sentences:  Between 1852 and 1857, Ismail al-Atrash, a Druze sheikh based in al-Qurayya, became the virtual military chief of the Jabal Hauran Druze at the expense of Al Hamdan's authority.Ismail's rise and rivalry with the Al Hamdan divided the Druze into two factions, with most of the long-established Druze families backing the Al Hamdan and the newer migrants supporting Bani al-Atrash.The preeminent sheikh of the Al Hamdan at the time was Wakid al-Hamdan.