Shahran ( ar, شهران) is one of the largest tribes in the

'Asir The ʿAsir Region ( ar, عَسِيرٌ, ʿAsīr, lit=difficult) is a region of Saudi Arabia located in the southwest of the country that is named after the ʿAsīr tribe. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,211,875 (2017). It is ...

region of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. Shahrani lands are bordered by

Subay' Subaie' ( ar, سبيع, also spelled Alsubaie', Sbei', and Subei) is an Arabian tribe living in the center of southern Najd.Hamad Al-Jassir, Dictionary of the tribes of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, p.123 History The family is of North Arabia ...

and Al-Shalaowah () from the north, 'Abida and Rofaidah from the east (), Al Njou’ from the South (), and Banou Sha’ba, Mogaidah, Banou Melk, Bal’smar, Banou Sheher, Balgern and Shamran from the west. (). The noticed density to the west of Shahrani lands is due to the presence of the large city of

Abha Abha ( ar, أَبْهَا, ') is the capital of 'Asir Region in Saudi Arabia, with a population of 1,093,705 as of 2021. It is situated above sea level in the fertile Asir Mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia, near Asir National Park. Abh ...

() in that direction. Through history, tribal wars have been waged between the two neighbors, especially between Shahran and the other major tribe of the area,

Qahtan The terms Qahtanite and Qahtani ( ar, قَحْطَانِي; transliterated: Qaḥṭānī) refer to Arabs who originate from South Arabia. The term "Qahtan" is mentioned in multiple ancient Arabian inscriptions found in Yemen. Arab traditions b ...

(). Such wars are, of course, no longer waged after the formation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Shahran's largest and main city is

Khamis Mushayt Khamis Mushayt or Khamis Mushait ( ar, خميس مشيط, ') is a city in south-west Saudi Arabia, located east of Abha, the provincial seat of the 'Asir Province, 650 nautical miles from Dhahran and from the national capital of Riyadh. It is t ...

(The largest city in ‘Asir, and the 8th largest in Saudi Arabia with an estimated population of 1,100,000). Khamis Mushayt is noted for being the fourth largest trading center in Saudi Arabia, and is famous for its world-class military airbase. Sharan is a large tribe, thus comes its name (Shahran al-Ar’eda; ) which means “wide (or volumes) Shahran” in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

. The tribe of Shahran has an estimated 950,000 members, and is thus one of the largest in

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...

. The head of Sharan is assigned to the House of Mushayt, and has been such for hundreds of years now.

Origin

Shahran's origin goes back to Shahran bin Afr’as (), a man who belongs to Khath'am bin Anmar (). Anmar is believed to be the son of Nizar son of

Ma'ad Ma'ad ibn Adnan ( ar, مَعَدّ ٱبْن عَدْنَان, Maʿadd ibn ʿAdnān) is an ancient ancestor of Qusai ibn Kilab and his descendant the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is featured in ancient Arabic literature. Origin According to tra ...

son of

Adnan Adnan ( ar, عدنان, 'adnān) is the traditional ancestor of the Adnanite Arabs of Northern, Western, Eastern and Central Arabia, as opposed to the Qahtanite Arabs of Southern Arabia who descend from Qahtan. His ancestry can be traced back t ...

, making them an Adnanite tribe.

Clans

Shahran branches into the following 27 clans: *Al-Rshaid (آل رشيد ) *Koad ( كود ) *Nahess (ناهس) *Al-alGhmer (آل الغمر ) *Beni Manbah (بني منبه ) *Beni Waheb (بني واهب ) *Beni Bejaad (بني بجاد ) *Al-Yanfa’ (آل ينفع) *Beni Majoor (بني ماجور ) *Beni Slooll (بني سلول) *Beni Samah ( بني سامه ) *AlZelal (ال الزلال) *Beni jabruh (بني جابره) *Al’Hejaj (ال حجاج) *AlGaraeen (القراعين) *Beni Qouhafah (بني قحافه ) *Al-Serhan (آل سرحان) Originally nomadic, immigrated from Najd area, near Riyadh for the sake of living, they are, from bani Hilal who immigrated to North Africa, they are of Semitic descent, *Beni Rash’hah (بني رشحه) *Al-Remtheen (الرمثين) *Al-alSerh (آل السرح) *Al-Mettair (آل مطير ) *Al-alSafq (آل الصفق) *Al-Na’man (آل نعمان) *AlJehrah (الجهرة) *Ahel AlHaqou (أهل الحقو ) *Ahel AlSha’af (أهل الشعف) *Beni Malek (بنو مالك) *Al-ojaere (العجير)

Origin

Clans

See also