Libyan society is composed of several tribes. The word (, ) refers to persons claiming descent from the family of the prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
, often but not exclusively by way of his daughter
Fatimah
Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, ...
. The word is the plural of ('noble', 'highborn'), from ('to be highborn').
*Al-Zayadeen (الزيادين) - Descendants of Sidi Zaydan and Sidi Ahmed of the Moroccan Alaouites.
*Al-Mazawgha (المزاوغة) - Descendants of Sidi Amer Al-Mezoghi (based in the Sidi Amer Zawiya in Susah, Tunis); He is considered the progenitor of the tribe in Libya and Tunisia.
*Al-Ghrariyun (الغراريون) - Descendants of Sidi Salem.
*Awlad Slayman (أولاد سليمان) - Descendants of the Seven Fawatir.
*Gumata (قماطه) - Descendants of Muslim.
*Al-Awasij (العواسج) - Descendants of Sidi Bou-Hmayra.
*Shurafa Waddan (شرفاء ودان) - Descendants of Sidi Kolan.
*
Qadhadhfa
The Qadhadhfa (also ''al-Qaddafa'', ''Gaddadfa'', ''Qaddadfa'', ''Gaddafa''; ar, القذاذفـة) is one of the Arab Ashraf tribes in Libya, living in the Sirte District in present-day northwestern Libya. They are traditionally counted among ...
(القذاذفة) - Descendants of Sidi
Mousa
Mousa ( non, Mosey "moss island") is a small island in Shetland, Scotland, uninhabited since the nineteenth century. The island is known for the Broch of Mousa, an Iron Age round tower, and is designated as a Special Protection Area for storm- ...
.
*Al-Hmaydat and Al-S'afaat (الحميدات والسعفات) - Descendants of Sidi Bou-Hmayda Al-Seqfi.
*Al-'Ajaylat (العجيلات) - Descendants of Sidi Mohammed Harakat.
*Al-Taboul (الطبول) - Descendants of Sidi Mohammed Abi Tabl.
*Al-Serara (السرارة) - Descendants of Sidi Ibrahim Ben-Sarar.
*Ashrāf Tribe Sidi Aburad Buzedion
*Ashrāf Tribe Sidi Abdel Rahman Alepeshty Olobashat
*Ashrāf Tribe Sidi spears Al-rmohh
*Ashrāf Tribe Sidi Ahmed Al Murr Ghani Alemragna
*Ashrāf Tribe Sidi Mohammed Faqih Al-Fuqhah
*Ashrāf Tribe Sidi Sayeh Al-Sayāh Alawneh
*Ashrāf Tribe Sidi Abu Salaamah Salamat Begrean
* Ashrāf Tribe Sidi Faraj Bin Hamdan Al Furjan
*Ashrāf Tribe of Sidi al-Qutb Abdullah al-Khattabi (الخطاطبة العمرانيون)
*Ashrāf Tribe of Sidi ‘Amāra Al-Dawadī ( Zawiya)
*Ashrāf Tribe of Sidi Hamid al-Hudayri (al-Hadirāt).
*Ashrāf Tribe of al-Fawākhir.
*Ashrāf Tribe of Abdel Wahid al-Dukāli (
Msallata
Msallata (also Al Qasabat, Cussabat and El-Gusbát) is a town in the northwestern part of Libya, in the Murqub District. It has a population of nearly 24,000, and was historically a center of Islamic studies. It is also known for olive tree farmin ...
).
*Ashrāf Tribe of Sidi Banu Layth (Bani Nile and Bani Ahmed) and also (al-Hawawasa, Fasiun and al-Suwadinia).
*Ashrāf Tribe of al-Mushāshi: descendants of Moulay Abdel-Salam Meshish. The sub-branches include:
** Awlad Sidi Haji Abdul Salam bin Hassan bin Omar Mashini (tribe of al-Haboun)
** Awlad Al-Sharif Al-Haaj Fakhruddin Yahya ibn Nabeul (tribe of Al-Barash)
** Awlad Mismar ibn Abdel Mawlā (tribe of al-Masamir)
** Awlad Sidi Haji Mohammad Abdul Nabi al-Asfar, nicknamed Klim al-Tair and Abu Seif (ancestor of Awlad Abu Yusuf)
** Awlad Sidi al-Makashif Abdul Rahman, nicknamed Aldrai (ancestor of the Mushasha tribe).
** Awlad Sidi Mohamed al-Messaoudi al-Sehdī al-Yahyaoui: ancestor of Awlad as-Saydi and al-Masoudi on the coast of Tripoli.
*Ashrāf tribe of Sidi Abdel Rahman Abu Zubaydah, a descendant of Abdul Qadir Gilani, ancestor of the Zubaydat tribe, the Zirqan of Tarhuna, Krabooli and Yafran.
*Ashrāf tribe of Siy’ān : based in Sbiba, west of
Kairouan
Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( ar, ٱلْقَيْرَوَان, al-Qayrawān , aeb, script=Latn, Qeirwān ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by t ...
. Progenitor of the tribe, brother of Sidi Salam Abu Gharra, progenitor of the al-Gharara tribe in
Medenine
Medenine ( ar, مدنين ) is the major town in south-eastern Tunisia, south of the port of Gabès and the Island of Djerba, on the main route to Libya. It is the capital of Medenine Governorate.
Overview
In pre-colonial times, Medenine wa ...
Qutb
Qutb, Qutub, Kutb, Kutub or Kotb ( ar, قطب), means 'axis', 'pivot' or 'pole'. Qutb can refer to celestial movements and be used as an astronomical term or a spiritual symbol. In Sufism, a Qutb is the perfect human being, ''al-Insān al-Kā ...
Sidi Ibrahim al-Mahjoub ( Zawiya of al-Mahjoub), ancestor of the Mahajib tribe in Misrata and
Sorman
Surman ( ˈsɝːmən; also spelled Sorman or Serman; ar, صرمان , ṣurmān ) is a city in the former Tripolitania region in northwestern Libya, situated to the west of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast. While it borders Sabrata in ...
.
*Ashrāf Azwaip tribe Brakna.
*Ashrāf tribes of al-Barakinah, al-Muqarana and al-Ziyayinah all share a common ancestor, Sidi Ahmed al-Burkan: based in the Kabylie region of Algeria and
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
.
*Banu Issa (Western Libya): includes Amour and the
Dawada The Dawada (Duwwud, Dawwada) is an Afro-Arab ethnic group from the Fezzan region of southern Libya. They live around the Gabraoun oasis, at the town of Murzuk, where they harvest brine shrimp
''Artemia'' is a genus of aquatic crustaceans also kn ...
ethnic group in southern Libya, as well as the Farjan tribes of Sidi Faraj ibn Hamdan.
*Ashrāf tribe of Al-Tayira, they are Awlad Sidi Abdul Karim: located in
Sabratha
Sabratha ( ar, صبراتة, Ṣabrāta; also ''Sabratah'', ''Siburata''), in the Zawiya DistrictMenzel Chaker and Oran, Algeria, as well as the Awlad Suleiman al-Tayar in southern Libya.
*Ashrāf tribe of Al-Humāmala: descendants of Sheikh Sidi Muammar, based in
Tarhuna
Tarhuna (; ar, ترهونة), also Tarhoona or Tarhunah, is a Libyan town to the southeast of Tripoli, in the Murqub District. The city derives its name from that of its pre- Roman-era inhabitants, a Berber tribe. The city was known as al-Bo ...
and Sidi Ibn Hamāl, based in Sirte.
*Al-Ja’afra tribe who claim descent from Jafar, who hails from Awlad Moulay Abdullah bin Idris and reside in Garyan, Al-Baran and Tripoli.
*Ashrāf tribe of Sidi Moulay Cherif guardian Abu Kassim Abu Shusha: based in Ziltan and they belong to the tribe of Awlad Khuwaylid Balnsfir are descendants of Moulay Abdullah ibn Idris.
*Ashrāf tribe of Bani Badr, descended from Sidi Mohamed Ben Ali who is buried in
Ghadames
Ghadames or Ghadamis ( Berber: ''ʕadémis''; ar, غدامس, Libyan vernacular: ''ɣdāməs'', Latin: ''Cidamus, Cydamus'', it, Gadames) is an oasis Berber town in the Nalut District of the Tripolitania region in northwestern Libya.
The ...
.
*Ashrāf tribe of Oulad al-Sharif, Sidi Ali al-Tishani in
Tajura
Tajura ( ar, تاجوراء, translit=Tājūrā), also spelt ''Tajoura'', is a town in north-western Libya, and baladiyah in the Tripoli Muhafazah, on the Mediterranean coast east of Tripoli.
From 2001 to 2007 Tajura was the capital of t ...
on the coast of Tripoli (al-Tashashna).
*Ashrāf tribe of Moulay Sidi Sheikh Abdul Karim Nafati.
*Ashrāf tribe of al-Mnaffa, they reside in Butnan,
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...
, and the Western Sahara (Egypt). Clan of Sheikh
Omar Mukhtar
Omar al-Mukhṭār Muḥammad bin Farḥāṭ al-Manifī ( ar, عُمَر الْمُخْتَار مُحَمَّد بِن فَرْحَات الْمَنِفِي ; 20 August 1858 – 16 September 1931), called The Lion of the Desert, known among ...
.
*Ashrāf tribe of Almhachc in Jebel Akhdar and Butnan.
*Ashrāf tribe of Sidi Abu Roik in Jebel Akhdar.
*Awlad Sidi Wazzani in
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...
.
*Ashrāf tribe of Moulay al-Qasim ibn Moulay Idriss: they reside in Darna, having settled there in the middle of the 12th century.
*Ashrāf tribe of Al-Mātiik, they are Zawah, Al-Fassi, Awlad Annan, Awlad Zakaria, Awlad Aoun and Awlad Abad: based in western Libya.
*Ashrāf tribe of al-Mukhalif founded by Sidi Abdallah Abu Gleida, based in
Tataouine
Tataouine ( ber, Tiṭṭawin; ar, تطاوين) is a city in southern Tunisia. It is the capital of the Tataouine Governorate. The below-ground "cave dwellings" of the native Berber population, designed for coolness and protection, render the c ...
.
*Ashrāf tribe of al-Makhayif founded by Sidi Makhlouf, reside in Marith, Gabes, and Sorman.
*Ashrāf tribe of An-Na’meon founded by Sharif Ali bin Na’āma: they are sons of the Prophet, Abdul Nabi Al-Frujan Awlad Ali.
*Ashrāf tribe of Al-na’āsa, descendants of Abdel Rahman al-Na’as: reside in
Tajura
Tajura ( ar, تاجوراء, translit=Tājūrā), also spelt ''Tajoura'', is a town in north-western Libya, and baladiyah in the Tripoli Muhafazah, on the Mediterranean coast east of Tripoli.
From 2001 to 2007 Tajura was the capital of t ...
, Tarhuna and Tripoli.
*Ashrāf tribe of Shaqārina descendants of Mohamed Abu Dabbous in
Gharyan
Gharyan is a city in northwestern Libya, in Jabal al Gharbi District, located 80 km south of Tripoli. Prior to 2007, it was the administrative seat of Gharyan District. Gharyan is one of the largest towns in the Western Mountains.
In 2005, ...
.
*Ashrāf tribe of Alamarion descendants of Ali al-Amari (Gasr Akhyar).
*Ashrāf tribe of Shabab of Ghayran, Rahiban, Ifrane and Fassato descendants of Mohamed Ben Salem, based in baldat al-Jūsh, Libya.
*Ashrāf tribe of ar-Rajban, descendants of Sidi Ahmed al-Rajban: based in the town of Ar-Rajban.
*Tribe of al-Shida and Awlad Sidi Youssef of Zawiya, Al Maya and Tuwaybiyah: descendants of Sidi Mahfouz ibn Sidi Abbas al-Mulilā al-Maghribi.
*Ashrāf tribe of Sidi Abu Saīd descendants of Sidi Ahmed Abī al-Afrān, based in Al Maya.
*Ashrāf tribe of Sidi Najm, based east of Benghazi.
*Ashrāf tribe of Aljdua, descendants of Sharif Sidi Youssef Al-Jarani from Msallata.
*Ashrāf tribe of Awassi of
Tarhuna
Tarhuna (; ar, ترهونة), also Tarhoona or Tarhunah, is a Libyan town to the southeast of Tripoli, in the Murqub District. The city derives its name from that of its pre- Roman-era inhabitants, a Berber tribe. The city was known as al-Bo ...
: founded by Sharif Abdel Mawla ibn Isa.
*Ashrāf tribe of Al-Kawanīn (Kenounis) descendants of Sidi Ibrahim Al-Sharaf: Tarhuna and Tripoli.
See also
*
Asharaf
The Asharaf, also spelled Ashraf (from the ar, أشراف, ashrāf, ), is a Somali clan. Their name is the plural of , an originally Arabic term designating those who claim descent from the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Belonging to th ...
or Ashraf, Somali clan claiming descent from the prophet through Fatimah
*
Sharif
Sharīf ( ar, شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef or sherif, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, f ...
Ashraf
Sharīf ( ar, شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef or sherif, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, fr ...