Bani Omar


The Bani 'Omar' is an Arab tribe of Oman.

Location

The Bani Omar have traditionally inhabited Northern Oman, with most concentrated in the wilayats of Liwa, Shinas, Saham, and Ibri in the governorates of Al Batinah North and Al Dhahirah, with the tribe being considered among the most important figures in the region.

Ancestry and origins

Politically a Ghafiri tribe, the Bani Omar are a tribe descended from Maʿamar ibn Zubaid of the Zubaid tribe, which forms part of the larger Madhhaj tribal confederation, traditionally classified within the Qahtanite lineage, one of the two principal branches of Arab tribal genealogy. The Qahtanites are traditionally regarded as the progenitors of the southern Arab populations and are believed to trace their descent from the semi-legendary ancestral figure Qahtan.
The tribe's genealogy is preserved through classical Arab genealogical tradition and is recorded as follows: Maʿamar ibn Zubayd ibn Saʿb ibn Saʿd al-ʿĀshirah ibn Mālik ibn ʿAdad ibn Zayd ibn Yashjub ibn ʿUrayb ibn Zayd ibn Kahlan ibn Sabaʾ ibn Yashjub ibn Yaʿrub ibn Qahtan ibn Hud.

History

Originally a Bedouin tribe inhabiting the pastoral regions of the Northern Al Batinah coastal plain and the Ḥajar Mountains, the Bani Omar underwent a process of sedentarisation and urbanisation during the twentieth century, transitioning into a Hadhari society.
The Bani Omar are politically a Ghafiri tribe. The Ghafiris represent one of the two major tribal confederations in Oman, the other being the Hināwī. Historically, these two confederations have maintained a longstanding rivalry that shaped Omani social, political, and military alliances. The Bani Omar have historically been allied with the Sultans of Muscat, despite ideological differences, and served as military personnel responsible for guarding the Sultan's palaces and their wali's forts.

Notable figures