ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the specific historical configurations and economic conditions prevailing in the northeastern region of Syria before independence in 1946. The village of Hawi al-Hawa was established in 1950 by the al-Meshrif family, members of the Musa al-Daher, a sub-tribe of ‘Afadla. Prior to this, many families of this lineage were farmers and sheepherders living in villages along the Balikh River. This area was controlled by Muheid sheikhs of the Fed’an, Bedouin camel herders who had developed a powerful mashiakha (chiefdom). This chapter details the political structure and domination of the al-Fedan and their relationships with the French and other neighbouring semi-sedentary tribes, including their ability to impose khuwa (protection-duty). Due to Ottoman and French land registration policies, the Beni Muheid sheikhs concentrated their ownership of land and derived considerable income by renting it to local villagers and semi-sedentary groups, a system known as muzara’a. This period is referred to as the ‘old order’ because starting in the late 1940s, an unprecedented sweep of mechanization of agriculture in the Jezira-Euphrates took place, with immediate incorporation of the region into a wider entrepreneurial capitalistic economy.
