Banu Yam (Arabic: بنو يام) are a large tribe native to Najran Province in Saudi Arabia, and are the principle tribe of that area. They belong to the Qahtanite branch of Arabian tribes, and are closely related to the tribes of Banu Hajer and the 'Ujman of eastern Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf coast. Yam are notable among the tribes of Saudi Arabia for the majority of its members who follow the small Isma'ili branch of Shi'ite Islam, with the rest of the tribe being Sunni. It's unknown when exactly the tribe converted to Ismai'lism, though it's possible that this occured during the time of the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt in the 10th century. Religious leadership is in the hands of the Makrami clan, who joined Yam through alliance some time in the 17th century. Members of the tribe can be found in all areas of the kingdom due to immigration, particularly the areas around Jeddah and Dammam. Unlike other tribes of southwestern Saudi Arabia, Yam have traditionally been almost entirely bedouin, due to the proximity of their territories to the formiddable desert known as the Empty Quarter. They are also unlike their neighboring tribes in that they are recorded to have repeatedly raided the neighboring region of Najd, reaching as far north as Dhruma near Riyadh during the time of the First Saudi State in 1775, and causing much panic. Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Najran (Arabic: نجران) is a province of Saudi Arabia, located in the south of the country along the border with Yemen. ... Qahtanite refers to al Arab al Aribah or the aboriginal Arabs. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ... The Ismaili (Persian: اسماعیلیان Esmâiliyân) branch of Islam is the second largest Shia community, after the Twelvers who are dominant in Iran. ... Shia Islam ( Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite or Shiite) is the second largest Islamic denomination; some 20-25% of all Muslims are said to follow a Shia tradition. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... The Fatimids, Fatimid Caliphate or al-FātimiyyÅ«n (Arabic الفاطميون) is the Shia dynasty that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Egypt, and the Levant from 5 January 910 to 1171. ... The Caliphate (Arabic خلافة) is the theoretical federal government that would govern the Islamic world under Islamic law, ruled by a Caliph as head of state. ... This article is about the Saudi Arabian city. ... Dammam Corniche Dammam (Also Damman or Ad Dammām) is the capital of the Ash Sharqiyah province in Saudi Arabia. ... A Bedouin man resting on a hillside at Mount Sinai Bedouin, derived from the Arabic ( ‎), a generic name for a desert-dweller, is a term generally applied to Arab nomadic pastoralist groups, who are found throughout most of the desert belt extending from the Atlantic coast of the Sahara via... Location of the empty quarter in Arabia Sand dunes in the Empty Quarter The Empty Quarter (Arabic: Rub al Khali الربع الخالي), is one of the largest sand deserts in the world, encompassing the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, including southern Saudi Arabia, and areas of Oman, the United Arab Emirates... Najd or Nejd (Arabic: Naǧd) is a region in central Saudi Arabia and the location of the nations capital, Riyadh. ... Riyadh (Arabic: ‎ ar-Riyāḍ) is the capital of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, located in Ar Riyad Province in the Najd region. ... The First Saudi State was established in the year 1744 (1157 H.) when the Wahhabi leader Sheikh Mohammed ibn Abd al Wahhab settled in Diriyah and Prince Mohammed Ibn Saud agreed to support and espouse his cause, with a view to cleansing the Islamic faith from distortions. ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ...