The Military Role of the Bedouin Woman in the Arabian Peninsula (al-ʿUṭafa & al-ʿAmmāriyya as an Example) in the 19th and the First Half of the 20th Centuries

Abstract

Abstract The paper studies one of the important roles in the military history of women in the Arabian Peninsula during the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries. Attention is given to the linguistic and historical analysis of al-ʿuṭafa and al-ʿammāriyya and the distinction between them and the conditions that need to be satisfied by the young woman rider chosen to be an ʿuṭafa or an ʿammāriyya. The names of some of those women who participated in tribal wars, attacks, and major battles are given as well as their tribal affiliations within the ranks of the armies of the states and amirates of the Arabian Peninsula. Mention is made of her tasks and the duties assigned to her and her fate on the field of battle and the different historical stages of this phenomenon and its subsequent disappearance among the tribes are also considered.