Mawsuat al-Qabail al-Arabiya
- Author died
- 1441 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Fikr al-ʿArabī
Mawsu'at al-Qaba'il al-'Arabiyya: Buhuth Maydaniyya wa-Tarikhiyya (Encyclopedia of Arab Tribes: Field and Historical Studies) is a multi-volume genealogical and historical compendium by Muhammad Sulayman al-Tayyib (d. 1441 AH / 2020 CE), documenting the lineages, branches, migrations, and histories of Arab tribes across Asia and Africa .
Composition and Publication
Preparation for the encyclopedia began in Dhu al-Hijjah 1411 AH / June 1991 CE . An initial second edition spanning volumes 1 through 5 was released in 1418 AH / 1997 CE . Following feedback, critiques, and additions received from tribal members across various Arab countries, al-Tayyib undertook three further years of field research and expanded source collection to prepare a revised and expanded third edition published by Dar al-Fikr al-Arabi in Cairo, writing its general preface in Shawwal 1421 AH / December 2000 CE .
The third edition was published in installments: volumes 1 through 6 appeared in 1421 AH / 2001 CE; volume 7 in 1423 AH / 2002 CE; volume 8 in 1424 AH / 2003 CE; volumes 9 and 10 in 1425 AH / 2004 CE; and volumes 11 and 12 in 1431 AH / 2010 CE .
Scope and Structure
The work traces both Adnanite and Qahtanite lineages over a historical span exceeding 1,500 years, aiming to illustrate ancestral connections among Arab populations extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf . The encyclopedia is divided into two primary geographic divisions:
- African Extensions: Beginning with volumes 1 through 3, this section examines Arab tribes settled in or extended into North Africa, notably Egypt, Sudan, and the Maghreb . It highlights lineages that migrated from the Arabian Peninsula but maintained branches in both regions, such as the Huwaytat, al-Masa'id, Banu 'Atiyya, Banu 'Uqba, Bali, Juhayna, Banu Sulaym, Banu Hilal, and Muzayna .
- Asian Regions: Commencing from volume 4, this section covers the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, Bilad al-Sham (the Levant), and Iraq .
Method and Sources
The author combined classical historical and genealogical literature with modern fieldwork . Classical sources utilized include Ibn Hazm's Jamharat Ansab al-Arab, Ibn al-Kalbi's Jamharat al-Nasab, Ibn Khaldun's Tarikh Ibn Khaldun, al-Qalqashandi's Nihayat al-Arab and Qala'id al-Juman, and al-Maqrizi's al-Bayan wa-al-I'rab, along with travelogues such as those of al-Ayyashi, al-Abdari, and al-Tijani .
Al-Tayyib supplemented written texts with direct field investigations, incorporating oral testimonies, familial trees, and communications provided by tribal chieftains, local genealogists, and researchers across the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, and neighboring countries . Through this methodology, he sought to address conflicting accounts in tribal lineages, analyze debated affiliations, and correct errors and omissions found in contemporary genealogical publications .
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