Ja'alin tribe
| Ja'alin جعليون | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Arab |
| Location | Nile river basin between Khartoum and Abu Hamad |
| Population | 3,299,000[1] |
| Language | Arabic, Sudanese Arabic[1] |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Ja'alin or Ja'al are an Arabic speaking, Semitic tribe. The Ja'alin constitute a large portion of Sudanese Arabs, and traditionally only speak Arabic. They formerly occupied the country on both banks of the Nile from Khartoum to Abu Hamad.[2]
History
The Ja'alin trace their lineage to Abbas, uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[2] They were at one time subject to the Funj kings, but their position was in a measure independent. At the Egyptian invasion in 1820 they were the most powerful of Arab tribes in the Nile valley. They submitted at first, but in 1822 rebelled and massacred the Egyptian garrison at Shendi with the Mek Nimir, a Jaali leader burning Ismail, Muhammad Ali Pasha's son and his cortege at a banquet. The revolt was mercilessly suppressed, and the Ja'alin were thence forward looked on with suspicion. They were almost the first of the northern tribes to join the mahdi in 1884, and it was their position to the north of Khartoum which made communication with General Gordon so difficult. The Ja'alin then became a semi-nomad agricultural people.[2]
Location
This group of over two million people live in small villages and cities along the banks of the Nile River. The area is very hot and dry, with an average yearly rainfall of about three inches. In the summer, which lasts from April through November, daytime temperatures can reach as high as 120 to 130 °F (49 to 54 °C).
Lifestyle
Some Jaaliyin still farm and raise livestock along the banks of the Nile River, but today they more commonly consist of the bulk of the Sudanese urban population, forming a large part of the merchant class. Although many have moved to cities, such as the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, they still maintain their tribal identity and solidarity.Famous for maintaining ties with their homeland, they keep in contact with their original home and return for frequent visits, especially for marriages, funerals and Muslim festivals.[1]
Notes
- 1 2 3 "Gaalin in Sudan". Joshua Project. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- 1 2 3
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Jā'alin". Encyclopædia Britannica 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 103. Citation: The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, edited by Count Gleichen (London, 1905)
Further reading
Wilson, Sir Charles W. (1888), "On the Tribes of the Nile Valley, North of Khartum", Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 17: 3–25 (see pages 16 and 17)