership tribe of the Dulaim Confederation is the Albu Assaf tribe, which the hereditary leaders of the tribe are from.
It is pronounced locally as "Al-Dulaim" but written as Dulaim. Also spelled Dulaimi, Dulaym, Dalaimy. Members of this confederation are commonly identifiable by the surnames of their own tribes or by the name Al-Dulaimi.
, living on the Euphrates from a point just below Al Hillah and southern Baghdad
to Fallujah
, Ramadi
, al-Qaim, Samarra
and Mosul
. Some scholars believe they were part of the first Arab Conquests in the 7th century.
The Shiite Arabs in Iraq believe the Dulaim tribe descends from Iranian Dailamites
, however, the Dulaimis now consider themselves Arabs.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century the Dulaimis had a role in fighting opponents of the Ottoman Empire from tribes and Persians.
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.
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.
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.
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.
.
During the Saddam era the Dulaimis formed 10% to 20% of the Iraqi army (Iraqi Republican Guard
).
The large Dulaim confederation is composed of more than 1000 clans, found mostly in Iraq and Syria. The Dulaim confederation is composed mostly of Sunni Muslims. The Dulaim confederation 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. The Dulaimi Shi’ites were converted to Shi’ism only from the late 18th century. However, the Daghara section (of the Dulaim) converted to Shi’ism only in the latter part of the 19th century.
The confederation 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. Sunni Muslims in Iraq are predominantly from Dulaim, Al Jubour, Al Janabi, Al Azza, Shammar and Al Ubaid.
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
tribes , with over seven million people. The confederation's history goes back to pre-Islamic
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Pre-Islamic Arabia refers to the Arabic civilization which existed in the Arabian Plate before the rise of Islam in the 630s. The study of Pre-Islamic Arabia is important to Islamic studies as it provides the context for the development of Islam.-Studies:...
times and millions descend from the original tribe today in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and neighboring countries such as Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
.
The Dulaim tribe is best categorized as a tribal confederation of several other tribes. Originally considered sub-tribes, most Dulaim tribes now self-identify as tribes in their own right of the Dulaim Confederation. The leadership tribe of the Dulaim Confederation is the Albu Assaf tribe, which the hereditary leaders of the tribe are from.
It is pronounced locally as "Al-Dulaim" but written as Dulaim. Also spelled Dulaimi, Dulaym, Dalaimy. Members of this confederation are commonly identifiable by the surnames of their own tribes or by the name Al-Dulaimi.
Origins
The Dulaims are a large Sunni tribe in IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, living on the Euphrates from a point just below Al Hillah and southern Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
to Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
, Ramadi
Ramadi
Ramadi is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad. It is the capital of Al Anbar Governorate.-History:Ramadi is located in a fertile, irrigated, alluvial plain.The Ottoman Empire founded Ramadi in 1869...
, al-Qaim, Samarra
Samarra
Sāmarrā is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad-Din Governorate, north of Baghdad and, in 2003, had an estimated population of 348,700....
and Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
. Some scholars believe they were part of the first Arab Conquests in the 7th century.
The Shiite Arabs in Iraq believe the Dulaim tribe descends from Iranian Dailamites
Dailamites
The Daylamites or Dailamites were an Iranian people inhabiting the mountainous regions of northern Iran on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. They were employed as soldiers from the time of the Sassanid Empire, and long resisted the Arab conquest of Iran and subsequent Islamization...
, however, the Dulaimis now consider themselves Arabs.
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 Persians.
When the Turkish nationalists reached to power and when the tribe have abstained paying taxes to the Ottoman Caliphate
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
for nearly a century and a half. occurred between them and the Ottoman troops series of battles from 1790, 1824 and 1890.
During and after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, 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.
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.
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.
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-JumailiAbdul Salam Arif
Abdul Salam Mohammed Arif Aljumaily was President of Iraq from 1963 till his death. He played a leading role in the coup in which the Hashemite monarchy was overthrown on July 14, 1958.-1958 revolution and conflict with Qasim:...
.
During the Saddam era the Dulaimis formed 10% to 20% of the Iraqi army (Iraqi Republican Guard
Iraqi Republican Guard
The Iraqi Republican Guard was a branch of the Iraqi military during the presidency of Saddam Hussein. It later became the Republican Guard Corps, and then the Republican Guard Forces Command with its expansion into two corps....
).
Dulaim region
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
, Karbala
Karbala
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
, Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, Babil and Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. They are mostly from the Al-Mahamda clans, Al-Bu Alwan, Al-Bu Sultan, and Al-Fatlah clans. The Dulaimi Shi’ites were converted to Shi’ism only from the late 18th century. However, the Daghara section (of the Dulaim) converted to Shi’ism only in the latter part of the 19th century.
The confederation is located primarily in Anbar
Anbar
Anbar was a town in Iraq, at lat. 33 deg. 22' N., long. 43 deg. 49' E, on the east bank of the Euphrates, just south of the Nahr 'Isa, or Sakhlawieh canal, the northernmost of the canals connecting that river with the Tigris.-History:...
(western Iraq) , however , the other Dulaimis are spread over the area between Ctesiphon (currently known as Salman Pak
Salman Pak
Salman Pak is a city approximately 15 miles south of Baghdad near a peninsula formed by a broad eastward bend of the Tigris River. It is named after Salman the Persian, a companion of Muhammad who is buried there....
) stretching south to Babylon (Al Hillah) and west to Ramadi in Anbar
Anbar
Anbar was a town in Iraq, at lat. 33 deg. 22' N., long. 43 deg. 49' E, on the east bank of the Euphrates, just south of the Nahr 'Isa, or Sakhlawieh canal, the northernmost of the canals connecting that river with the Tigris.-History:...
Province and to the north Taji, Samarra
Samarra
Sāmarrā is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad-Din Governorate, north of Baghdad and, in 2003, had an estimated population of 348,700....
and Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
.
There also a large presence of the Dulaimis in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, 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. Sunni Muslims in Iraq are predominantly from Dulaim, Al Jubour, Al Janabi, Al Azza, Shammar and Al Ubaid.