Al Uqaydat


Al-Uqaydat tribe is a large Arab tribe which straddles Syria's eastern border with Iraq. It is the largest tribe in the Deir ez-Zor province and according to Max von Oppenheim, it is the largest tribe in all of Mesopotamia.
Uqaydat tribe is descended from the tribe of Zubaid.

Structure

The tribe is divided into three branches which are in turn divided into multiple clans:
The Uqaydat tribe sends a large amount of its youth to go work abroad, especially in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. These young workers send a significant amount of money to their families, as remittances. Others mostly depend on smuggling between Iraq and Syria.

Notable people

its chief is Nawaf al-Fares, the former Syrian ambassador to Iraq.
Shaykh Amir al-Dandal of Bukamal is one of the founding members of the Council of the Syrian Charter and a prominent figure in social dialogue and reconciliation.