Shammari

Shammari

The tribe of Shammar (Arabic: شمّر "Šammar") is one of the largest tribes of Nejd, Saudi Arabia, with an estimated 3 million members in Iraq, over 1.5 million in Saudi Arabia (concentrated in Ha'il), a Kuwaiti population (centered in Al Jahra) of around 100,000, a Syrian population is thought to exceed 0.5 million along with unknown number in Jordan. In its "golden age", around 1850, the tribe ruled much of central and northern Arabia from Riyadh to the frontiers of Syria and the vast area known as Al Jazira in northern Iraq.

One of the early famous figures from the Tayy Shammar was the legendary Hatim Al-Ta'i (Hatim of Tayy), a Christian Arab renowned for generosity and hospitality, and figured in the Arabian Nights. The early Islamic historical sources report that his son, Adiyy ibn Hatim, whom they sometimes refer to as the "king" of Tayy, converted to Islam before Muhammad's death. Another figure from Tayy during this period was Zayd al-Khayr, a prominent member of Tayy who is said to have led Tayy's delegation to Muhammad accepting Islam.