Howeitat

The Howeitat or Huwaytat ( _ar. الحويطات) are a large tribal confederation of historic Transjordan, an area in present-day Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Howeitat had several branches, notably the Ibn Jazi, the Abu Tayi and the Sulaymanniyin, in addition to a number of associated tribes.

The Howeitat are unusual in claiming descent from a single ancestor, an Egyptian named Huwayt.Harris, G. "Jordan: its people, its society, its culture", HRAF, 1958, p.56] However, their presence in the area may date from the 18th century, when tribes of the northern Arabian desert were being pushed northwards by expansion of the Wahhabite-associated bedouin of central Arabia; by the late 18th century the Howeitat were already laying claim to areas around Aqaba and northwards;Salibi, K. "The Modern History of Jordan", Tauris, 1998, ISBN 1860643310, pp.26-27] they also laid claim to land in Egypt. They developed into a partly settled tribe, combining farming in the fertile areas of Jabal Shara with pastoralism, but early in the 20th century were rendered more or less nomadic by the activities of two rival shaikhs, Abtan ibn Jazi and Auda abu Tayi, who concentrated on raiding, collection of tribute and camel-herding.Alon, Y. and Eilon, J. "The Making of Jordan: Tribes, Colonialism and the Modern State", Tauris, 2007, ISBN 1845111389, p.162]

The Abu Tayi section of the tribe were supporters of the Hashemite cause during the Arab Revolt, in which they formed an important part of Faisal's forces; the Ibn Jazi section remained loyal to the Ottoman Empire. In later years the Howeitat returned to farming; they were also prominent in the Arab Legion, the Ibn Jazi section becoming the most powerful component in the federation. The Howeitat still have possession of large areas of land around Wadi Rum and stretching into Saudi Arabia; they have historically been a significant source of manpower for the Saudi Arabian National Guard and the Royal Jordanian Land Force.

The Howeitat are often mentioned in Richard Francis Burton's travelogue "The Land of Midian", in which he gives the following account of their origin:

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