Ouled Nail
Ouled Naïl woman in the complex traditional costume. Photo: National Geographic 1917
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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (Algeria: 2,300,000 (estimate)) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Ouled Naïl Range | Bou Saâda, M'Sila, Djelfa, |
| Languages | |
| Djefaoui (Naïli) dialect of Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
The Ouled Naïl (/ˌuːlɛd ˈnaɪl/; Arabic: أولاد نايل) are a tribe and a tribal confederation living in the Ouled Naïl Range, Algeria. They are found mainly in Bou Saâda, M'Sila and Djelfa, but there is also a significant number of them in Ghardaïa Province, out of the limits of their ancestral region.
The oral lore of the Ouled Naïl people claims ancient Arab descent from tribes that arrived to the area about a thousand years ago. Some traditions trace the ancestry to the Banu Hilal of Hejaz who came to the highlands through El Oued, Ghardaia, while others claim that they are direct descendants of Idris I. Finally, current research confirms that this is a highly Arabized Berber tribal society.
The Ouled Naïl are seminomadic or nomadic people living in the highlands of the range of the Saharan Atlas to which they gave their name. The town of Djelfa has been traditionally an important market and trade centre for the Ouled Naïl, especially for their cattle. The town has cold and long winters with temperatures averaging 4 °C. In recent years Djelfa Province has become one of the most populated provinces of Algeria with a population of 1,164,870.
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