Al-Ajman or al-'Ijman (, singular Ajmi ) is an

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

tribal confederation in the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

, with Ajman spread across

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

, the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

Origin

Al-Ajman is a

Qahtanite The Qahtanites (; ), also known as Banu Qahtan () or by their nickname ''al-Arab al-Ariba'' (), are the Arabs who originate from modern-day Yemen. The term "Qahtan" is mentioned in multiple Ancient South Arabian script, Ancient South Arabian ins ...

Arab tribe that is descended from

Banu Yam Banu Yam (, ') is an Arabian tribe that belongs to the Qahtanite branch of Arabian tribes, specifically the group known as Banu Hamdan, and are, therefore, native to southwestern Arabia. Their traditional way of life was well suited to life in ...

tribe. Most of Ajman left their nomadic life and lived in northeastern of Saudi Arabia.

History

The Ajman were noted for being important players in the politics of eastern Arabia in the 18th and early 20th centuries. Their most famous leader (or ''sheikh'') during the 19th-20th century was Rakan bin Hithlain, who is still well known in Arabian tribal lore. He was noted for his poetry and is often known as the maternal grandfather of the current Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia

Mohammed bin Salman Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (; born 31 August 1985), also known as MBS or MbS, is the ''de facto'' ruler of the Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, formally serving as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Sa ...

. In 1861 the Ajman were defeated by Faisal bin Turki, the Imam of the

Second Saudi State The second Saudi state (), officially known as the Emirate of Najd, was a state that existed between 1824 and 1891 in the Najd region of what is now Saudi Arabia. Saudi rule was restored to central (Najd) and Eastern Arabia after the first Sau ...

, after challenging his rule in the 1850s. Faisal bin Turki later married into the tribe. Later they supported the cause of the Saud Al Kabir branch of the

Al Saud The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State, (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling fac ...

against their cousin Abdulaziz bin Saud, the founder of

A section of the Ajman led by

Dhaydan bin Hithlain Dhaydan bin Hithlain (; died May 1929) was one of the leaders of the Ajman tribe and Amir of the hijrah (settlement) of Al Sarrar. His full name was Dhaydan bin Khalid bin Hizam bin Hithlain. Alexei Vassiliev also calls him Zaidan. Biography Th ...

joined the

Ikhwan The Ikhwān (, ), commonly known as Ikhwān man Aṭāʿa Allah (, 'Brethren of those who obey God'), was a Wahhabism, Wahhabi religious militia made up of traditionally nomadic tribesmen which formed a significant military force of the ruler Ibn ...

movement in 1900, providing military support for Ibn Saud, but later rebelled against him. The Ajman and their allies from the tribes of Utaybah and

Mutayr Mutayr () is an Arab tribe with origins in the northern Hejaz near Medina, in present day Saudi Arabia. The tribe mainly inhabits Saudi Arabia (Najd), Kuwait, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. They have also settled in Morocco and Tunisia. Ge ...

were defeated by Ibn Saud in 1929 in the

Battle of Sabilla The Battle of Sabilla (29–31 March 1929) was the main battle of the Ikhwan revolt in northern Arabia between the rebellious Ikhwan forces and the army of Abdulaziz al-Saud. It was the last tribal uprising in Arabia. It was also the last majo ...

, which put an end to the Ikhwan rebellion. Nearly all the Ajman have abandoned nomadic life and have settled in the

Persian Gulf states The Arab states of the Persian Gulf, also known as the Gulf Arab states (), refers to a group of Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf. There are seven member states of the Arab League in the region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi ...

, particularly in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Their main tribal territory is known as Wadi Al-Ajman ("the valley of the Ajman"), spanning Al Nairyah governorate to the town of Judah. It is disputed whether the

Emirate of Ajman The Emirate of Ajman (; ) ( Gulf Arabic: إمارة عيمان emāratʿymān) is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It joined the United Arab Emirates federation on December 2, 1971. It has an area of 259 square kilometers ...

in the

is named after the tribe of Ajman or the

Ajam (, ) is an Arabic word for a non-Arab, especially a Persian. It was historically used as a pejorative—figuratively ascribing muteness to those whose native language is not Arabic—during and after the Muslim conquest of Iran. Since the ea ...

(Persians).

Language

The Ajman tribe, alongside their cousin tribe Al-Murrah, have an Arabic dialect that is part of the southern

Najdi Najdi may refer to: *People of Najd * Najdi (surname) *Najdi Arabic Najdi Arabic (, Najdi Arabic: , ) is the group of Arabic varieties originating from the Najd region of Saudi Arabia. Outside of Saudi Arabia, it is also the main Arabic variety ...

group. This dialect group is characteristic of

, the parent tribe of Ajman. The tribe's dialect defers from neighboring east Arabian bedouins, such as

Bani Khalid Bani Khalid () is an Arab tribal confederation mainly inhabiting the Arabian Peninsula. The tribe ruled southern Iraq, Kuwait, and Eastern Arabia ( al-Hasa and al-Qatif) from the 15th century to the 18th century, and again under the protectio ...

and

Mutair Mutayr () is an Arab tribe with origins in the northern Hejaz near Medina, in present day Saudi Arabia. The tribe mainly inhabits Saudi Arabia (Najd), Kuwait, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. They have also settled in Morocco and Tunisia. Ge ...

, as it possesses some south Arabian features like the "-ish" feminine suffix.

References

{{Arab tribes in Saudi Arabia Tribes of Saudi Arabia Tribes of the United Arab Emirates Qahtanites Bedouin groups Tribes of Kuwait