Reguibat_tribe
Reguibat tribe
Nomadic Sahrawi tribe of Sanhaja-Berber origins
The Reguibat (Arabic: الرقيبات; variously transliterated Reguibate, Rguibat, R'gaybat, R'gibat, Erguibat, Ergaybat) is a Sahrawi tribal confederation of mixed Arab[2][3][4] and Sanhaja Berber origins.[5][6][7][8] The Reguibat speak Hassaniya Arabic, and are Arab in culture. They claim descent from Sidi Ahmed al-Reguibi, an Arab Islamic preacher from Beni Hassan who settled in Saguia el-Hamra in 1503.[9] They also believe that they are, through him, a chorfa tribe, i.e. descendants of Muhammad. Religiously, they belong to the Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Their population in 1996 exceeded 100,000 people.[1]