'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. II' [‎977] (14/688)

KA—KAA
977
K
KA (A l)—
See (AI) Qa'a.
KA'AB—
Pronounced Cha'ab; the singular is Ka'abi (Cha'abi). The Ka'ab are the largest
and most important tribe of Southern 'Arabistan; they are Arabs, but at the present
day they are to some extent Persianised.
Distribution. —The Ka'ab form almost the entire population of the Fallahiyeh District,
which is their headquarters, and they also occupy the greater part of 'Abbadan island,
especially towards its lower end ; the articles under these name? with those entitled
Janjireh and Shatut include the greater bulk of the villages of the Ka'ab. A few occur in
the Haffar tract on the right bank of the Karun in the Muhammareh District, and some
on the left bank of the Bahmanshir. Ka'ab are found in considerable numbers in the
Jarrahi district, where they occupy the river-bank villages of Khar Faraih, Bunwar, Bun-
war Rizaiq, Maksar, Maksar 'Atiqeh, Suwaireh, Kurduniyeh, Maqtu' Fauqani, Haskeh,
Maqtu' Hadrani, Khamzeh, Sidaireh, Saraimeh, Dob-al-Mir, Tuwaqiyeh and Qarqar,
and have settlements in the interior at Dauweh, 'Aquleh, Hor Trawaishid, Idaideh, Abu
Saileh, Khalafiyat, Hamad and Haji Asghayar, and they spread nortwards into the Ahwaz
District at Banneh and Shakheh: the tribe is represented also at Cham Sha'abani,
Gharabi Kuchik and Hindiyan Village in the Hindiyan District. Detached colonies of
Ka'ab emigrants occur further down the coast of Persia in the LIrawi, Rud-hilleh and
Angali districts ; but these are tribally isolated and unimportant. In Turkish 'Iraq
some immigrant Ka'ab are settled at Fao.
Sub-divisions and numbers. —The structure cf the Ka'ab tribe has been carefully
investigated, but the results elicited are conliicting even as regards main divisions
and sub-divisions. The ordinary tribesman has no ideas whatever on the subejct of the
composition of his tribe, and the theories which are entertained by intelligent individuals
here and there do not command general acceptance. One fact stands out clearly, that
the tribe consists partly of original and partly of adscititious families and groups, the
divisional name Dris being closely associated with the former, and that of Khanafireh
with the latter of these two classes. The more minute classification of the Ka'ab
depends not on blood relationship but on political accidents, for the name of a headman's
family or section is generally extended to include all who find (or place) themselves under
his authority ; it follows that there are many semi-obsolete names, as well as aliases both
exact and partial.
The following is the classification of the tribe which appears most satisfactory to express
the facts in so far as the^ are known :—
Division.
Sub-division.
Section.
Fighting
strength.
Habitat and remarks.
Dris
'Asakireh
'Abbadi ( a1 B u)
80
on both banks of
Khor D5raq below
B u z i y e h, on the
Khor branch of the
Aushar canal, and
on the 'Abdun Nabi
canal of the Jan
jireh group. They
occur also at Al Bu
'Abbadi on the east-
em bank of the
Bahmanshir.
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