Sisters of Quraysh

In his masterful book "The Sisters of Quraysh," anthropologist Fadhil Al-Rubaie delivers an extraordinary and unprecedented study that challenges conventional views on pre-Islamic Arabian tribal structures. Al-Rubaie delves into dense historical narratives and genealogies to demonstrate the profound existence of the "matriarchal system" (mother-right) that flourished before patriarchal dominance. The book reveals how the major Arabian tribes were not merely patriarchal configurations, but that founding mothers and matriarchs were the anchors after whom clans were named, alliances (Ilaf) were struck, and socioeconomic bonds were forged. It is a work that restores the ancient Arabian woman's suppressed sovereignty, presenting a thrilling and deconstructive reading that liberates Arab social history from rigid, unilateral viewpoints.

To discover a hidden and astonishing aspect of ancient Arab history, realizing through rigorous anthropological analysis how women were authors of major lineages and grand alliances, shattering the false stereotypes that reduced pre-Islamic society into absolute patriarchal dominance.

For students of anthropology and historical sociology, researchers focused on gender studies and the history of women in the Middle East, and every insightful reader eager to re-examine Arab and tribal heritage through a critical, deconstructive lens.