The Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat (Arabic: بنو بكر بن عبد مناة) were an Arabian tribe of the Hejaz region. Bani Bakr bin Abd Manat bin Kinanah bin Khuzaymah bin Mudrikah bin Ilyas bin Mudar bin Nizar bin Ma'ad bin Adnan was a subtribe of the Kinanah tribes in the pre-Islamic era. The tribe converted to Sunni Islam during the Umayyad and Abbasid eras and became one of the largest Arab tribes. They are the cousins of the Quraysh tribe of Muhammad. They competed with them for honor and the sovereignty of Mecca before Muhammad united all the singular tribes in the Arabian peninsula.
In 630, their attack against Banu Khuza'ah, who had recently become allies of Muhammad, violated the Treaty of Hudaybiyya of 628, which led to the conquest of Mecca by the Muslim armies, which occurred without battle.
They are blood cousins but distinct from the tribe of Banu Bakr ibn Wa'il of Mesopotamia.
Early history
[edit]Bakr was born in the pre-Islamic era in the Tabuk Province region of northern Saudi Arabia. He was named Bakr after his maternal grandfather Bakr the Patriarch. Bakr was raised among his maternal cousins and marched along his uncles to the upper Levant and the Babylon region in seek of fresh grasslands for their cattle. They had major conflicts with the Romans and Persians for refusing to pay taxes. The family specialized in raising Arabian horses. Along with raising cattle, they have had major conflicts with neighboring Arab clans over water holes and desert oasis. Later on in life, his sons and close nephews became a major clan referred to as the Banu Bakr family. They went on to control the trade routes throughout Arabia, holding a vital strategic roadways between the concurrent empires, focusing on the Levantian Desert towards Palmyra.
Conflicts
[edit]The Bakr clan had experienced some of the bloodiest civil wars with other Arab clans. The most severe took place with the Tayy family who played a major political role in the Middle East at the time. They also had a long war with the Hebrews tribes of Bani Isra'il, an ancient war with the Romani people, a major Battle of Dhi Qar against the Persian Sasanian Empire and a 1000 year war with the Roman Empire in modern day Jordan, Palestine and Syria. The Basus War was one of the most critical wars for Bani Bakr which determined their fate in the Arab world until now.
Historic figures
[edit]Some of the Banu Bakr men has played a major role in changing the Arabic history. A mysterious figure to be mentioned is Moses Bani Bakr. Moses has the reputation of being a huge in size fighter and a vicious warrior. He spent much of his life roaming the desert looking to retaliate against his family's enemies. Another similar figure is Abu Dharr Al-Ghafari whom met prophet mohammed and joined the Islamic campaign. Comes from Bani Bakr is the infamous Jassas bin Murrah and the famous poet Tarafa bin Al-Abd. Many more of their men made history and they have a long history of being active and traveling continuously across the borderlines.
Present
[edit]Descendants
[edit]Banu Bakr is divided into many subtribes, including Banu Damrah, Banu Du’al, Banu Laith and Banu Mudlij.
They relate directly to the Banu Kinana tribe.
As of current times, the tribe has spread throughout the middle east. They start in the south of the Arabia Peninsula mainly in the Yafa'a province in Yemen and expand up north to Diyar Bakr in today's Turkey. They also reside in the Hejaz and Tihamah region in Saudi Arabia. They have close allies among the Sunni Arab clans including Ibn Saud and Banu Shahr tribes. Jeddah, Abha and Al-Namas are some of their strong holds in Saudi Arabia along with a small community south of Mecca. The Bakr clan can be found throughout the Wadi Hauran valley which expands from the Levant towards Baghdad. They also occupy along the sides of the Tigris River banks whom are direct decent from Banu Bakr ibn Wa'il; distant cousins of Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat. Since the Mongol invasions of the Levant, Banu Bakr has been close allies of the Arab Christians, Turkmens and the Kurds in Iraq. The Bani Kinanah district is one of the northern districts of Irbid in Jordan which they have been roaming about since the ancient times and held dearly against the Mongols and crusaders.
Although are civilized, the Bani Bakr is an aboriginal Arab sect that refuses the concept of settling in human colonies and cities and prefer to stay on the move and travel across the globe to handle their work and live their lives.
Poetry
[edit]One key trait that Banu Bakr are known for is their cruciality in Arabic poetry. Banu Bakr have been known to be among the top writers and authors of legendary poems that articulated around since the Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry. It was and still common in the Arab world to relate to their poetry in the daily lives of the citizens. Certain verses of many Bakry poets are at the heart of the Arabic language; especially those that existed at the times of Prophet Mohammed, the Mu'allaqat (The pendants).
The Mu'allaqat (The pendants) also known as Al-Ashr Al-Tiwal are among the most famous poems written by some of the Bakry writers. Tarafa is a popular poet from Bani Bakr. There are collections of books regarding Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry translated into many languages.
Well, that’s interesting to know that Psilotum nudum are known as whisk ferns. Psilotum nudum is the commoner species of the two. While the P. flaccidum is a rare species and is found in the tropical islands. Both the species are usually epiphytic in habit and grow upon tree ferns. These species may also be terrestrial and grow in humus or in the crevices of the rocks.
View the detailed Guide of Psilotum nudum: Detailed Study Of Psilotum Nudum (Whisk Fern), Classification, Anatomy, Reproduction