'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎89v] (183/470)

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B. Tribes of Bhammar Origin. — {a) Zoba c —this large tribe is represented in the
district by two sections only:—
(i) The Fadaghah, who < formerly cultivated near the head of the old
Mahmudiyah and have now moved into the new area north of the Yusufiyah
and have been given the Bir A1 Hammam lands. The A.P.O. deals with them
through Suhail al Mahawish, the representative of the leading family, but he
is not much of a success.
(ii) Chadahah, who have moved in this autumn from the Radhwaniyah
to take up the Qutaimah land on the Yusufiyah. They brought with them
a small section of the ‘Azzah (Zubaid) originally hailing from the Diyalah).
The head of the Chadadah is Dharb al Sulaiman, but he is not very effective.
Both sections remain under the ultimate authority of Dhari al Dhahir, but for
purposes of ordinary work are dealt with direct.
(b) Ghurair. The whole of the old Mahmudiyah is now a Ghurair area. Their
Shaikh, Muhammad al Dulaimi, has been put in charge also of the sections of tribes
other than Zoba‘ cultivating in the recently developed area on the Yusufiyah, but
it is understood that only in extreme cases, such as intersectional quarrels and
raids on the road, will he have anything to do with the Albu Mahi and Albu ‘Amir.
(c) Mas‘ud. Sections of this tribe live in Hor Husain, Wand, and on the tail
of the Iskandariyah, and are also found as cultivators in gardens and karads round
Musaiyib. They are supposed to be under the paramount authority of ‘Abdul
Muhsin, who lives in Karbala.
In point of fact the Iskandariyah people are always dealt with separately.
{d) Shamamrah, consist of a number of small disunited sections who occupy
the Nasiriyah canal. In old days they were supposed to acknowledge Faisal’s
authority, but Faisal is so inefficient and so unpopular that it is impossible to make
use of him, and the situation is practically non-tribal.
C. Tribes of Dulaim Origin. — {a) Qartan, a peaceful cultivating section who are
scattered up and down the Mahmudiyah shu‘bah. There is a solid block between
Imam Hamzah and Mufraz, but they have no single head. The others were fallahs Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour.
of other tribes or petty sarkals, but have now been collected and planted out on
the Hor Abu Qutun south of Tall Aswad in the new Yusufiyah area.
(6) Albu Tsa—a few of these have strayed into the Jurf as Sakhr karads from
the Falujah district. *
(c) A miscellaneous collection of Dulaim, many of whom were fallahs Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. of the
Ghurair or worked with the Jubur or anywhere else where they could get a living,
have been collected and placed on the new Yusufiyah in the area immediately
North-West of Khan ‘Azad.
III. There have during the year been only three incidents of any importance
in tribal affairs. They are :—
(i) The restoration to Shaikh Rashid al ‘Ali of his lost hereditary
influence over the Janabiyin.
(ii) The settlement by the Hillah majlis (‘Addai, Faisal, and Hazza‘)
of the feud between the Nawabit Fadaghah and the Qaraghul caused by
the murder of Shaikh Khudhair al Salih of the latter tribe by one of the
former.
(hi) The recent arrangement by which Nasir ibn Faisal of the Juhaish
is directly responsible in everyday matters to the A.P.O. Musaiyib for Al
Juhaish in the Musaiyib district. Faisal now concentrates on the" herculean
task of looking after the Hillah Juhaish.
IV. As regards the town, Musaiyib amply maintains its reputation for lying,
scandal and false rumours. This was notorious in Turkish times. ‘Anah and
Samarra were reputed to be a very bad second and third to Musaiyib in this respect.
Musaiyib and the Musaiyib shiffbah west of the Bhagdad-Hillah road supply the
A.P.O. with 99 per cent, of his work, as far as petitions and squabbles go.
Serious politics, there are practically none. At the time of the Najaf disturbances
in the spring, the town appeared far more interested in speculating whether the
fortification of the Musaiyib bridge head portended the retaking of Ramadi bv
the Turks. ° J