Bani Omar
| Bani Omar بني عمر | |
|---|---|
| Qahtanite Arab tribe | |
 | |
| Ethnicity | Arab |
| Nisba | Al-Maamari المعمري |
| Location | Oman |
| Descended from | Ma'amar ibn Zubayd ibn Sa`b ibn Sa`d al-`Ashirah ibn Malik ibn Adad ibn Zayd ibn Yashjub ibn `Arib ibn Zayd ibn Kahlan ibn Saba` ibn Yashjub ibn Ya`rub ibn Qahtan |
| Language | Arabic |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
The Bani Omar (Arabic: بني عمر) (singular Al Maamari Arabic: المعمري, also spelled Al Mamari and Al Ma'amari) is an Arab tribe of Oman.[1]
Location
The Bani Omar have traditionally inhabited Northern Oman, with most concentrated in the wilayats (provinces) 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.[1][2][3]
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.[1][2]
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 (settled) society.[3][4]
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.[3][4]
Notable figures
- Jaber Al Mamari (born 2001), Qatari sprinter
- Malek Bin Sulaiman Al Ma'amari, Omani police chief
- Mohammed bin Said bin Khalfan Al Mamari, Omani politician
- Moussa Al-Maamari (1930 – 2018), Lebanese architect
- Musab Al-Mamari (born 2005) Omani footballer
- Salim Al Mamari (born 1999) Omani footballer
- Suleiman Al Maamari (born 1974), Omani writer
- Talib Al Mamari (born 1972), Omani politician & activist
- Wafia Al-Maamari (born 2003), Emirati chess player
References
- ^ a b c "نسب وأماكن تواجد قبيلة المعمري في سلطنة عمان - موقع بوابة سلطنة عمان التعليمية". موقع بوابة سلطنة عمان التعليمية (in Arabic). 2025-03-28. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- ^ a b "المعمريون". مجالسنا (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- ^ a b c "FO 1016/3 Notes on the tribes of Muscat and Oman p.22". www.agda.ae. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ a b Valeri, Marc (2015-01-12). "The Ṣuḥār Paradox: Social and Political Mobilisations in the Sultanate of Oman since 2011". Arabian Humanities. Revue internationale d'archéologie et de sciences sociales sur la péninsule Arabique/International Journal of Archaeology and Social Sciences in the Arabian Peninsula. 4 (4). doi:10.4000/cy.2828. ISSN 2308-6122.
