Al Murrah

The Al Murrah or Marar (Arabic: آل مرة) (singular 'Al Marri)' is an Arab tribe descended from the well-known Banu Yam tribe. They reside in countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Wadi Amad of Yemen. Historically, Al Murrah was a tribe of camel-herding nomads, who controlled and travelled through a vast area of the Arabian Peninsula.

Seven clans make up the Saudi branch of the Al Murrah.^[1][2] Travelling as much as 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) each year, the tribe comprises approximately 15,000 individuals.

Population[]

Qatar[]

Historically, the Al Murrah tribe made up a large proportion of Qatar's ethnic population.^[3]

In 1885, a number of Al Murrah tribespeople, along with several members from the Bani Hajer tribe, renounced their allegiance to Qatar and departed from the country. The two families were joined by the Ajman tribe, whom were known to harbor hostilities toward Qatar and regularly engage in skirmishes with its inhabitants. While the group was encamped in an area between Qatar and Oman, a regiment of 1,200 partisans composed of branches of Al Murrah and Bani Hajer loyal to the sheikh of Qatar engaged the group. Although the three tribes boasted a combined force of 2,000 men and outnumbered the opposition, they were inflicted with heavy losses.^[4]

A majority of tribe members were strong supporters of Sheikh Khalifa Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar who was deposed in 1995 in a coup by his son. Eight months after the coup, 119 Al Murrah members attempted to overthrow the new Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Al Thani, but failed. In February 2000, 19 of the alleged perpetrators had been sentenced to death, 33 were sentenced to life in prison, and the rest were acquitted.^[5] However, none of those sentenced to death were executed.

Al Murrah tribespeople were not allowed to run for the 2021 Qatari general election, which led to protests.^[6]

United Arab Emirates[]

The Al Marar of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)^[7] are one of the four leading tribes of the Bani Yas.^[8]

The tribe had settled in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai by the turn of the 19th century, with 200 houses in the Layyah area (now home to Sharjah's main power station and desalination plant), 40 in Abu Dhabi and 30 in Dubai. The Bedouin Marar consisted of some 70 families in Liwa, closely related to the Mazari,^[9] while the Marar of the towns were traditionally pearl divers.^[7]

Under Sheikh Rashid bin Maktoum of Dubai, in 1891, some 400 men of the Marar, considering themselves ill-treated by Rashid, ended the pearling season by sailing their boats to Sharjah and subsequently settling there. This action led to three years of bitter negotiations, arbitrated by the British Resident, settling financial claims and counter claims which led to a number of conflicts on land.^[10]

References[]