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Bani Yas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the tribe. For the island, see Sir Bani Yas. For other uses, see Baniyas (disambiguation).

The Bani Yas (Arabic: بَنُو ياس) is a tribal confederation of Najdi origin[1] in the United Arab Emirates.[2] The tribal confederation, consisting of around 20 tribes from Abu Dhabi, to Dubai to Khor Al Adaid in southeast Qatar, was called the Bani Yas Coalition (Arabic: حلف بني ياس).[3] The Al Nahyan, a branch of the Al Bu Falasah, leads the tribe and is the ruling family of Abu Dhabi.[3][4] The Al Maktoum, a branch of the Al Bu Falasah, is also a member and is the ruling family of Dubai.[5][6] Al Nahyan and Al Maktoum are the most influential in the UAE federal government. The ruler of Abu Dhabi is customarily elected as the president of the UAE, and the ruler of Dubai is traditionally elected as the vice president and prime minister of the UAE.[7]

History

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The Bani Yas tribe originated in Central Arabia, from Najdi origin. The House of Al Bu Falah, which held the most power in the confederation at the time[8], settled with the Bani Yas clans together in the Liwa oasis, around 1700 in present day Abu Dhabi. The Bani Yas also later settled in and around Al Ain and Buraimi when the Al Bu Falah (Al Falahi) clan acquired property and land in the Buraimi Oasis.[9]

In 1793, the Al Bu Falah migrated to the island of Abu Dhabi due to the discovery of fresh water, in 1795, the Al Bu Falah settle on the island and establish the town of Abu Dhabi, which throughout the years grew in trade and influence and quickly became prominent and was established as the seat of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi with the construction of Qasr al-Hosn.[8],

The Bani Yas had close relations with the Dhawahir tribe, which was traditionally at odds with the Na'im and the Bani Ka’ab in Buraimi Oasis.[10]

In 1822, the House of Al Maktoum took over Dubai, a coastal trade city and established themselves as their own Emirate of Dubai.[8],

In 1835, members of the Bani Yas settled Khor Al Adaid in southeastern Qatar.[11]

Branches

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The Bani Yas confederation consisted, at one time or another, of a number of branches,[12] which are:

  1. Al Falasi/Al Bu Falasah (آل بو فلاسه/الفلاسي) of which the House of Al Maktoum is a subsection of.
  2. Al Falahi/Al Bu Falah (آل بو فلاح/الفلاحي) of which the House of Al Nahyan is a subsection of.
  3. Al Qubaisi (القبيسات/القبيسي)
  4. Al Hemairi/Bani Hemair (بني حمير/الحميري)
  5. Al Mehairbi (المحيربي)
  6. Al Remeithi (الرميثات/الرميثي)
  7. Al Mashghouni (المشغوني)
  8. Al Hameli/Hawamil (الهوامل/الهاملي)
  9. Al Bu Ameem/Al Ameemi (آل بو عميم/ العميمي)
  10. Al Bu Muhair/Al Muhairi (آل بو مهير/المهيري)
  11. Al Sudan (السودان/السويدي)
  12. Al Gemzi (القمزان/القمزي)
  13. Al Mazari (المزاريع/المزروعي )
  14. Al Subousi (السبوسي)
  15. Al Marar (المرر)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Christopher Davidson's Abu Dhabi Oil and Beyond page 5
  2. ^ Frauke, Heard-Bey. "The Tribal Society of the UAE" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  3. ^ a b "The Millennial Legend \ The Bani Yas Alliance". Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  4. ^ "History". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  5. ^ "History of Dubai". DubaiGuru.org. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  6. ^ "History of Dubai". www.dubaionweb.com. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  7. ^ Kasolowsky, Raissa (December 1, 2009). Lyon, Alistair (ed.). "FACTBOX-What is the UAE's political structure?". Reuters.
  8. ^ a b c "History Atlas". www.historyatlas.com. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  9. ^ "The Bani Yas Tribes of United Arab Emirates". sheikhmohammed.ae. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  10. ^ Motohiro, Ono (March 2011). "Reconsideration of the Meanings of the Tribal Ties in the United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi Emirate in Early ʼ90s" (PDF). Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies. 4–1 (2): 25–34.
  11. ^ "'TURKISH JURISDICTION IN THE ISLANDS AND WATERS OF THE PERSIAN GULF, AND ON THE ARAB LITTORAL' [108v] (2/28)". Qatar Digital Library. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  12. ^ "قبيلة بني ياس". Hakawati.net. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
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