Al Mualla

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Al Mualla
Parent houseAl Ali
CountryUnited Arab Emirates
Founded1768; 256 years ago (1768)
FounderRashid bin Majid Al Mualla
Current headSaud bin Rashid Al Mualla
TitlesEmir
Sheikh
Style(s)His/Her Highness

The Al Mualla (Arabic: المعلا) family is the ruling royal family of Umm Al Quwain, one of the seven emirates that together comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The family was traditionally at the head of the Al Ali tribe. The Al Ali (singular, Aliyi), were some 6,750 strong at the turn of the 19th century[1] and were almost all settled either at Umm Al Quwain (1,000 families) or the inland town of Falaj Al Ali (later to be known as Falaj Al Mualla). Some 200 settled Al Ali families lived in Sharjah and 150 in Ras Al Khaimah, although there was also a small Bedouin section of some 140 families who roamed a dar between Jazirat Al Hamra and Falaj Al Ali. There was a Persian group of Al Ali, who referred to the Umm Al Quwain section as 'Al Mualla'. The tribe originated in Nejd.[2]

Founding Umm Al Quwain[edit]

The first known head of the Al Ali when they settled at Umm Al Quwain was Sheikh Rashid bin Majid Al Mualla. Sheikh Rashid was responsible for the construction of Umm Al Quwain Fort in the town in 1768,[3] today home to Umm Al Quwain museum.[4]

The fort and its watchtower were built after the Al Ali tribe moved from the island of Sinniyah to the mainland after water supplies on the island were exhausted.[5]

Rulers[edit]

The successive Al Mualla Rulers of Umm Al Quwain were:[6]

Deputy rulers[edit]

The successive Al Mualla Deputy Rulers of Umm Al Quwain were:[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. British Government, Bombay. p. 1432.
  2. ^ Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol. II. Geographical and Statistical. British Government, Bombay. p. 62.
  3. ^ "Umm Al Qawain Museums". Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  4. ^ Nazzal, Nasouh (2 November 2008). "UAE museum: Umm Al Quwain Museum". GulfNews. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  5. ^ "In UAQ Old Town, past and present collide". The National. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  6. ^ Said., Zahlan, Rosemarie (2016). The Origins of the United Arab Emirates : a Political and Social History of the Trucial States. Taylor and Francis. p. 36. ISBN 9781317244653. OCLC 945874284.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Umm Al Quwain ruler dies". Gulf News. Retrieved 15 April 2020.