The Saʿada (singular Saʿdawi) and Murabtin (singular Murabit) form a twofold social division within the Bedouins of western Egypt and

eastern Libya Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...

. In modern times, the term ''Murabit'' contrasts with ''Saʿdawi'' and marks a division of social status among the Bedouin component of the population of this region, where the ''Murabtin'' are of lower status. The existence of such a division is a sensitive issue, and its continued observation in Matruh is discouraged by the Egyptian government. Likewise, categorization of the Murabtin as either

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

Bedouins The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and Ar ...

Arab-Berber Arab-Berbers ( ar, العرب والبربر ''al-ʿarab wa-l-barbar'') are a population of the Maghreb, a vast region of North Africa in the western part of the Arab world along the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Arab-Berbers are peop ...

Arabized Berber Arabized Berber denotes an inhabitant of the Maghreb region in western North Africa, whose native language is a local dialect of Arabic and whose ethnic origins are Berber. Most populations in the Maghreb are of Berber heritage, including those ...

may be subject to disagreement. The etymology of ''murābiṭ'' is unclear. It is interpreted as "the tied" (c.f.

marabout A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Sah ...

), but it is also derived from '' ribaṭ'', the term for a border fortress.

References

*Donald Powell Cole, Soraya Altorki, "The Saʿada and the Murabtin", ''Bedouin, settlers, and holiday-makers: Egypt's changing northwest coast'', American Univ in Cairo Press, 1998,
pp. 51-56
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saada and Murabtin Nomads Bedouins in Egypt Bedouins in Libya Ethnic groups in Libya Ethnic groups in Egypt Society of Libya