Jeberti people

Jeberti (ጀበርቲ)
Regions with significant populations
Horn of Africa, Arabian Peninsula
Languages
Tigrinya
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Afar • Amhara • Arab • Beja • Bilen • Gurage • Oromo • Saho • Somali • Tigray • Tigre

The Jeberti (Tigrigna) also spelled as Jabarti, Jaberti, Jebarti and Djeberti) are a Muslim[1] ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa, mainly Ethiopia and Eritrea.

History

Islam was introduced to the Horn of Africa early on from the Arabian peninsula, shortly after the hijra. Zeila's Masjid al-Qiblatayn (Two-mihrab Mosque) dates to the 7th century, and is the oldest mosque in the city.[2] In the late 9th century, Al-Yaqubi wrote that Muslims were living along the northern Somali seaboard.[3] Among these early migrants was Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, the forefather of the Darod clan family.[4] Al-Maqrizi noted that a number of the Muslims settled in the Zeila-controlled Jabarta region, and from their slowly expanded into the hinterland.[5] The Jeberti in Ethiopia and Eritrea trace descent from these early migrants. The term Jeberti in Eritrea and Ethiopia is also sometimes used generically to refer to all Muslim inhabitants of the highlands.[6]

Language

The Jeberti in Eritrea speak Arabic and Tigrinya, while the Jeberti in Ethiopia speak Tigrinya and/or Amharic.[7] The languages belong to the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.

References

  1. ↑ Trimingham, J (1965). Islam in Ethiopia. Frank Cass. pp. 150–151. ISBN 0-7146-1731-8.
  2. ↑ Briggs, Phillip (2012). Somaliland. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 7. ISBN 1841623717.
  3. ↑ Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 25. Americana Corporation. 1965. p. 255.
  4. ↑ Somaliland Society (1954). The Somaliland Journal, Volume 1, Issues 1-3. The Society. p. 85.
  5. ↑ Tamrat, Taddesse (1972). Church and state in Ethiopia, 1270-1527. Clarendon Press. p. 124.
  6. ↑ Kifleyesus, Abbebe (January 2009). "Jeberti Women Traders' Innumeracy: Its Impact on Commercial Activity in Eritrea". L'Homme: revue française d'anthropologie (189): 59. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Facts On File, Incorporated (2009). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East. Infobase Publishing. p. 336. ISBN 143812676X.
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