Mehri people

Meheri

مهري
Flag used by Mehri people; It used to be the flag of the Mahra Sultanate
Map of Yemen showing Al Mahrah Governorate.
Regions with significant populations
Yemen Oman Somalia
Languages
Mehri, Arabic, Somali
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Other Semitic-speaking peoples Especially Harasis, Soqotri, and other Modern South Arabian-speaking peoples

The Mehri (Arabic: المهرة), also known as the al-Mahrah tribe (Arabic: قبيلة المهرة), are an Arab ethnographic group primarily inhabiting South Arabia especially in the Al-Mahra Governorate in Yemen and the island of Socotra in the Guardafui Channel. They are named after Mahra bin Haydan. They can also be found in the Sultanate of Oman, and the eastern region of the Arabian Peninsula.

They have participated in the conquests of North Africa, Morocco and Andalusia, and they lived there. Some of them work in fishing, and some of them live in the desert, and it is to them that the Mahri camels are attributed in the Arab heritage. The Mahra were famous for their Mahri language, which is a Semitic language belonging to the eastern family within the group of South Semitic languages, and it is a language closely related to other neighboring languages, such as the Shehri and Socotri languages. They have an ancient history, and they were mentioned in a number of Sabaean writings in Al-Musnad script, and they had a sultanate that lasted for five centuries, and it remained in existence until 1967, which is the Sultanate of Al-Mahra.

Origin

Mahras are descended from Mahra bin Heydan bin 'Amr bin el-Hafi Quda'a bin Malik bin 'Amr bin Murra bin Zeyd bin Malik bin Ḥimyar, who was from Quda'a.

Distribution

The Mehri are one of the largest tribes in the Al Mahrah Governorate of Yemen and in the island of Socotra and Dhofar Governorate of Oman. Mehri group members are also found in other countries in the Arabian Peninsula like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

According to Ethnologue, there are around 115,200 total Mehri speakers. Of those, 50,000 live in Yemen (2011), 50,800 in Oman (2000), and 14,400 in Kuwait (2000), and according to Saudi officials there are around 20,000 Mehri speakers in Saudi Arabia.

Language

The Mehri speak the Mehri language as their native tongue. It belongs to the Modern South Arabian (MSA) subgroup of the Afroasiatic family's Semitic branch.

Mehri is divided into two main dialects: Eastern Mehri (Mehriyot) and Western Mehri (Mehriyet). These idioms in turn have urban and Bedouin varieties.

On the island of Socotra, the Mehri inhabitants speak the native Soqotri language of the Soqotri people.

The Mehri language is most closely related to other Modern South Arabian languages, such as Bathari and Soqotri. These tongues collectively share many features with the Old South Arabian languages (Epigraphic South Arabian), as spoken by the ancient Sabaeans, Minaeans, and Qatabanians.

Additionally, many Mehri in Yemen speak as a second language Arabic.

Al-Hamdani wrote about the language of Mahra and Al-Shihr:

The filly (tribe) of the people of al-Shihr and al-Asa’a are not eloquent. And they omit and say, O son of uncle, O son of uncle Mahra (tribe)

- Characteristics of the Arabian Peninsula "134"

Religion

The Mehri are predominantly Muslims. A delegation from al-Mahra led by Mehri bin Al-Abid visited the Prophet of Allah, Muhammad, who presented Islam to them, and they embraced the faith. The Prophet wrote a letter for them, which read: "This is a letter from Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Mahri bin Al-Abid and those who believe among the Mehri. They shall not be harmed or subjected to any wrongdoing. They are to abide by the laws of Islam. Whoever changes his stance and opposes shall be fought against, while whoever believes and adheres to it shall have the protection of Allah and His Messenger".

According to historical accounts, Mahri bin Qurdam, son of Al-Ajil from Ashhar, visited Muhammad, who honored and respected him despite the distance he had traveled. When Mahri bin Qurdam intended to leave, Muhammad supported and carried him and wrote a letter for him, which remains with them to this day.

Islamic Conquests

During the early years of Islam, the Mehri tribe played a significant role in the history of Islam and the military achievements of the Arab world. They participated in the conquest of North Africa and Spain. Their exploits were documented by the historian Ibn Abd Al-Hakam in his book titled "Futuh Misr wa Akhbaruha" (The Conquest of Egypt and Its News). The Mehri tribe played a crucial role in the Arab Muslim army under the leadership of Amr ibn al-As, a renowned military commander and one of Muhammad's companions. They fought alongside him during the Islamic conquest of North Africa, starting with the defeat of the Byzantine forces in the Battle of Heliopolis, followed by the Battle of Nikiou in Egypt in 646.

Mehri camels in Al Mahra

Throughout the Islamic conquest of North Africa, the Mehri army was granted lands in the newly occupied territories. Initially, they were given the area of Jabal Yashkur by the Islamic leadership. This region is located east of the city of Al-Askar. After the end of the Islamic conquest of Egypt in 641, the Muslim commander Amr ibn al-As founded the city of Fustat, which became the new capital of Egypt. The army was given additional land in the new capital, which later became known as Hayy Al-Mehri in Arabic, or the Mehri Quarter in English. This land was used by the Mehri forces as their headquarters. The Mehri tribe was named after this area because they were the sole landowners. Other Arab tribes that were part of the Islamic conquest of Egypt shared the lands, which is why their lands bear names not associated with tribes. The Mehri tribe also participated in Hayy Al-Raya in Fustat, along with other tribes closely linked to Muhammad. According to historical accounts, the Mehri forces used Hayy Al-Raya as a base and stable for their horses. Hayy Al-Mehri is located near Hayy Al-Raya, which was the absolute center of the new capital, Fustat.

Mehri camels

The Mehri region is known for its purebred Mehri camels, which were an integral part of the military success of the Mehri army during the Islamic conquests of Egypt and North Africa against the Byzantine Empire. The Mehri cavalry unit introduced the Mehri camels to North Africa during the conquests, and they are now found throughout the region. They are sometimes referred to as the Coastal Camels. These camels are famous for their speed, agility, and endurance. They have a large but slender build, and their small hump is a characteristic feature. Since ancient times, various camel breeds, including the Adiya breed, were known in the Mehri region. Among these breeds was the Eid camel, known for its speed and high milk production, which became a symbol of swiftness. This breed continues to exist in the eastern and western valleys of Al-Mahra region.

Genetics

According to Y-DNA analysis by Černý et al. (2009), most inhabitants of Socotra, some of whom are Mehri descendants, belong to the basal haplogroup J. Around 71.4% of them carry J*(xJ1,J2), which is the highest reported frequency of the paternal clade.

Maternally, basal haplogroup N likewise occurs at its highest frequencies on the island (24.3%). Mitochondrial analysis by Non (2010) found that the haplogroup R0a (27.7%) is the most common mtDNA clade among the Mehri within the Mahra Governorate. The next most frequent maternal lineages borne by the Mehri are the haplogroups H (13.9%), R2 (13.9%), L2a1 (4.6%), and K (1.5%), as well as various subclades of the macro-haplogroup L(xM,N) (21.5%).

According to a study from 2017 that sampled southern Arabians, the Mahra were stated to be minimally or non-admixed as they had >85.9% Arabian ancestry proportions.

See also

• Mahra Sultanate
• Hadarem
• Socotri
• Socotra