The Banu Bakr bin Wa'il ( '), or simply Banu Bakr, today known as Bani Bakr 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 ...
tribe belonging to the large
Rabi'ah, a branch of
Adnanite
The Adnanites () were a tribal confederation of the Ishmaelites, Ishmaelite Arabs who originate from the Hejaz. They trace their lineage back to Ishmael in Islam, Ishmael, son of the Islamic prophet and patriarch Abraham in Islam, Abraham and hi ...
tribe. It is registered as one of the oldest and most ancient Arab gatherings. The tribe is reputed to have engaged in a 40-year war before
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
with its cousins from
Taghlib
The Banu Taghlib (), also known as Taghlib ibn Wa'il, were an Arab tribe that originated in Jazira. Their parent tribe was the Rabi'a, and they thus traced their descent to the Adnanites. The Taghlib were among the most powerful and cohesive no ...
, known as the
War of Basous. The pre-Islamic poet
Tarafah was a Bakry.
The Banu Bakr tribe along with their cousins Taghlib are under the name Bani Bakr. Most of them today live in Arabia in Najd, north Hejaz, north of the Arabian peninsula and a small amount across the rest of the Middle East
The Man
Bakr Bin Wael was the oldest son for Wael from his Bakry wife. They come from a lineage of an Arab clan that named their first born sons Bakr in reference to their ancestor Bakr the Patriarch. Since young age, Wael and his brothers, set their sons to be desert warriors. Wael put his son Bakr in charge of the clan. As Bakr got older, he was able to form a fighting force along with his family members and other Arabs into a nomadic federation just as Wael advised. They put up traveler caravans and did well at trade and transportation across Arabia; especially between
Hejaz
Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
and
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
. Basically they stationed near
Hafar al-Batin
Hafar al-Batin ( '), also frequently spelled ''Hafr al-Batin'', is a city in the Hafar al-Batin Governorate, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It is located 430 km north of Riyadh, 94.2 km from the Kuwait b ...
and used that region as a permanent camp ground. Later on in life, as the clan grew larger in numbers, they became known as Banu Bakr bin Wael since he started his own dynasty in Iraq; disengaging from the father tribe in
Hejaz
Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
and its sheikhdom authority
Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat.
Homelands
Banu Bakr's original lands were in
Najd
Najd is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in Al-Jawf Province, al-Jawf to the north, ...
, in central Arabia, but most of the tribe's bedouin sections migrated northwards before Islam after winning the
Battle of Dhi Qar against the
Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
, and settled in the area of
Upper Mesopotamia
Upper Mesopotamia constitutes the Upland and lowland, uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey, in the northern Middle East. Since the early Muslim conquests of the mid-7th century, the regio ...
, on the upper
Euphrates
The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...
. Later on they pushed against the Persians eastward and managed to conquer the
Tigris
The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...
banks as well; where they gained a foothold of the whole Mesopotamia territory. It won't be long before they headed northwards and reached the Anatolian Valley. That's where the region of
Diyar Bakr, and later the city of
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...
in southern
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
take their names from; Banu Bakr.
[Canard, M., Cahen, Cl., Yinanç, Mükrimin H., and Sourdel-Thomine, J. �]
Diyār Bakr
��. Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Ed. P. Bearman et al. Brill Reference Online. Web. 16 Nov. 2019. Accessed on 16 November 2019.
The tribe is distinct from their distant cousins
Bani Bakr ibn Abd Manat of
Tihamah
Tihamah or Tihama ( ') is the Red Sea coastal plain of the Arabian Peninsula from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Bab el Mandeb.
Etymology
Tihāmat is the Proto-Semitic language's term for 'sea'. Tiamat (or Tehom, in masculine form) was the ancient M ...
, who lived in the
Hejaz
Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
and the costal area and had important interactions with Prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
.
The nomadic tribe converted to Sunni Islam during the Umayyad and Abbasid eras in the 8th century. They had feud with many Shia tribes of southern Iraq, especially over the water ways, which went on until the
Siege of Baghdad
The siege of Baghdad took place in early 1258. A large army commanded by Hulegu, a prince of the Mongol Empire, attacked the historic capital of the Abbasid Caliphate after a series of provocations from its ruler, caliph al-Musta'sim. Within ...
. In late 1257, as the Mongolian army marched towards Baghdad, Banu Bakr, just like the rest of Sunni Arab tribes, has had already retreated southwest towards inner Arabia with the first exiting caravan. They had a few months head up on the Mongolian attack thus surviving the entire war while on the move. They were never able to recover their losses from the Mongolian blow by
Hulegu Khan
Hulegu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulagu; ; ; ; ( 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. As a son of Tolui and the Keraite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of Ar ...
which dried up their lands thus driving them along with their cattle out of Mesopotamia. Most of them ended up resettling in the
Hauran
The Hauran (; also spelled ''Hawran'' or ''Houran'') is a region that spans parts of southern Syria and northern Jordan. It is bound in the north by the Ghouta oasis, to the northeast by the al-Safa field, to the east and south by the Harrat ...
region where they reside until this day.
History
Bakry
The Bakry concept belongs to those who were born to the Bakr tribe. The legend Bakr comes from
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Pre-Islamic Arabia is the Arabian Peninsula and its northern extension in the Syrian Desert before the rise of Islam. This is consistent with how contemporaries used the term ''Arabia'' or where they said Arabs lived, which was not limited to the ...
. It is a lineage of Arab nomads who descend from one man, Bakr the Patriarch, that birthed off his own dynasty. Thus, they're referred to as the Bakr Clan; Banu Bakr (sons of Bakr)).
Muhammad's era
During the Islamic Prophet Muhammad's era the Banu Bakr tribe was involved in various military conflicts. They had tens of factions that roamed the Middle East. Through intentional polygamy, they grew quickly in numbers. They put their youngsters into war. They were swift and fit due to their background. All together, they established vital trade routes and succeeded at holding their grounds. Using their Arabian stallions and Damascusian steel swords, they became important for traveling caravans and provided paid security services for the protection of goods and camel cargo. Desert bandits along with lion and hyena attacks were a problem at the time. But their competition over road control caused feuds with other pagan, Jewish, and Nazarene Arab tribes. Severe horror stories come out of those wars. They had lost a high number of men in battles so their young took to the fight. At some point, it became common to hear of the Banu Bakr boys and young men attacking first due to their bedouin and firm nature. They engaged in retaliatory wars attacks for decades at a time. They were usually led by another young man or simply followed the instructions of their tribal men or women. The
Basus War was triggered by the poem of one of their women. Although a wise group of people, prophet Muhammad referred to their actions as Ungodly and heretical.
Post Muhammad
Banu Bakr accepted Islam as the law of the land and went on with the rest of Arabs on the Islamic conquest; rather, they were some of the first ones to adventure into attacking neighboring hostile nations. They joined the Islamic armies of Caliph
Omar and attacked the Roman and Persian Empires relentlessly. Eventually, they were admitted into the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
and fought for the
Ottoman dynasty
The Ottoman dynasty () consisted of the members of the imperial House of Osman (), also known as the Ottomans (). According to Ottoman tradition, the family originated from the Kayı tribe branch of the Oghuz Turks, under the leadership of Os ...
and served as the officer class until World War one. Some of them went up to mainland Turkey while most stayed back south in the Arab lands. Later on, many traveled to Europe and the Americas as well.
Branches
The following are some of the related and sub-tribes of Bakr ibn Wa'il in the pre-Islamic and early-Islamic eras:
*
Adnan
Adnan () is traditionally regarded as the patriarch of the Adnanite Arabs, a major Arab lineage that historically inhabited Northern, Western, Eastern, and Central Arabia. The Adnanites are distinct from the Qahtanite Arabs of Southern Arabia ...
ite,
Hejaz
Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
or "Northwestern Arabian" (Northern Arabian Red Sea coast)
**
Rabi`ah
Rabīʿa ibn Nizar () is the patriarch of one of two main branches of the "North Arabian" (Adnanite) tribes, the other branch being founded by Mudhar.
Branches
According to the classical Arab genealogists, the following are the important bran ...
(ربيعة), migrated northwards and eastwards from
Hejaz
Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
, for example to
Diyar Rabi'a
Diyar Rabi'a () is the medieval Arabic name of the easternmost and largest of the three provinces of the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia), the other two being Diyar Bakr and Diyar Mudar. According to the medieval geographer al-Baladhuri, all three prov ...
in
Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia
Upper Mesopotamia constitutes the uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey, in the northern Middle East. Since the early Muslim conquests of the mid-7th century, the region has been known by ...
***Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat, the ancient base in Jeddah, Hejaz, and Tihamah.
*** Bani Shahr, Tehama and Hejaz.
*** Bakr ibn Wa'il,
Al-Yamama
Al-Yamama () is a historical region in south-eastern Najd in modern-day Saudi Arabia.
Only a handful of centralized states ever arose in the Yamama, but it figured prominently in early Islamic history, becoming a central theater in the Ridd ...
, bedouin sections migrated before Islam to
Diyar Bakr in Al-Jazira. Today in
Hauran
The Hauran (; also spelled ''Hawran'' or ''Houran'') is a region that spans parts of southern Syria and northern Jordan. It is bound in the north by the Ghouta oasis, to the northeast by the al-Safa field, to the east and south by the Harrat ...
and
Jordan valley (direct lineage of Bakr Bin Wael). Were an
Ottoman army brigade until the 1900s.
*** Banu Bakr
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ; ) is a geographic region in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah and Mahrah, Dhofar in southwestern Oman, and Sharurah in the Najran Province of Saudi A ...
, the
Yafa'a area faction. Now independent from Sanaa's authority.
***
Banu Hanifa - mostly sedentary, were the principal tribe of
Al-Yamama
Al-Yamama () is a historical region in south-eastern Najd in modern-day Saudi Arabia.
Only a handful of centralized states ever arose in the Yamama, but it figured prominently in early Islamic history, becoming a central theater in the Ridd ...
.
***
Banu Shayban
The Banu Shayban () is an Arab tribe, a branch of the Banu Bakr. Throughout the early Islamic era, the tribe was settled chiefly in al-Jazira Province and played an important role in its history.
History
In the pre-Islamic period, the Shayban ...
- mostly
nomadic
Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
(''
bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...
''), led the
Battle of Dhi Qar against the
Sassanid
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
ns in southern
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
prior to
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. The jurist
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad ibn Hanbal (; (164-241 AH; 780 – 855 CE) was an Arab Muslim scholar, jurist, theologian, traditionist, ascetic and eponym of the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence—one of the four major orthodox legal schools of Sunni Islam.
T ...
claimed descent from this tribe.
***
Banu Qays ibn Tha'labah - Capital section of
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
. They were bedouin and sedentary. Now the inhabitants of the town of
Manfuha. The pre-Islamic poets
al-A'sha
Al-A'sha () or Maymun Ibn Qays Al-A'sha (d.c. 570– 625) was an Arabic Jahiliyyah poet from Al-Yamama, Arabia. He claimed to receive inspiration from a jinni called ''Misḥal''. Although not a Christian himself, his poems prove familiarit ...
and
Tarafah were among its members.
****
Banu Yashkur - bedouin and sedentary, inhabitants of
Al-Yamama
Al-Yamama () is a historical region in south-eastern Najd in modern-day Saudi Arabia.
Only a handful of centralized states ever arose in the Yamama, but it figured prominently in early Islamic history, becoming a central theater in the Ridd ...
.
Al-Harith ibn Hillizah, one of the purported authors of the
Seven Hanged Poems of pre-
Islamic
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
Arabia
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 ...
, was a member of Yashkur. Now in Al Hafuf and
ammam
****
Banu 'Ijl - mostly
bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...
, located in
Al-Yamama
Al-Yamama () is a historical region in south-eastern Najd in modern-day Saudi Arabia.
Only a handful of centralized states ever arose in the Yamama, but it figured prominently in early Islamic history, becoming a central theater in the Ridd ...
and the southern borders of
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
.
****
Ghablama - mostly
bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...
, located in
Kirkuk
Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...
and the southern borders of
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
.
***
Banu Dhuhal in Mecca
***
Abdul Qays in Mecca
***
Anazzah
Anizah or Anazah (, Najdi pronunciation: ) is an Arabian tribe in the Arabian Peninsula, Upper Mesopotamia, and the Levant.
Genealogy and origins
Anizah's existence as an autonomous tribal group, like many prominent modern tribes, predates ...
northern Saudi Arabia towards the Syrian desert and eastern
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
.
In eastern
Najd
Najd is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in Al-Jawf Province, al-Jawf to the north, ...
:
*
Taghlib ibn Wa'il, migrated northwards to the Jazirah plain in northern Mesopotamia in the 6th century.
*
Anz ibn Wa'il
*
al-Nammir ibn Qasit
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakr
Tribes of Arabia
Tribes of Saudi Arabia
Bakr