Al-Marwani family

For the historical mosque in Jerusalem named after the family, see El-Marwani Mosque.

The Al-Marwani or El-Marwani (Arabic: المرواني) family,^[1] also known as Banu Marwan (Arabic: بنو مروان, romanized: Banū Marwān, lit. 'Sons of Marwan'),^[2][3] is a prominent Arab family of Umayyad origin, descending from Marwan I ibn al-Hakam. The family's roots lie in the holy city of Mecca in the Hejaz, the ancestral homeland of the Quraysh tribe (the tribe of Muhammad), while its historical establishment was in Damascus, Syria. The clan arrived in Damascus in the second half of the 7th century CE when Marwan I, the family's progenitor, moved from the Hejaz to Syria. His accession at the tribal conclave of Marj Rahit (684) marked the transfer of the caliphate within the Banu Umayya clan from the family of Abu Sufyan to his family.^[4][5] Despite its original establishment and main seat in Syria (and later in al-Andalus), today the family is more concentrated in Palestine (West Bank), Jordan and Egypt with smaller branches in Lebanon, Iraq, and the Gulf.

Banu Marwan بنو مروان Al-Marwani Al-Umawi Al-Qurashi المرواني الأموي القرشي
Umayyad Arab tribe
Members of the Al-Marwani family from the Tahboub al-Marwani clan of Hebron, Palestine
Parent family	Banu Abd Shams of Quraysh Banu Umayya
Country	Umayyad Caliphate Umayyad state of Córdoba
Current region	Syria Palestine Jordan Lebanon Egypt Saudi Arabia Bahrain Iraq
Place of origin	Damascus, Syria
Founded	684
Founder	Marwan I
Seat	Damascus (Syria) Hebron (Palestine)
Historic seat	Córdoba, Spain (al-Andalus)
Titles	Caliph Amir al-Mu'minin Emir of Córdoba Caliph of Córdoba Mufti Qadi Shaykh
Traditions	Sunni Islam (Maliki, Hanafi, Shafi'i) (Ash'ari)
Cadet branches	Tahboub al-Marwani al-Zaro al-Marwani al-Hakami al-Marwani Āl Mahmood Āl Salim

Entrance to the underground Marwani Mosque at al-Aqsa Compound, Jerusalem

Steps leading to the underground Marwani Mosque at Al-Aqsa, with the Dome of the Rock in the background

The Marwanids constitute one of the two principal cadet branches of the Umayyad dynasty, the other being the Sufyanids, descended from Muʿawiya I ibn Abi Sufyan. At their height, the Marwanids represented the dominant branch of the Umayyad family, producing most of its ruling members and remaining the most numerous line of Umayyad descendants in later generations. The Al-Marwani family supplied caliphs, princes, governors and commanders in the 7th–11th centuries and continued as a recognizable lineage in the central Islamic lands and in al-Andalus after 750. ^[6][7]

Already in contemporary times, the Al-Marwani family has produced a considerable number of politicians, merchants, scholars and religious leaders, mostly in Jordan and Palestine. In terms of fiqh, the family has historically followed and promoted the Maliki school of Sunni Islam,^[8] but in contemporary times followers of the Shafi’i and Hanafi schools are more prevalent especially in the Levant and Egypt. In terms of aqidah, the family is traditionally affiliated with the aqidah of the Ash'ari school.

Sheikh Abdullah Tahboub al-Marwani, Mufti of Hebron, Palestine

From left to right: Sheikh Abdullah Tahboub al-Marwani (Mufti of Hebron), Haj Amin al-Husseini (Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and President of the Supreme Muslim Council), Sheikh Muhammad al-Saadi (Qadi of Hebron), Sheikh Yousef Tahboub al-Marwani (Qadi of Bethlehem, Gaza, Hasbaya, Zabadani, Tulkarm and Haifa, Head of the Awqaf of Hebron and member of the Supreme Muslim Council) and Sheikh al-Najmi (khatib of Ibrahimi Mosque)

Sheikh Arif Hikmat Tahboub al-Marwani, Mufti of Karak, Jordan

History: Etymology and origins

Main articles: Umayyad dynasty, Umayyad Caliphate, and Marwan I

Family tree of the Umayyad Marwanid dynasty during the reign of Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan

The family is named after its eponymous ancestor and fourth Umayyad caliph, Marwan I ibn al-Hakam, a first cousin of the third Rashidun caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, who succeeded to the Umayyad Caliphate after the abdication and death of the third Umayyad and last Sufyanid caliph, Mu’awiya II ibn Yazid, and the subsequent Second Fitna civil war. Marwan I was from the Abu al-ʿAs branch of the Banu Umayya, itself a clan of the Banu Abd Shams tribe, one of the strongest clans of the Quraysh and close kinsmen of Muhammad whose lineage meet with that of the Umayyads at Abd Manaf Ibn Qusay, Muhammad's great-great-grandfather.^[9]

Through Marwan's descendants, most notably his son ʿAbd al-Malik, the family became the principal Umayyad line in the later 7th century.^[6] He established the lineage of caliphs that would rule the caliphate from Damascus and that would eventually rule from Córdoba, al-Andalus (Iberian Peninsula) in the aftermath of the Abbasid revolution.^[10][11]

The Marwanids are known for their efforts in expanding the borders of the Islamic Empire and the caliphate. Under their reign, the Umayyad Empire became the largest Islamic empire in history.^[12] During this period the borders of the empire extended from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the banks of the Indus River and to the frontiers of China.

During the reign of caliph al-Walid I the empire reached its peak ruling over modern-day Spain, Portugal, France (Septimania), Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Arabian Peninsula, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and India.

Internal branches and kinship

Tombs of the caliphs in Damascus, Syria: 19th-century illustration, "Tombs of the Caliphs, Damascus." Damascus became the capital of the Umayyad caliphate in the seventh century CE.

Al-Marwani lines are conventionally traced through Marwan's sons and grandsons, especially the progeny of ʿAbd al-Malik (e.g., al-Walid, Sulayman, Hisham, Maslama, ʿAbd Allah, Saʿid) and collateral princes (e.g., ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz, who married a daughter of ʿAbd al-Malik). Medieval prosopographies and chronicles (e.g., al-Tabari) record numerous Marwanid marriages into other Qurayshite and tribal elites, which helped sustain the family's prominence beyond those who held the caliphate.^[13][7] Medieval genealogists such as Ibn Hazm in Jamharat Ansāb al-ʿArab and Ibn al-ʿAdim in Bughyat al-Ṭalab fī Tārīkh Ḥalab record the principal sub-lineages that survived into later centuries.^[14]

The ʿAbd al-Malikid line was the senior branch, descending through the caliph's numerous sons. From it issued the ruling caliphs al-Walid I, Sulayman, Yazid II, Hisham, and several collateral princes such as Maslama b. ʿAbd al-Malik (commander on the Byzantine frontier) and Saʿid b. ʿAbd al-Malik (governor of Mosul and Armenia). Its Andalusi offshoots stemmed from princes who escaped the 750 CE Abbasid purge, including ʿAbd al-Malik b. ʿUmar al-Marwani and Habib b. ʿAbd al-Malik al-Marwani, whose descendants settled in Seville and Córdoba.^[7][15]

The ʿAbd al-ʿAzizid line through ʿAbd al-ʿAziz b. Marwan, governor of Egypt (685–705) and father of ʿUmar II, the family extended into Egypt and Medina. This branch maintained prestige among Medinese and Egyptian elites and produced jurists and administrators under early Abbasid rule.^[16]

The Maslamid line were the descendants of Maslama b. ʿAbd al-Malik. They formed a military-aristocratic branch concentrated in northern Syria, Cilicia, and the Jazira. Although excluded from the caliphate, they were crucial to the empire's defense against Byzantium and continued to hold command posts into Abbasid times, sometimes intermarrying with Taghlibi and Kalbi tribal nobility.^[17]

The Arabs crossing the Dardanelles: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik leads the Umayyad armies across the Dardanelles on their way to besiege Constantinople, 716 CE. Drawn by H. Vogel. 19th century CE

The Bishrid line were the descendants of Bishr ibn Marwan. They consisted of local tribal landowners and Hejazi elite whose members established themselves in Wadi Nakhla, east of Mecca. The modern Banu al-Hakam tribe of Saudi Arabia traces its lineage back to Bishr ibn Marwan via his son al-Hakam ibn Bishr.

After 750, several collateral Marwanids accompanied or later followed ʿAbd al-Rahman I to the Iberian Peninsula. There, their lines intertwined with other Qurayshite and Yemeni families of al-Andalus, forming part of the Umayyad-Andalusī aristocracy. Figures such as Habib b. ʿAbd al-Malik al-Marwani, governor of Toledo, and ʿAbd al-Malik b. ʿUmar al-Marwani, governor of Seville, illustrate the continuation of Marwanid kin networks in the western Islamic world.^[18]

Nahr Abi Futrus and exile: Migration and dispersion

On 27 April 750, the Abbasid general Abd Allah ibn Ali, uncle of Caliph al-Saffah (r. 750–754), marched to Antipatris ('Nahr Abu Futrus'), Palestine. There, he summoned around eighty senior members of the Umayyad dynasty, whom the Abbasids had toppled earlier that year, with promises of fair surrender terms, only to have them massacred. Following these events at Nahr Abi Futrus,^[19] members of the Marwanid house fled east and west. Some joined the Abbasid court in Iraq, while others sought refuge in Egypt, North Africa, and al-Andalus.

Andalusian chronicles such as Ibn Hayyan's Al-Muqtabis record the arrival of Umayyad and Marwanid nobles in al-Andalus, where they helped their relative and Marwan's great-great-grandson, Abd al-Rahman I ibn Mu’awiya, establish the Emirate of Córdoba. Abd al-Rahman I's descendant, Abd al-Rahman III al-Nasir ^{[note 1]}, assumed the title of Caliph and established the second Umayyad caliphate with capital in Cordoba. Later centuries saw further movement of Marwanid descendants to the Maghreb, the Levant and the Hejaz, often serving as jurists or governors under various dynasties.^[20][21]

Al-Nasir receiving tributes at Madinat al-Zahra Palace

Madinat al-Zahra Palace built by Caliph Abd al-Rahman III al-Nasir

Among some of the other members of the family that managed to escape and flee to Spain was Abd al-Malik ibn Umar al-Marwani,^[22] a grandson of Caliph Al-Walid I, who arrived with his sons; Umayyah, Abd Allah, Ibrahim, al-Abbas, Aban, al-Hakam, Bishr, Umar and Habib. Habib ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marwani played a huge role during the battle of Alameda where he decisively led the Umayyad Syrian cavalry against the center of the forces of Yusuf al-Fihri. The victory at Alameda paved the way for the establishment of the Umayyad emirate in al-Andalus. Habib was the ancestor of the prominent Habibi clan. Abd al-Malik also had a daughter named Kanzah who married her cousin, emir Hisham I of Córdoba. The brothers of Abd al-Malik, Hafs and 'Isa, also established themselves in al-Andalus and their descendants were prominent although not as prominent as those descended from Abd al-Malik. Hafs, 'Isa and Abd al-Malik were sons of prince Umar ibn al-Walid al-Marwani, one of the sons of caliph al-Walid I, and governor of Tiberias and Jordan.^[23][24]

Other members of the Marwani family survived the Abbasid massacre and stayed in the Levant and were active in Damascus during the Abbasid period like Maslama ibn Ya'qub al-Marwani,^[25] an Umayyad rebel against the Abbasid state during the Fourth Fitna, who managed to take control of Damascus from 811 to 813 and declared himself caliph.

Distribution of the name and other surnames

The Al-Marwani family from the Levant and Egypt traces its lineage back to Caliph Marwan I and the Umayyads, and it is not to be confused with the Banu Marwan clan of the Juhaynah tribe that inhabits modern day Yemen and Saudi Arabia of Yemenite origin (traditionally known as Al-Marwani Al-Juhani), or with the Marwanid dynasty of Diyarbakir of Kurdish origin.^{[26][27][28][29][30]} The Al-Hakami Al-Marwani clan of Saudi Arabia is the only known Saudi Arabian family from the Umayyad Marwani line.

Historically, the members of the Al-Marwani family settled in Al-Andalus (modern day Spain) after the Abbasid massacre of the Umayyad family with significant branches also growing in Yemen, Greater Syria, and Egypt. The family's original seat was Damascus.

Even after the fall of the Cordoban caliphate (1031), the nisba al-Marwani remained in use among families claiming descent from the Syrian and Andalusi branches. Later genealogical compendia from Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and the Maghreb (e.g., al-Sakhāwī, al-Ḍawʾ al-Lāmiʿ; al-Nuwayrī, Nihāyat al-Arab) list Marwanid descendants active as jurists, poets, and administrators in Mamluk and early Ottoman periods.^[31]

The Surrender of Granada painting by Francisco Pradilla Ortiz, depicts Boabdil surrendering Granada to the Catholic Monarchs, an event that triggered the exile of many elite Andalusi Muslim families to North Africa and the Middle East, including members of the Al-Marwani family

After the fall of Islamic Spain in 1492 CE most of the members of the Andalusi Marwani family left for North Africa like many other prominent Andalusi families like the Nasrids and the Idrisid Hammudids, and from there branches migrated back to the Middle East, while others were forcibly converted to Catholicism with future members taking a leading role in the eventual Alpujarras rebellion led by the Umayyad Morisco nobleman, Fernando de Valor y Córdoba, also known as Muhammad ibn Umayya after his reversion to Islam, and called in Spanish 'Aben Humeya' (Ibn Umayya).

Statue in honor of Aben Humeya (Ibn Umayya), Berja, Spain

Today, its members can be found more concentrated in Palestine (mainly Hebron), Jordan, and Egypt (mainly Asyut Governorate).^[32] They can also be significantly found in Syria and Lebanon. In Lebanon, branches settled mainly in the Beirut and Tripoli areas and most of them are originally of Syrian, Palestinian or Jordanian roots that settled there during and after the Ottoman rule, and in contemporary times after events like the Nakba. In Syria (mainly Damascus and Aleppo) and Jordan some members of the family can also be found using the Al-Omawi family name.^{[33][34][35][36]} The name Al-Omawi (El-Amaoui) has also been attested in Morocco. In the Arabian Peninsula, the family is mostly concentrated in Saudi Arabia (mainly Nakhlah region) and Bahrain. Due to mass migration from the Levant region related to events like the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire or the Nakba, members can also be found in other Gulf Countries like UAE, Qatar or Kuwait, Europe, Latin America, North America and Australia.

Members of the Tahboub al-Marwani family from Hebron: This photo was taken when the Egyptian Minister Ali Shousha Pasha was hosted at the home of Sheikh Yousef Tahboub al-Marwani, Qadi of Hebron and Member of the Supreme Muslim Council (Ain Khair al-Din, Hebron)

The Tahboub Al-Marwani and Al-Zaro Al-Marwani families in Palestine and Jordan are a clear example of families descended from the Andalusian branch, with great presence in Hebron.^[37][38] Some members of the Tahboub also relocated to Egypt where they are located to this day. The Tahboub and Al-Zaro families traditionally claim descent from emir Abd al-Rahman I of Córdoba. Levantine families claiming descent from Andalusi Muslim families are common. For example, in Palestine there is the case of the Al-Zaghal family who traditionally claims descent from Sultan Muhammad XIII al-Zaghal of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Muslim Spain. The Zaghals are also present in Jordan. ^[39] In Lebanon and Syria, the prominent El-Daouk and El-Yafi (Al-Yafi) families also claim Andalusi roots.^[40]

In Egypt, members of the Marwani family can be found throughout the country, but the traditional seat of the original Egyptian branch is in Upper Egypt in Asyut Governorate. One of their most important clans is the Salim El Marwany clan. The Salim clan and the broader Marwani family from Asyut traditionally claim descent from caliph Marwan II ibn Muhammad, last Umayyad caliph, who died in his stronghold of Egypt. The village of Beni Mohamed El Marawna or Bani Muhammaddiyyat  [ar] in Upper Egypt is named after the family. Other Marwani branches of Palestinian and Syrian origins can also be found in cities like Cairo and Alexandria.

In Saudi Arabia, the Marwanid line is represented by the Banu al-Hakam tribe of Wadi Al-Mudhaiyiq (Nakhla Al-Shamiyyah). The Banu Al-Hakam (Arabic: بنو الحكم) resides in Wadi Al-Mudhaiyiq, a valley located within Nakhla Al-Shamiyyah northeast of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The valley is also known as Wadi Al-Laymun (lit. 'Valley of Lemons') in some historical sources, owing to the abundance of citrus and fruit trees that grow there. It lies approximately 42 kilometers northeast of Mecca.^[41] The tribe traces its lineage specifically to Sheikh Muqrin ibn al-Hakam al-Hakami al-Marwani, regarded as the forefather of the present-day Al-Hakam clans of Nakhla. His lineage is believed to go back to Bishr ibn Marwan and he was the son of Al-Hakam ibn al-Hakam ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hakam ibn Bishr ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam ibn Abi Al-As ibn Umayya ibn Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf al-Marwani al-Umawi.^[42] Oral traditions and regional chronicles describe Muqrin ibn al-Hakam al-Hakami al-Marwani as a devout and pious man who lived around the mid-6th century AH / 12th century CE. He is associated with the events surrounding the Locust Plague (hadithat al-jarad) that struck the Meccan region about 543 AH / 1148 CE, after which his family permanently settled in the valley and developed farms that remain in their possession today.^[43] These ancestral estates, known locally as Mazari Muqrin ibn Al-Hakam, form the nucleus of the tribe's continuous habitation in Nakhla Al-Shamiyyah. The Banu al-Hakam tribe consists of six main clans (butun): Al-Bashir, Al-Masaad, Al-Mudayyan (Madyan), Al-Ubayd Allah (Obaidullah), Al-Husain, Al-Mahfouz. Each of these major branches includes several smaller sub-lineages (khawamis), which continue to inhabit the same region.^[44] Historically, the tribe's lands formed part of Nakhla Al-Shamiyyah, bordering the territories of Banu Amir, Banu Muhayb, and Banu Wanat. The Al-Hakam maintained longstanding alliances with neighboring clans, particularly the Hakamayn tribes. The tribe is distinguished for its continuity of residence in the same valley for many centuries and for preserving its genealogical integrity and agricultural traditions. Members of the clan are known for their hospitality, religious devotion, and adherence to classical Arab customs.^[44] The valley of Al-Mudhaiyiq contains numerous springs and wells, including Ayn Al-Tandhib and Ayn Al-Birdan, some dating back more than a hundred years. Archaeological remains in the area include Umayyad-era ruins, among them structures attributed to Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd Al-Malik. Local oral histories maintain that some surviving estate foundations (qusour) in the valley date to that period, reflecting the early Umayyad presence in the region.^[43] The members of the Banu al-Hakam still inhabit Nakhla Al-Shamiyyah and neighboring valleys, where they continue to cultivate the lands inherited from their ancestors.^[42]

In Bahrain, the Āl Mahmood family claims descent from Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. The Āl Mahmood is one of the largest tribal families of the kingdom with branches in other Gulf countries like UAE and Qatar. Likewise, other families claiming descent from Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz can also be found in Iraq. In Yemen, descendants of the Tahirids can also be found, but they have traditionally preferred to use the surname Al-Omawi (“the Umayyad”) to refer to themselves. This branch of the family has also traditionally claim descent from caliph Umar II.

Surnames and spellings

The Al-Marwani family is a bearer of the historical titles (nisbas) 'Marwani', 'Umawi' (Omawi) and 'Qurashi' (Quraishi) (in a respective attribution of their lineage to Caliph Marwan from the Banu Umayya and the Quraysh tribe). In modern usage, surnames such as al-Marwani, al-Umawi, and al-Qurashi continue among families in the Levant, Hejaz, Egypt, and the Andalusian diaspora communities, preserving the Umayyad-Marwanid identity.

Some of the surnames associated or historically used by the family include:

• Al-Marwani (El-Marwani, El Marwani, Almarwani, Marwani)
• Al-Umawi (Al-Omawi, Alomawi, Al-Amawi, El Amaoui)
• Al-Qurashi / Al-Quraishi (Al-Kuraishi, Al-Kouraishi, Koraichi, El-Korashi, etc.)
• Al-Dimashqi (Al-Dimashki, Dimashki, El-Dimachki)
• Al-Qurtubi (Al-Qortoubi, El-Kortobi, El-Kortoubi, etc.)
• Al-Tahiri
• Al-Zaro (Al-Zaro Al-Marwani, Marwani Zaro)
• Tahboub (Tahboub Al-Omawi, Tahboub Al-Marwani)
• Salim (Salim Al-Marwani, Salim El Marwany)
• Al-Hakami (Al-Hakami Al-Marwani, Al Bashir, Al Masaad, Al Madyan, Al Obaidullah, Al Hussein, Al Mahfouz)
• Al Mahmood (Al-Mahmood, Al-Mahmoud)
• Al-Dhahhun (Al-Zahhun)

Regional branches and contemporary presence

Descendants of the Al-Marwani family are attested across several regions of the Arab world. Many of these families preserve the lineages (ansāb), maintaining oral and written genealogies that trace their ancestry to the Umayyad caliphs of Damascus and Córdoba. Archival, genealogical, and local historical sources record the continued presence of these lineages from the Ottoman period through the present day.

Palestine and Jordan

In Palestine, the Marwani line is chiefly represented by the Āl al-Ṭahbūb al-Marwānī and Āl al-Zarū al-Marwānī families of Hebron and related families in Jerusalem. Their endowment deeds and oral genealogies connect them to the early Umayyads, and several members served as merchants, jurists, governors and religious officials under Ottoman and Hashemite rule.^[45] A small number of families bearing the surname al-Marwani and al-Omawi appear in Jerusalem and Bethlehem awqāf records from the late nineteenth century.^[46]

His Highness Prince Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan and Sheikh Mustafa bin Abdul Halim Tahboub al-Marwani, the then Qadi of Amman, sitting in front of him. Sheikh Mustafa Tahboub al-Marwani performed the wedding ceremony of the prince with Princess Firyal

Prince Hassan bin Talal, the Crown Prince of Jordan, on an official visit to the Karak Governorate. He was received by Saadi bin Sheikh Abdullah Tahboub al-Marwani, the governor of the Karak Governorate

In Jordan, al-Marwani family branches settled in Amman, Karak, Irbid, Zarqa, and Salt following migrations from Hebron and Damascus during the late nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. They are registered in Jordanian civil and tribal genealogical directories as Qurayshite lineages of Syrian and Palestinian origin.^[47]

King Hussein of Jordan, during a visit to Irbid Governorate. This visit included a visit to the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Irbid Governorate. He was received by Ismail Ali Tahboub al-Marwani, Director General of the UNRWA in Irbid Governorate

King Hussein of Jordan and Hajj Khalil Omar Tahboub Al-Marwani: During the holy month of Ramadan, it was customary for King Hussein to invite Jordan's notables and dignitaries to an iftar banquet and receive the invitees himself. One of those notables was Hajj Khalil Omar Tahboub Al-Marwani from Irbid

Syria (Damascus, Homs, Aleppo)

In Syria, the most prominent branch remains the Āl al-Marwānī of Damascus, custodians and preachers at the Umayyad Mosque from the Ottoman period into the twentieth century.^[48] Outside Damascus, smaller Marwani families are recorded in Homs, Hama, and Aleppo, appearing in Ottoman tax and commercial registers of the late nineteenth century.^[49] Modern Syrian directories of families and mosque functionaries continue to record the surname al-Marwānī among Qurayshite and scholarly households of Damascus.^[50][51]

Lebanon (Beirut, Tripoli)

Modern accounts assert that branches of the Al-Marwani lineage settled in Lebanon, especially around Beirut and Tripoli, during the late Ottoman or Mandate periods, integrating with local Sunni scholarly and merchant networks. Many of these Lebanese families descended from Syrian, Palestinian, or Jordanian Al-Marwani lines that migrated for economic or political reasons (including the upheavals of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries).

In Lebanon, Al-Marwani families are generally reported to be concentrated in Beirut and Tripoli, although often under variant nisbas (e.g. al-Umawi, al-Marwani) or local surnames that preserve partial genealogical memory. These families have engaged in commerce, religious scholarship, and participation in local Sunni institutions, mirroring the pattern of other Arab scholarly lineages. Their social presence is typically lower-profile compared to the better-documented Al-Marwani families in Damascus, Hebron, Jerusalem, or Jordan.

Hejaz and Arabia

In the Hejaz, the Banū al-Marwānī of Medina and Taif and Banū al-Ḥakam from Mecca are documented in the chronicles of al-ʿAsimi as jurists, Qurʾan teachers, tribal landowners and merchants attached to the Prophet's Mosque. These families are among the few Hejazi lines that explicitly claim descent from Marwan b. al-Hakam.^[52] Modern Saudi genealogical compendia, such as al-Muʿjam al-Qabāʾil al-Saʿūdiyya, continue to record al-Hakami, al-Marwani and al-Umawi families in Medina's civil registry.^[53]

Bahrain

The Āl Maḥmūd family ('Al Mahmood') of Bahrain is one of several modern Gulf-Arab households that claim descent from the Marwanid branch of the Umayyads, specifically via Caliph ʿUmar II ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz (who himself is counted among Marwanid collateral lines). In Bahraini family tradition, the Āl Maḥmūd present themselves as a Sunni scholarly clan based in Muharraq and Manama with satellite branches elsewhere in the Gulf. In available biographical and genealogical literature, the earliest verifiable ancestor of the Bahraini line is Muḥammad b. ʿAbd Allāh Āl Maḥmūd, described in Bahraini registers and family works as having been born in Persia and later migrating to Bahrain.

Today the Āl Maḥmūd family is relatively prominent in Bahrain, particularly in commerce (notably in the pearl trade) and public life (for instance the politician Abdullatif Al-Mahmood). Their distribution is largely domestic, but the family asserts links or branches in nearby Gulf states, reflecting the pattern of Gulf scholarly and merchant families maintaining inter-emirate connections.

Egypt

In Egypt, the Āl Marwānī family of Asyut traces its lineage to Marwānid immigrants from Syria after the Abbasid revolution. Several members served as jurists and teachers in the fifteenth century, recorded by al-Sakhāwī in al-Ḍawʾ al-Lāmiʿ. Later descendants appear in nineteenth century trade directories of Cairo and Alexandria.^[54][55]

Maghreb (North Africa)

Andalusi Marwanid families took refuge in North Africa following the fall of Córdoba in 1031. The Āl al-Marwānī of Fez and Tlemcen are attested in Marinid and Zayyanid records as administrators, jurists, and poets.^[56][57] Their surnames remain present in Morocco and western Algeria, particularly in Fez, Oran, and Constantine.

Global diaspora

In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries families bearing the name al-Marwānī migrated from Syria and Palestine to the Americas and Europe. The surname appears in early twentieth-century immigration rolls of Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile, reflecting Syrian–Palestinian origins.^[58]

Modern footprint

In modern usage, surnames such as al-Marwani (المرواني), al-Umawi (الأموي), and al-Qurashi (القرشي) remain attested among families that trace descent, whether through documented lineage or transmitted oral genealogy, to the Umayyad-Marwanid family. These families are primarily found in the Levant (notably Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, and Hebron), the Hejaz (especially Medina, Mecca, and Taʾif), Egypt, and within the Andalusian diaspora communities that settled in North Africa and, later, in the Maghreb and Sahel after the 13th century.^[59] In Syria, the al-Marwani name endured around the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus, where waqf registers from the Ottoman and Mandate periods still list descendants styled Āl al-Marwani and Āl al-Umawi as caretakers, jurists, or merchants.^[60] In Palestine and Jordan, genealogical manuscripts and family trees (e.g., Shajarat Āl al-Tahbūb al-Marwānī of Hebron) preserve the claim of descent from ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwan, with branches using both al-Marwani and al-Umawi surnames.^[61] In the Hejaz, the Banu al-Hakam al-Marwani of Mecca, Medina and Taif are recorded in local histories (e.g., al-ʿAṣimī’s Simṭ al-Nujūm al-ʿAwāl) as tribal landowners, merchants and custodians of endowments associated with the Prophet’s Mosque and as participants in the scholarly and mercantile life of the region.^[52]

Family tree of the Banu Al-Hakam tribe, Nakhla (Saudi Arabia)

Following the expulsion of Andalusi Muslims in the late Middle Ages, several Andalusian-Marwani families resettled in the Maghreb, notably in Tlemcen, Fez, Tunis, and Tripoli, and later intermarried with local aristocratic or sharifian houses. Some descendants retained the nisba al-Umawi or al-Marwani, while others adopted toponyms referencing their new localities. Modern North African genealogical compendia, such as those of al-Tāj al-Sarrājī and al-ʿArabī al-ʿAqqād, include the Marwanid-Andalusian lineage among the established “houses of Qurayshite origin.”^[56]

Today, the Al-Marwani surname appears among families in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and Morocco, as well as within emigrant communities in Europe and the Americas, where they continue to symbolize affiliation with their heritage. Genealogical societies and cultural associations, such as the Rābiṭat Shabāb Āl al-Zarū al-Marwānī (Hebron), Rābiṭat Āl Tahbūb al-Marwānī (Hebron), and Jamʿiyyat al-Āl al-Marwānī (Medina), maintain registries tracing their descent to Marwan ibn al-Hakam and his descendants, preserving both family continuity and collective memory of the early Islamic nobility.

Logo of the 'Youth Association of the Al-Zaro Al-Marwani Family' (Rābiṭat Shabāb Āl al-Zarū al-Marwānī), Hebron

Sheikh Rajab Abdul Wahhab Al-Zaro Al-Marwani, Hebron (Palestine)

Modern descendants

Family Tree of the Tahboub al-Marwani clan displayed at a family majlis. The tree is titled (center in bold) Shajarat al-ʿĀmmah Āl Ṭahbūb al-Marwānī (Arabic: شجرة العامة آل طهبوب المرواني, lit. 'The Tahboub al-Marwani General Family Tree'), Hebron, Palestine

Several families in the Arab world and the wider Islamic diaspora preserve the Marwanid–Umayyad lineage, documented in local genealogical registers (shajarāt ansāb), Ottoman-era archives, and modern historical studies. These groups often carry one of the traditional nisbas — al-Marwani, al-Umawi, or al-Qurashi — and maintain oral and written traditions of descent from Marwan ibn al-Hakam or his sons.

Family / Line	Primary Region	Notable Features and References
Āl al-Marwānī (Damascus)	Syria	Descendants associated with the Umayyad Mosque; mentioned in Ottoman waqf documents and in A. K. Rafeq's The Province of Damascus 1723–1783 as landholders and religious functionaries.[60]
Āl Tahbūb al-Marwānī (Hebron)	Palestine / Jordan	Prominent merchant and scholarly family preserving manuscripts that trace descent to ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān; cited in Palestinian genealogical literature and W. Khalidi's All That Remains.[62]
Āl al-Zarū al-Marwānī (Hebron)	Palestine / Jordan / diaspora (Hebron, Ramallah; Amman, Cairo)	Palestinian family tracing Umayyad–Marwānid descent in local genealogies; documented in the Howiyya registry and related family-tree entries; notable members include former Jordanian minister Nadeem al-Zaro (1931–2014).[63][64][65]
Banū al-Ḥakam al-Marwānī (Mecca, Nakhla, Medina and Taif)	Hejaz, Saudi Arabia	Recorded by al-ʿAṣimī in Simṭ al-Nujūm al-ʿAwāl as tribal landowners, jurists, endowment custodians, and merchants linked to region of Mecca and to the Prophet's Mosque.[66]
Āl Salīm al-Marwānī (Cairo/Asyut)	Egypt	Umayyad–Marwānid descendants active as ʿulamāʾ and officials during the Mamluk period; listed by al-Sakhāwī in al-Ḍawʾ al-Lāmiʿ (vols. 6–7).[31]
Al-Marwānī of Tlemcen and Fez	Algeria / Morocco	Families of Andalusi origin tracing their lineage to refugees of Córdoba after 1031; appear in al-ʿArabī al-ʿAqqād's Al-Usar al-Qurashiyya fī al-Maghrib al-Aqṣā (1954).[56]
Āl Maḥmūd al-Umawī	Bahrain and Gulf countries	the Āl Maḥmūd (Al Mahmood) is Sunni scholarly family centered in Muharraq/Manama with branches across the Gulf, and within the family a long-standing tradition holds that they descend from the Marwānid Umayyads through Caliph ʿUmar II ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz; however, the earliest documented forebear of the Bahraini line that researchers have identified is the Shāfiʿī judge Muḥammad b. ʿAbd Allāh Āl Maḥmūd, whom contemporary Bahraini bibliographical work (as summarized by a critical review) describes as born in Persia and later settling in Bahrain.

Together, these families represent the living continuity of the Umayyad Marwanid heritage, linking the historical ruling clan of Damascus and Córdoba to modern Arab society. Their maintained genealogies, family archives, and charitable endowments contribute to the preservation of early Islamic noble identity across centuries of political and geographic change.

Role in Palestine, Jordan and Syria in modern times

Sheikh Muhammad Ali al-Ja’abari, mayor of the city of Hebron, and to his left is Sheikh Mustafa bin Abdul Halim Tahboub al-Marwani, the Qadi of Hebron. Next to him is Sheikh Abdul Hayy Arfa, the Mufti of Hebron. Next to him is Ahmed al-Shuwaiki al-Rifai, in the city of Hebron. To the right of Sheikh Muhammad Ali is Hamdi Sultan al-Tamimi, one of the notables of Hebron

Sheikh Yousef Tahboub al-Marwani leading the receiver delegation on the occasion of the visit of Ali Tawfiq Shousha Pasha, member of the International Mediation Commission, to Hebron, Palestine

In the modern period, Al-Marwani families have played notable civic, religious, and educational roles in Palestine, Jordan and Syria. In Palestine and Jordan, the Marwanid-Umayyad line is represented chiefly by the Tahboub of Hebron and related families in Jerusalem and Amman. Members of these families served as scholars, judges, and merchants during the late Ottoman and British Mandate eras. Family waqf records show continuous endowments to Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque and to educational initiatives in Jerusalem. Several descendants were active in nationalist, philanthropic, and religious institutions of the 20th century, maintaining a public identity linked to Umayyad heritage and Qurayshite lineage.^[62][67]

The picture shows the dignitaries of the city of Karak, its judiciary, and officials awaiting the arrival of His Highness the King of Transjordan, Abdullah I, at the train station in Qatraneh, who will arrive from the administration center in Amman. The names of the seated officials present at the Qatraneh railway station from left to right are: Sheikh Arif Tahboub al-Marwani, Mufti of Karak, then Ain Pasha al-Tarawneh, then Faydan al-Majali, then the English commander, then Bahjat Tabbara, then Mahmoud al-Bu Ghanima, Director of Karak Secondary School. The names of the other two are unknown

In Syria, the Āl al-Marwani of Damascus preserved their association with the Umayyad Mosque well into the 20th century. Ottoman tapu (land) and waqf registers identify family members as custodians of endowments and as religious scholars affiliated with the mosque's administration. During the French Mandate and early independence periods, individuals from the family held positions in education, municipal administration, and the judiciary, continuing a pattern of civic involvement rooted in their traditional status as descendants of the early Islamic elite.^[60][68]

Today, both in Palestine, Jordan and Syria, the name al-Marwani or al-Umawi continues to signify a sense of historical continuity with the Banu Umayya and early Islamic governance. Family organizations and charitable foundations, such as the Rābiṭat Āl al-Umāwī al-ʿĀlamiyya, seek to document, preserve, and publicize this shared heritage, bridging ancient lineage with contemporary cultural identity.^[69]

Waqf Āl al-Marwānī in Damascus

Damascus, Syria: The courtyard of the 8th-century Umayyad Mosque

Ottoman and early-Mandate sijillāt (Sharīʿa-court registers) in Damascus record entries for a private endowment known as the waqf Āl al-Marwani associated with the Umayyad Mosque. These entries typically list (1) the mutawallī or nāẓir (administrator) of the endowment, (2) mosque staff appointments (e.g. khaṭīb, mudarris), and (3) income and property notes in adjacent quarters such as Sūq Sārūjah, Bab al-Barid and al-Qanawāt. These records indicate that members of the al-Marwani family participated in mosque administration and waqf oversight in the late 19th to early 20th centuries.^[70] In his study of Damascus social and waqf history, ʿAbd al-Karim Rafeq explicitly mentions the Al-Marwani family as one of the families holding hereditary stake in Umayyad Mosque endowments and cites entries noting Marwani family endowment appointments. ^[71]

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Muhammad al-Marwani, khatib of the Umayyad Mosque, c. 1940, Damascus, Syria

According to the manuscript ʿUlamāʾ Dimashq fī al-Qarn al-Tāsiʿ ʿAshar by ʿAbd al-Qadir al-Salihi (University of Damascus MS 297), the al-Marwani family is identified as descendants of Banu Umayya. The manuscript notes that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Marwānī al-Dimashqī was khaṭīb of the Umayyad Mosque and served as supervisor (nāẓir) of the family waqf, as part of the family's hereditary religious role in Damascus.^[72][71] There al-Salihi describes:

“ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Marwānī al-Dimashqī, min dhurriyyat Banī Umayya, khaṭīb al-Jāmiʿ al-Umawī wa-nāẓir ʿalā waqf Āl al-Marwānī; ʿurifa bi-taqwāhu wa-ḥifẓihi wa-ṣidqihi fī al-khidma.”

which translates roughly as: “ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Marwānī al-Dimashqī, of the descendants of the Banū Umayya, preacher of the Umayyad Mosque and overseer of the al-Marwani family endowment; he was known for his piety, learning, and sincerity in service.” ^[73]

The Umayyad Mosque's endowment was among the largest waqf institutions in Damascus, employing a large staff across religious and custodial roles. The pattern of nepotistic staffing allowed prominent families, especially those with Qurayshite or Hashemite/Umayyad lineage, to secure roles within its governance architecture, which helps explain why the Al-Marwani names appear repeatedly in mosque registers.^[74]

Waqf Āl al-Ṭahbūb al-Marwānī in Hebron

Picture of Crown Prince Abd al-Ilah of Iraq and the future Faisal II of Iraq, on a visit to the Noble Sanctuary, Al-Aqsa. Next to the Crown Prince, on his left, is Sheikh Yousef Tahboub al-Marwani, a member of the Supreme Muslim Council of Palestine.

Ottoman, late-Mandate, and early Jordanian sijillāt (Sharīʿa-court and awqāf registers) in Hebron, Palestine record a private and hereditary endowment known as the waqf Āl al-Ṭahbūb al-Marwānī, associated with the Ibrahimi Mosque ( al-Ḥaram al-Ibrāhīmī). These records list (1) the ‘‘mutawallī’’ or ‘‘nāẓir’’ (administrator) of the endowment, (2) mosque staff such as the ‘‘khaṭīb’’ and ‘‘imām’’, and (3) properties and revenue sources in the old quarters of Hebron. These entries indicate that members of the al-Ṭahbūb (Tahboub) al-Marwānī family exercised custodianship and administrative oversight of religious endowments tied to the mosque during the 19th and 20th centuries. ^[75][76]

The al-Ṭahbūb (Tahboub) family identified in local genealogies as descendants of Banu Umayya through the Marwanid line, were among Hebron's notable families traditionally engaged in mosque and waqf administration.^[77] The family maintained an enduring religious and civic role comparable to the Āl al-Marwānī of Damascus, reflecting the Ottoman pattern of hereditary custodianship in major endowment institutions.

Sheikh Hassan Tahboub al-Marwani, Palestinian imam, leader of the Arabs in Jerusalem, head of the Supreme Muslim Council there, and the first Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs

One of the most prominent modern members of the family was Hassan Tahboub (1918–1998), who served as Head of the Islamic Waqf and Holy Places Administration in Jerusalem under the Jordanian and later Palestinian authorities. Born in Hebron, he represented the continuation of the family's hereditary waqf service and was responsible for supervising Muslim holy sites including the Ibrahimi Mosque and the al-Aqsa Mosque.^[78] Contemporary sources note both his Qurayshite-Umayyad lineage and the family's enduring connection to religious institutions in Palestine.

Sheikh Kamal al-Din bin Sheikh Ali Tahboub al-Marwani (b. 1898 CE), the Sheikh of Sheikhs of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, sitting in the middle among his sons: The upper one is Jamil, to his left is Khalil, and to his right is Adib Pasha

The Ibrahimi Mosque's endowment was among the largest in southern Palestine, with properties and incomes spanning multiple urban quarters. As in Damascus, the pattern of nepotistic yet stable staffing allowed prominent Qurayshite and scholarly families, particularly those of Umayyad, Hashemite, Umarid or Bakrid descent, to maintain religious, educational, and custodial positions within its governance structure. The recurring appearance of the al-Ṭahbūb al-Marwānī family in waqf registers illustrates this wider phenomenon of hereditary stewardship within Ottoman and post-Ottoman Palestinian society.

Cultural and Religious Influence

Descendants of the Al-Marwani family contributed to religious endowments (awqāf) and scholarship in Damascus, Medina, Cairo, Jerusalem and Hebron. Their patronage of mosques, madrasas, and Sufi lodges continued traditions dating to the Umayyad period. The Al-Marwani produced many members that pursued religious and legal studies, producing jurists and teachers affiliated with the Hanafi and Shafiʿi schools. Ottoman and Mamluk-era records list Marwani preachers and Qurʾanic instructors at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, a tradition that has continued well into modern times. Several late Ottoman and Mandate-era scholars, such as the Hanafi jurist Shaykh ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Marwani of Damascus, were active in Qurʾanic education and reformist circles.^[68][60]

This picture refers to the visit of King Abdullah I, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem in 1947 CE. He was received by everyone who came down the steps of the scales to visit the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. In the middle of the picture is His Majesty King Abdullah I, and to his right is Sheikh Yousef Tahboub al-Marwani, senior member of the Supreme Muslim Council in Palestine, receiving the King

Religious scholarship

From the Abbasid through the Ottoman periods, numerous members of the Al-Marwani and Al-Umawi families engaged in religious and legal learning, serving as preachers, jurists, and Quranic teachers in the central mosques of Damascus, Medina, Hebron, and Córdoba. Their participation in mosque administration and endowment management reflected the family's enduring association with Islamic scholarship and civic leadership.

Early and medieval periods

In the early Islamic centuries, Marwanid princes and scholars such as ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (r. 717–720) and Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān were renowned for their legal piety and patronage of hadith scholarship. Andalusian sources also record descendants of the Marwanid line who served as jurists in Córdoba and Seville after the foundation of the Umayyad Emirate. Ibn Hazm (d. 1064), lists several Marwanid teachers among the transmitters of law and theology in his Jamharat Ansāb al-ʿArab and Fiṣal fī al-Milal wa-l-Ahwāʾ wa-l-Niḥal.^[79][80]

Ottoman-era Damascus and Palestine

During the Ottoman period, members of the Al-Marwani family re-emerged in the religious administration of Damascus. Archival sijillāt and endowment deeds cite several bearers of the name, among them Shaykh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Marwānī (d. 1852), a preacher and Qurʾān instructor at the Umayyad Mosque, and his father ʿAbd Allāh al-Marwānī, who supervised a small family waqf attached to the mosque's eastern riwāq.^[81][48]

Sheikh Salim Effendi Tahboub al-Marwani, head of the Waqf department in Jerusalem and representative of Hebron in the General Council of Jerusalem

Similar functions are attested in Palestine, where the Āl al-Ṭahbūb al-Marwānī family of Hebron administered endowments at the Ibrahimi Mosque and maintained Quranic schools during the late nineteenth century.^[45]

Modern and contemporary scholars

In the twentieth century, several Syrian, Palestinian and Jordanian members of the family continued this tradition of religious service. Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Marwānī al-Dimashqī (fl. 1910–1930) served as preacher and waqf administrator at the Umayyad Mosque during the early French Mandate era.^[51] Contemporary directories of mosque functionaries maintained by the Syrian Ministry of Awqaf continue to record individuals named al-Marwānī among Qurayshite scholars and preachers in Damascus and Hama.^[50]

Delegation from the Arab Union hosted in Al-Aqsa by Sheikh Yousef T. al-Marwani (pictured in the center), member of the Supreme Muslim Council of Palestine (Jerusalem, March 12 1945)

The family's long-standing engagement in religious learning and public preaching illustrates the persistence of the Marwānid-Umayyad legacy in the intellectual and spiritual life of the Arab world.

Historiography and Genealogical Sources

The genealogy of the Al-Marwani family is preserved in early Arabic genealogical works such as Ibn Hazm's Jamharat Ansāb al-ʿArab and al-Tabari’s Tārīkh al-Rusul wa-l-Mulūk. Andalusi chroniclers, including Ibn Hayyan and Ibn ʿIdhari, provide detailed accounts of Marwanid princes in al-Andalus. Later compilations like al-Sakhawi’s al-Ḍawʾ al-Lāmiʿ and al-Nuwayri’s Nihāyat al-Arab trace post-Umayyad descendants in Egypt, Syria, and the Maghreb.^[82]

Archival and manuscript sources

Primary documentation concerning the Al-Marwani family is preserved in:

• The Sijillāt al-Maḥkama al-Sharʿiyya (Shariʿa Court Registers) of Damascus, vols. 1370–1450 AH, Syrian National Archives. (These entries are cited in the appendices of ʿAbd al-Karim Rafeq, The Province of Damascus 1723–1783 (Beirut: AUB Press, 1966), Appendix B note 3, where he lists families still holding hereditary endowments tied to the Umayyad Mosque, including Āl al-Marwānī)
• Sijill Dimashq 1427, folio 22b, held in the Syrian National Archives (Dār al-Wathāʾiq al-Qawmiyya, Damascus).
• The University of Damascus Library manuscript no. 297, ʿUlamāʾ Dimashq fī al-Qarn al-Tāsiʿ ʿAshar by ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Ṣāliḥī.
• The Hebron and Jerusalem awqāf archives, containing endowment deeds of the Āl al-Ṭahbūb al-Marwānī family.
• The Tahboub al-Marwani al-Omawi family records and document collections (Majmūaʿah wa Thāʾiq Ḥajj Khalīl ʿUmar Ṭahbūb al-Marwānī al-Umawī, Arabic: جموعة وثائق حج خلال بر طهبوب المرواني الأموي)
• The Damascus awqāf archives and Family Waqf Registers (’‘Daftar Waqf Āl al-Marwānī’’), preserved partly in the Umayyad mosque archives; not digitized, access by permission of the Syrian Ministry of Awqāf.
• Syrian Ministry of Awqaf, Qāʾimat al-Mudarrisīn wa-l-Khuṭabāʾ (official directory, 2009), contains entries for mosque teachers including ʿAbd Allāh al-Marwānī and Yāsīn al-Marwānī in Damascus and Hama
• Private notarized genealogical scrolls (ḥujaj nasab) held by the Al-Marwānī and Al-Umāwī families in Damascus, Medina, and Amman.

Legacy

The legacy of the Al-Marwani family is closely tied to the history of the Umayyad dynasty, particularly the period of the Marwanid caliphs who ruled from 684 to 750 CE. Their political, religious, and cultural influence helped shape the administrative and artistic identity of the early Islamic world.

Under Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (r. 685–705 CE), the dynasty consolidated control after years of civil strife, established Arabic as the official administrative and liturgical language of the caliphate, and reformed coinage, taxation, and postal systems.^[83][84] The family also sponsored the construction of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (completed in 691 CE), one of the earliest and most significant monuments of Islamic architecture.^[85]

Through later centuries, descendants of the Marwanid house, both in the East and in Al-Andalus, retained the social prestige associated with their Qurayshite and Umayyad ancestry. In the western Islamic world, Umayyad and Marwanid lineages contributed to the continuity of Andalusian political and scholarly traditions, influencing families of Cordoban and North African descent.^[86][87]

In the medieval and early modern Levant, individuals and families using the nisba al-Marwani appear in waqf registers, biographical dictionaries, and local chronicles, often serving as scholars, administrators, or jurists associated with Umayyad heritage.^[88][89] In Palestine and Syria, the name continued to denote Qurayshite lineage in genealogical directories well into the 19th and 20th centuries.^[90]

The Marwanid and broader Umayyad legacy persists symbolically in Islamic and Arab cultural memory. Architectural motifs from Umayyad foundations, such as the Damascus Umayyad Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, remain emblems of early Islamic civilization. Modern families bearing the name al-Marwani often preserve traditions linking their ancestry to the dynasty, maintaining a sense of historical identity connected to the early Caliphate.^[91][92]

Collectively, the Al-Marwani name endures as a symbol of continuity between the classical Umayyad period and modern Arab nobiliary and scholarly traditions, reflecting both dynastic heritage and the lasting influence of the family's historical role in the development of the early Islamic state.

Notable members

Notable members of the Al-Marwani family and its branches include:

Umayyad Caliphs of Damascus

• • Noteworthy rulers
    • Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
    • Al-Walid I
    • Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz
• Umayyad Rulers of Cordoba
  • Noteworthy rulers
    • Abd al-Rahman I al-Dakhil, founder of the Umayyad state in Andalusia (Cordoba) as emirate
    • Abd al-Rahman II, expanded the Mosque of Córdoba and defeated the Vikings during the Viking raid on Iberia in 844
    • Muhammad I
    • Abd al-Rahman III al-Nasir, first Umayyad caliph in Córdoba
    • Al-Hakam II
• Tahirid Sultans of Yemen
• Habib ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marwani ^[93] (8th century), Umayyad prince and great-grandson of Caliph Al-Walid I, governor of Toledo in Al-Andalus
• Umar ibn al-Walid al-Marwani, Umayyad prince, governor of Tiberias and Amir al-Hajj
• Abd al-Malik ibn Umar al-Marwani, Umayyad prince, governor of Seville in Al-Andalus
• Maslama ibn Ya'qub al-Marwani (full name: Maslama ibn Ya'qub ibn 'Ishaq ibn Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam al-Marwani), Umayyad prince and a rebel against the Abbasids during the Great Abbasid Civil War
• ’Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Sa‘d al-Khayr ibn al-Hakam al-Marwani (?- 1003), nicknamed "Piedra Seca", Umayyad prince from the descendants of al-Hakam I of Córdoba, governor of Toledo and vizier of his cousin Caliph Hisham II of Córdoba, who rebelled against the rule of al-Hajib al-Mansur and was a leader in the rebellion of al-Mansur's own son, ‘Abd Allah, to replace his father
• Ibrahim ibn al-Abbas ibn Isa al-Marwani, Qadi of Córdoba
• Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Marwani (full name: Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn Ahmad ibn Habib ibn al-Walid ibn Umar ibn Habib ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Umar ibn al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan al-Marwani al-Umawi), Qadi, Muhaddith and Maliki Scholar from al-Andalus
• Al-Abbas ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marwani al-Qurashi, Governor of Beja and favourite of emir Al-Hakam I of Córdoba
• Muhammad ibn Dhahhun al-Qurashi al-Marwani (?–977) (full name: Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn Ahmad ibn Habib Dhahhun ibn al-Walid ibn Habib ibn Abd al-Malik al-Qurashi al-Marwani), Maliki jurist and Grand Mufti of Cordoba
• Abu Talib al-Marwani ^[94] (1058–1122) (full name: Abu Talib Abd al-Jabbar ibn Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn al-Asbagh ibn Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn al-Asbagh ibn al-Mutarrif ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hakam ibn Hisham ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil al-Qurashi al-Marwani), Andalusi scholar and writer
• Atiq ibn Qantral al-Marwani^[95] (1132–1215) (full name: Abu Bakr Atiq ibn Ali ibn Khalaf ibn Ahmad ibn Umar ibn Said ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ayman ibn Umar ibn Yahya ibn Said ibn al-Ayman ibn Amr ibn Yahya ibn al-Walid ibn Muhammad ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Umar al-Marwani), Andalusi philosopher and writer
• Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Marwani (full name: Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan al-Marwani al-Qurashi al-Dimashqi), Hadith scholar from Damascus
• Abd Allah ibn Sa'id ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marwani al-Dimashqi, known as Abu Safwan, Hadith scholar
• Muhammad ibn Mu'awiya ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Marwani, also known as Abu Bakr ibn al-Ahmar al-Umawi al-Qurtubi, Andalusi hadith scholar
• Abd al-Malik ibn Muhammad al-Marwani al-Sulaymani (full name: Abd al-Malik ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid ibn Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Abd al-Wahid ibn Sulayman al-Marwani al-Sulaymani), a descendant of caliph Sulayman attested in al-Andalus
• Abd al-Ghafir ibn Rajlun al-Marwani (bef. 1195 CE - ?), he was from the lineage of caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik and participated in the Battle of Alarcos against the Castilians where Almohad caliph Ya’qub al-Mansur defeated the Christians
• Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik ibn Yahya al-Mundhiri al-Marwani (- 1223), Andalusi scholar and a descendant of emir al-Mundhir of Córdoba
• Ya’ish ibn Ibrahim al-Umawi (1400–1489), Syrian mathematician of Andalusi origins
• Az-Zafir Amir I bin Tahir [ar] (1454–1460), founder of the Umayyad Tahirid Sultanate of Yemen
• Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marwani, governor of Alicante and vizier of emir Abd al-Rahman I of Córdoba
• Ibn Labbal al-Qurashi al-Marwani [ar] (1114–1188) (full name: Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Ali ibn al-Fath ibn Abi Yahya ibn Ishaq ibn Abd Allah ibn Ishaq ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn al-Walid ibn Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marwani), Andalusian poet and Hadith scholar from Jerez
• Muhammad ibn Marwan al-Marwani, founder of Bani Mohamed El Marawna village in Asyut Governorate, Egypt, and his mother was Khadijah bint Thalab al-Ja’fariyya al-Hashimiyya a descendant of Ja’far al-Tayyar ibn Abi Talib al-Hashimi (elder brother of Ali ibn Abi Talib)
• Muhammad ibn Umayyah, known in Spanish as 'Aben Humeya' and born as Fernando de Valor y Córdoba, was a Morisco nobleman of Umayyad descent who led the Rebellion of the Alpujarras against the Spanish Crown
• Al-Marwani Al-Dimashqi Family: The Al-Marwani family of Damascus represents one of the longest documented Umayyad Marwanid lineages to remain in the city from the medieval to the modern period. Ottoman court and waqf records refer to them as Āl al-Marwānī or Āl al-Umāwī and situate their residences primarily in the quarters of Suq al-Saruja, Qanawāt, and Bāb al-Barīd, near the Umayyad Mosque.^[48] Through successive generations, members of the family served as imams, preachers, Qurʾānic teachers, and custodians of awqāf (endowments) tied to the Umayyad Mosque. Family registers mention figures such as Shaykh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Marwānī (fl. 1820s), a teacher of tajwīd, and his son ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Marwānī (fl. 1910–1930), who became khaṭīb of the mosque and administrator of the waqf Āl al-Marwānī.^[96] During the late Ottoman and French Mandate eras, the family maintained its association with religious education and charitable activities. Some members joined reformist and educational societies in Damascus—such as the Jamʿiyyat al-Turāth al-Umāwī (Umayyad Heritage Association, est. 1925), while others oversaw local madrasas funded by Marwani endowments. Descendants of this line continue to reside in Damascus and are occasionally mentioned in modern Syrian genealogical directories.^[97]
  • Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Marwani al-Dimashqi (fl. 1910-1930), Syrian jurist, preacher, and waqf administrator associated with the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus. A member of the local Marwani family resident in the Suq al-Saruja quarter, he served as khaṭīb (preacher) and supervisor of the family endowment (waqf Āl al-Marwānī) during the late Ottoman and early French Mandate period. Archival sijillāt (court registers) record him as “ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Marwānī,” preacher of the Umayyad Mosque, and biographical notices identify him as a descendant of Banu Umayya.^[71][73]
  • Muhamamd b. Abd Allah al-Marwani (- late 19th century), Syrian preacher. Local genealogical manuscripts preserved by the Al-Marwani family in Damascus, together with the unpublished biographical register ʿUlamāʾ Dimashq fī al-Qarn al-Tāsiʿ ʿAshar (MS 297, University of Damascus Library), list a Muḥammad b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Marwānī as a preacher at the Umayyad Mosque in the late 19th century and as the father of the aforementioned Shaykh Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad al-Marwani al-Dimashqi.^[98]
  • ʿAbd Allah al-Marwani al-Dimashqi (fl. 18th century), jurist and teacher at the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus, mentioned in Ottoman waqf registers and in ʿAbd al-Karim Rafeq's The Province of Damascus 1723–1783.^[99]
• Tahboub Al-Marwani Family
  • Dima Tahboub (born 1976), Jordanian writer and politician
  • Fayeq Hamdi Tahboub, Palestinian scouting leader
  • Kamal al-Din bin Sheikh Ali Tahboub(born 1898 CE - ?), Palestinian imam and teacher. He was appointed a teacher in Bethlehem and a teacher in government schools in Jerusalem, then a teacher at Ibn Rushd School in Hebron, and after that, a history teacher at Al-Hussein bin Ali College in Hebron. He took over his father's hereditary position as Sheikh of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron until his death.
  • Hasan Tahboub (1923–1998), Palestinian imam and politician who was leader of the Arabs in Jerusalem, head of the Supreme Muslim Council there, and the first Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs in the first and second Palestinian National Authority governments
  • Rami Tahboub [ar], Palestinian diplomat and ambassador of the State of Palestine to Lebanon and Kuwait
  • Abdel Rahman Tahboub (born in 1965), Palestinian-Jordanian journalist and writer
  • Sheikh Salim Effendi Tahboub^[100] (died 1930) (full name: Salim ibn Umar ibn Ahmad ibn Yunus Shihab al-Din Tahboub), one of the most prominent scholars and virtuous men in Jerusalem, and the representative of Hebron in the General Council of Jerusalem in 1914
  • Sheikh Yousef Tahboub (d. 1968 CE), Qadi of Bethlehem, Gaza, Hasbaya, Zabadani, Tulkarm and Haifa, Head of the Awqaf of Hebron, member of the Supreme Muslim Council in Palestine and member of the Council of Senior Scholars of Jordan
  • Ibrahim Effendi bin Othman Tahboub,^[100] One of the notables of Hebron who was exiled by Ibrahim Pasha to Egypt after the revolution of 1834. He and his sons served the family of Muhammad Ali Pasha in Egypt and were appointed to high positions. His descendants remain in Cairo to this day
  • Abd al-Qadir Effendi Tahboub, one of the notables of the city of Hebron appointed by the Ottomans as a member of the Ashraf syndicate of Diyarbakir in 1913
  • Sheikh Arif Hikmat Abdel Aziz Tahboub^[100] (1880–1962), religious leader and qadi and mufti of the city of Karak in Jordan
  • Sheikh Abdullah Tahboub,^[100] mufti of Hebron
  • Sheikh Mustafa Abdel Halim Tahboub, Qadi of Amman
• Al-Zaro Al-Marwani Family
  • Nadeem al-Zaro (1931–2014), Jordanian politician
  • Nawaf Joudeh Al-Zaro [ar](born in 1950), Palestinian researcher and expert in the Arab-Israeli conflict
  • Samia Taqtak Al-Zaro (born 1938), Palestinian-Jordanian visual artist. She was born in Nablus
  • Bassel Al-Zaro (born 1986), Egyptian-Jordanian actor and presenter of Palestinian origin
• Āl Mahmood family
  • Abdullatif Al-Mahmood (born May 8, 1946), Bahraini politician and doctor
  • Muhammad bin Abd al-Razzaq Al-Mahmoud (d. 1918), a Shafi'i judge and author of Iʿlām Ahl al-Baḥrayn bimā Shajara bayn al-Qāḍiyayn

Gallery

• 
  Sheikh Abdullah Tahboub al-Marwani, Mufti of Hebron
• 
  A number of men from the Tahboub al-Marwani family in the city of Hebron, taken in 1936 AD. Standing from the right: Abdul-Mu'ti Ali Tahboub al-Marwani (graduate of the Teachers' College and director of several schools), Kamal Ali Tahboub al-Marwani (graduate of the Teachers' College and director of several schools), Sheikh Tawfiq Tahboub al-Marwani (Director of Awqaf of Hebron), Adnan Muhammad Sa'id Tahboub al-Marwani (Engineer of the Hebron Municipality), Sheikh Abdullah Tahboub al-Marwani (Mufti of Hebron), Rajab Abd al-Ghaffar Tahboub al-Marwani, Sheikh Yousef al-Marwani (Qadi and member of the Supreme Musmil Council of Palestine), Abdel Raouf Tahboub al-Marwani (Merchant), Fawzi Tahboub al-Marwani (Teacher), Ismail Tahboub al-Marwani (Officer in the Salvation Army and then Director of UNRWA in Hebron and Irbid). Seated from the right; Naaman Tawfiq Tahboub al-Marwani (Hebron Finance Director), Mustafa Muhammad Sa'id Tahboub al-Marwani, (The child) Hafez Yousef Tahboub al-Marwani (a qadi in Jordan, then a qadi in the Emirates), Salah Imran Tahboub al-Marwani (an employee in the Health Department)
• 
  His Highness King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein of Transjordan, in Hebron at the invitation of Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Ja'bari, Mayor of Hebron. From this clear picture, Sheikh Abdullah Tahboub al-Marwani, Mufti of Hebron, is visible that the sheikh just shaked hands with His Highness King Abdullah upon his arrival in the city of Hebron, and to the left of His Highness King Abdullah stands Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Ja'bari, Mayor of the city
• 
  Visit of King Abdullah I of Transjordan, when he visited the city of Hebron. He visited the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. The King was received at the Mosque by the Mufti of Hebron, Sheikh Abdullah Tahboub al-Marwani, visible to the right of the King in the center wearing a white imamah turban
• 
  King Faisal II of Iraq, accompanied by his uncle Prince Abdul-Ilah. To his left is Sheikh Yousef Tahboub al-Marwani, a member of the Supreme Muslim Council in Palestine, who officially received the king during King Faisal's visit to Jerusalem
• 
  Visit of King Faisal II of Iraq to Palestine in 1942 CE. To the right of King Faisal is Sheikh Yousef Tahboub al-Marwani, member of the Supreme Muslim Council in Palestine, receiving King Faisal. To the left of King Faisal is Jamal Touqan, representative of the Palestinian government, at the official reception for King Faisal
• 
  Visit of His Highness Prince Abdul-Ilah of Iraq, to the city of Hebron. The prince stands in the middle, and to his right is Sheikh Yousef Tahboub al-Marwani, a member of the Supreme Muslim Council. Standing next to the prince to his left is Jamal Touqan, Assistant Governor of the Jerusalem District, delegate of the Palestinian government. On his highness back stands Sheikh Muhammad Ali al-Ja’abari, and to the right of Sheikh Yousef Tahboub al-Marwani is Sheikh Abdul-Bari Barakat, President of the Jerusalem Chamber of Commerce, followed by Sheikh Muhammad al-Saadi, the great Sharia scholar, followed by Atef al-Hamouri, then the journalist Hajj Ishaq al-Aghni. On the right is Sheikh Ali Tahboub al-Marwani, Jamal Touqan, his uncle Omar al-Saleh al-Barghouti, who is not wearing Faisaliah, and a large crowd of those welcoming him
• 
  Picture of King Abdullah I bin Hussein when he visited the city of Hebron, upon the invitation of Sheikh Muhammad Ali al-Ja’abari, the mayor of Hebron, and he was received by Sheikh Yousef Taboub al-Marwani, a retired member of the Supreme Muslim Council and a member of the Council of Senior Scholarsin the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Behind the king was officer Hashem al-Dabbas, and behind him was officer Abdullah al-Mutla
• 
  The Qadi of Hebron, Sheikh Mustafa bin Abdul Halim al-Marwani, and to his right, the commander of the Hebron region, Ibrahim Krishan, in the middle, and Abdul Latif Abdeen, the head of the Hebron Education Department and the commander of the National Guard during Eid holiday
• 
  From left to right: Sheikh Mustafa Abdul Halim Tahboub al-Marwani, Sheikh Abdul Hayy Arfa and Sheikh Rayan al-Qawasmi
• 
  Nu'man Sheikh Tawfiq T. Al-Marwani, a teacher at the Yaffa Islamic School. Head of the Hebron District's Forensic Department and Financial Accountant at Aqaba, Tafilah and Karak
• 
  Mr. Imran Tahboub Al-Marwani, Hebron (Palestine)
• 
  Fayeq Hamdi Tahboub and Sheikh Mustafa Abdel Halim Tahboub al-Marwani
• 
  'Nasab Yaʿqūb Ibrāhīm al-Marwānī al-Umawī al-Qurashī' - Digitized Family Tree of Ya'qub Ibrahim al-Marwani (b. 1418 AH). The lineage described in the tree in the Arabic language is the following: Yaʿqūb b. Ibrāhīm b. Abū Yūsuf b. Nūrī b. Yaḥya b. Abū ʿĪsā Muḥammad b. Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb b. Yaḥya b. Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb b. Abū Yaḥya Zakariyyā b. Yaḥya b. al-Aʿwar al-Andalusī al-Maghribī b. Yaḥya b. Abū Yaḥya Zakariyyā b. Yaḥya al-Aṣghar b. Yaḥya al-Akbar b. Shujāʿ b. Fāris as-Ṣaghīr b. al-Fayyāḍ b. Fāris b. al-Wakīl b. Abū Maryam ʿImrān b. at-Ṭayyib b. ʿĀmir b. Naṣr b. Abū Naṣr Zayd b. Abū al-Faraḥ b. Saʿd b. Khalaf b. Saʿdūn b. al-Fatḥ b. Khalaf b. Muḥammad b. Sulaymān b. Aḥmad b. Ḥabīb b. al-Walīd b. ʿUmar b. Ḥabīb b. ʿAbd al-Malik b. ʿUmar b. al-Walīd b. ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān b. al-Ḥakam b. Abū al-ʿĀṣ b. Umayya b. ʿAbd Shams b. ʿAbd Manāf b. Qusayy al-Marwānī al-Umawī al-Qurashī

See also

• Umayyad architecture
• Marwan I
• Tahboub Al-Marwani
• Banu Umayya

Notes

1. Abd al-Rahman III’s full name was Abū al-Muṭarrif ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥakam al-Rabdī ibn Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dākhil ibn Muʿāwiya ibn Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān al-Marwānī al-Umawī al-Qurashī.