Al-Lawatis

Al-Lawatia or Lawati (Arabic: اللواتي‎) The Al-Lawati or Lawati tribes people are commonly known as Khoja among themselves (not to be confused with Khawaja or Khoja of Pakistan) , In Oman, they are largely referred to as Lawatis

Demographics and Role in the Persian Gulf

The size of the Al-Lawati population cannot be determined precisely, but is estimated to be approximately 50,000. Most reside in Muscat, the capital of Oman, but some live on the coast of Al-Batina. Some Lawati families reside elsewhere in the Persian Gulf region such as Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Traditionally, Al-Lawatia have been known as prominent merchants on the coasts of Mutrah (Matrah) which lies 2 km of Muscat. They worked in the incense (Bukhoor), Jewelry and clothes business. The community occupies a gated quarter of Matrah known as Sur al-Lawatia. The quarter still boasts attractive houses with a unique Islamic architectural view and a large mosque known as Al-Rasul Al-Aadam Mosque or The Greatest Prophets Mosque in reference to Prophet Mohammed. The Sur has seen a major exodus in recent decades as Lawatis have moved to more modern neighborhoods as a result of increasing development, the availability of facilities and growing wealth and business of the community. Another great historic monument built by the tribe is Al-Zahra Mosque in the UAE, which was built nearly 300 years ago

History and Origins

At least one Lawati family can be documented through British records as existing in Oman since the 1700's.

The Al-Muscati surname of some families in Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain suggests that they were Muscati immigrants, and are believed to be of Lawati origin. One of the Al Muscati families lives in Oman today. They are Lawatis who obtained their surname during the period when they immigrated and lived in Iraq, before they went back to Oman in the late seventies.

Many others were also known by titles added to their names by the Muttrah Lawatis as a family clan, physical, social or habitual character or from the part of Oman they had settled; some Lawatis took up these as surnames/family names/clans. Thus we see: Al-Saleh, Al-Abdulateef, Al-Moosa, Al-Khabori, Al-Wardy, Al-Kokar, Al-Sajwani, Dara, Al-Habib, Al-Najwani...etc. In the UAE Al-Lawatia families include: Al-Issa, Al-Shalwani, Al-Yousef, Al-Aboodi, AL-Kashwani

Religion

Verbal history indicates that at one point they were Muslim Shia Ismailis (who had been called once: Aga Khani/Khanawara). The story claims that later on they were converted into Shia Twelvers/Jaafari. Consequently, the new adopted doctrine grew in power and the Khanawaras were not tolerated anymore. Hence, some retracted while others detached from the community. However, Most current Lawatis are known to be Twelver Shia Muslims. And with the process of mingling with the other groups, few Lawatis brought up through mixed marriages either following mixed Shia/Sunni or Shia/Ibadhi traditions.

Language

See Luwati language The native mother language of Al-Lawaties (Sn.Khojo, Pl.Khoja) is Luwati language which is called in their own tongue as (Khojki). This idiom is genetically and morphologically related to the Sindhi language; a branch of the Indo-European tree. As it also shares common similarities with other spoken languages of the other ethnic groups in Oman (presumed ethnically to be of the same origin) e.g. Zadjali (Jadgali), Maimani and Al Saigh. Elderlies were fluent in both the written and the spoken Khojki.

Arabic as a first language of Oman and all Arabia, is also held tightly by Al-Lawaties in parallel with their mother tongue language Khojki. However, the trend now within this community is to abandon their own native language and more people of the young generation are found not to know how to write nor speak it.

Important Lawati Figures

• Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Oman

• Dr Rajha bint Abdulameer bin Ali, Minister of Tourism, Oman (Deceased)

• Khadija bint Hassan bin Salman al Lawati, Ambassador of Oman to the Netherlands

• Dr Suad bint Mohammed bin Sulaiman Al Lawati, Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology Dept of Psychology–College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University

• Hussain Sajwani, Chairman, Damac Holding, Dubai, UAE

• Habib Kokar, General Manager, Oman Bank, Dubai, UAE (Deceased)

• Mohammed Hassan Ali al Abduwani, Undersecretary of Planning- Ministry of Health

• Mohammad Jawad Darwish Al Lawati, Inspector of Police and Boarding Inspector 1939-1946

• Dr. Fuaad Al Sajwani, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries

• Maqbool Hameed Al Saleh, Chairman, OHI Group of Companies

• Hassan Ali Salman, Chairman, Al-Hassan Group of Companies