The Al Thawawda or Al Thawadi is an Arab tribe in the Arab Gulf states, particularly Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

. The Al Thawawda is believed to be a sub-clan of the Bani Khalid

Bani Khalid

.'Bani Khalid'. is an Arab tribal confederation of eastern and central Arabia. The tribe dominated the eastern region of modern-day Saudi Arabia from 1670 to 1793, and again under the auspices of the Ottoman Empire for a brief period in the early 19th century...

 tribe.

In Bahrain, the family is based in Al Hidd

Al Hidd

Al Hidd is a town in Bahrain, located on a sand spit on the southeastern extremity of Muharraq Island. The town is of Sunni population, of bedouin tribal origin, huwala, or Afro-Arabs. About a third of the inhabitants of Hidd are of Omani descent....

 and Muharraq

Muharraq

Muharraq , is Bahrain's third largest city, and served as its capital until 1923. The city is located on Muharraq Island and has long been a centre of religiosity...

. However in the past it was based in the Fereej Al Thawawda neighbourhood of Hoora

Hoora

Hoora is one of the busy parts of Manama, the capital of Bahrain.Along with the Central Business District, Adliya, and Juffair, Hoora is considered as one of Manama's nightlife centres, with many bars, hotels, restaurants, pubs and nightclubs , and it is very popular with Arab visitors to...

, near Ras Rumman

Ras Rumman

Ras Rumman is a neighborhood of Manama in Bahrain. Historically it was a separate village of its own, however with the expansion of Manama, it became incorporated in to the capital city as one of its neighbourhoods. It lies to the east of the Manama Souq and roughly south of the Diplomatic Area....

 and Manama

Manama

Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 155,000 people.Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very diverse population...

. Many family members were involved in the lucrative pearl hunting

Pearl hunting

Pearl hunting or pearl diving refers to a largely obsolete method of retrieving pearls from pearl oysters, freshwater pearl mussels and, on rare occasions, other nacre-producing molluscs, such as abalone.-History:...

 industry.

The Al Thawawida are among those clans that moved to Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

 from Zubara following the 1783 Bani Utbah invasion of Bahrain.

Among the famous members of the family are leftist political activist Ahmad Al-Thawadi

Ahmad Al-Thawadi

Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Thawadi was the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Tribune, a leftist political party in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He was born in 1938 during the British colonization of Bahrain. He was also a founding member of the National Liberation Front...

 and guitarist Khalid Al-Thawadi.

External links

• Al Thawawida family discussion forum
• الذواودة ينتسبون إلى العمائر من قبيلة بني خالد, Al Waqt, 16 October 2009
• تصحيحات واستدراك في ترجمة الشيخ عبدالله بن عيسى الذوادي, Al Waqt, 20 November 2009