TANUKH

ancient group of various southern Arabian tribes and clans that first moved into central Arabia and then, at the beginning of the 2nd or 3rd century AD, moved into the fertile region west of the lower and middle Euphrates River. Although they were originally seminomadic, they later made a permanent settlement on the lower Euphrates, called al-Hirah (from Syriac herta , camp). Most of the Tanukh tribes were Christianized, but during the 7th century several of the tribes fought on the side of the advancing Muslim armies. During the last half of the 8th century some of the Tanukh moved into northern Syria, and during the 9th century they continued into Lebanon. Many of the Tanukh tribes in Lebanon readily accepted the politico-religious teachings of the Druze missionaries, whose sect accepts a mixture of Islamic and Christian teachings.