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99-599: [REDACTED] Look up Habesha  or Habasha in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Habash may refer to: People [ edit ] Al-Habash , ancient region in the Horn of Africa Habesha people , of Ethiopia and Eritrea Siddi or Habshi, people of African descent in India and Pakistan Habash al-Hasib al-Marwazi , a Persian astronomer George Habash ,

198-443: A netela around the formal dress. The netela or netsela is a handmade cloth many Ethiopian women use to cover their head and shoulders when they wear clothing made out of chiffon , especially when attending church. It is made up of two layers of fabric, unlike gabi , which is made out of four. Kuta is the male version. An Ethiopian or Eritrean suit is the traditional formal wear of Habesha men. It consists of

297-607: A patron saint . Ethiopia has often been mentioned in the Bible . A well-known example of this is the story of the Ethiopian eunuch as written in Acts (8: 27): "Then the angel of the Lord said to Philip, Start out and go south to the road that leads down from Jerusalem to Gaza. So he set out and was on his way when he caught sight of an Ethiopian. This man was a eunuch, a high official of

396-848: A Palestinian political leader, ex-Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Sakher Habash , a Palestinian leader of the Fatah movement Mohammad Al-Habash , a Syrian Islamic scholar, writer and politician. Places [ edit ] Habash, Ardabil , Iran Habash, East Azerbaijan , Iran Habash-e Olya , West Azerbaijan Province, Iran Habash-e Sofla , West Azerbaijan Province, Iran Habash, Zanjan , Iran See also [ edit ] Habishi (disambiguation) Habashi (disambiguation) Abyssinian (disambiguation) Abyssinia (disambiguation) Siddi (disambiguation) Topics referred to by

495-724: A few decades at the time of the inscriptions. Both the indigenous languages of Southern Arabia and the Amharic and Tigrinya languages of Ethiopia belong to the large branch of South Semitic languages which in turn is part of the Afro-Asiatic Language Family . Even though the Ethiosemitic languages are classified under the South Semitic languages branch with a Cushitic language substratum. Munro-May and related scholars believe that Sabaean influence

594-540: A heavier emphasis on Old Testament teachings than one might find in the Roman Catholic or Protestant churches, and its followers adhere to certain practices that one finds in Orthodox or Conservative Judaism . Ethiopian Christians, like some other Eastern Christians , traditionally follow dietary rules that are similar to Jewish Kashrut , specifically with regard to how an animal is slaughtered. Similarly, pork

693-544: A long sleeve, knee-length shirt, and matching pants. Most shirts are made with a Mandarin, band, or Nehru collar. The suit is made of chiffon, which is a sheer silk or rayon cloth. The netela shawl or a kuta is wrapped around the suit. The Habesha empire centered in Aksum and Adwa was part of the world in which Christianity grew. The arrival of Christianity in Northern Ethiopia and Eritrea happened around

792-651: A minority of Ahbash followers. Today, the Muslim community is concentrated mainly in urban areas. Many Jeberti in Eritrea claim that they are a separate ethnic group from the Tigrinya people in the area and consider their native languages to be both Arabic and Tigrinya , and are thus treated as a separate ethno-religious community. Tigrayans are sometimes described as “individualistic”, due to elements of competition and local conflicts. This, however, rather reflects

891-441: A pagan religion with a number of deities, including the sun god Utu , and the moon god Almaqah . Some tribes however practiced Judaism . The most prominent polytheistic kingdoms was D’mt and early Aksum . Christianity has been the predominant religion of Tigrayans since antiquity . Tigrayan Christians are mostly Oriental Orthodox with a Catholic and Pentay minority. Tigrayan Muslims are virtually all Sunni , including

990-476: A single introduction of early Ethiosemitic from southern Arabia approximately 2,800 years ago, and that this single introduction of Ethiosemitic subsequently underwent quick diversification within Ethiopia and Eritrea. There is also evidence of ancient Southern Arabian communities in modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea in certain localities, attested by some archaeological artifacts and ancient Sabaean inscriptions in

1089-401: A spongy flat bread, served with wat , a spicy meat sauce. Houses in rural areas are built mostly from rock and dirt, the most available resources, with structure provided by timber poles. The houses blend in easily with the natural surroundings. Many times the nearest water source is more than a kilometer away from the house. In addition, people must search for fuel for their fires throughout

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1188-440: A strong tendency to defend one's own community and local rights against—then widespread—interferences, be it from more powerful individuals or the state. Tigrayans communities are marked by numerous social institutions with a strong networking of character, where relations are based on mutual rights and bonds. Economic and other support is mediated by these institutions. In the urban context, the modern local government have taken over

1287-430: Is kitfo (frequently spelled ketfo ). It consists of raw (or rare) beef mince marinated in mitmita ( Amharic : ሚጥሚጣ mīṭmīṭā , a very spicy chili powder similar to the berbere ) and niter kibbeh . Gored gored is very similar to kitfo , but uses cubed rather than ground beef. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church prescribes a number of fasting ( tsom Ge'ez : ጾም , ṣōm ) periods, including Wednesdays, Fridays, and

1386-408: Is a dish originating from the historical Agame and Akkele Guzai provinces. The dish is unique to these parts of both countries, but is now slowly spreading throughout the entire region. T'ihlo is made using moistened roasted barley flour that is kneaded to a certain consistency. The dough is then broken into small ball shapes and is laid out around a bowl of spicy meat stew. A two-pronged wooden fork

1485-586: Is also of great importance for conflict resolution. Tigrayans food characteristically consists of vegetable and often very spicy meat dishes, usually in the form of tsebhi ( Tigrinya : ፀብሒ ), a thick stew, served atop injera , a large sourdough flatbread . As the vast majority of Tigrayans belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (and the minority Muslims), pork is not consumed because of religious beliefs. Meat and dairy products are not consumed on Wednesdays and Fridays, and also during

1584-400: Is an integral part of the culture. The church buildings are built on hills. Major celebrations during the year are held around the church, where people gather from villages all around to sing, play games, and observe the unique mass of the church. It includes a procession through the church grounds and environs. Coffee is a very important ceremonial drink. The "coffee ceremony" is common to

1683-400: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Habesha Habesha peoples ( Ge'ez : ሐበሠተ ; Amharic : ሐበሻ ; Tigrinya : ሓበሻ ; commonly used exonym: Abyssinians ) is an ethnic or pan-ethnic identifier that has been historically employed to refer to Semitic-speaking and predominantly Oriental Orthodox Christian peoples found in

1782-402: Is known of the time period between the mid-1st millennium BCE to the beginning of Aksum's rise around the 1st century CE. It is thought to be a successor kingdom of Dʿmt , a kingdom in the early 1st millennium BC most likely centered at nearby Yeha . The Kingdom of Aksum was situated in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, with its capital city in Northern Ethiopia. Axum remained its capital until

1881-429: Is made from shredded injera or kitcha stir-fried with spices or wat . Another popular breakfast food is fatira. The delicacy consists of a large fried pancake made with flour, often with a layer of egg, eaten with honey. Chechebsa (or kita firfir ) resembles a pancake covered with berbere and niter kibbeh , or spices, and may be eaten with a spoon. A porridge , genfo is another common breakfast dish. It

1980-464: Is no indication that the term Tigray could be explained through Ge'ez gäzärä ("subdue"), with the meaning "the submitted" (in supposed contrast to the "free" Agaziyan linked with the rulers of Aksum). According to Scottish explorer James Bruce , Abyssinia was geographically divided into two provinces; "Tigré, which extends from the Red Sea to the river Tacazzé; and Amhara, from that river westward to

2079-436: Is prohibited, though unlike Kashrut, Ethiopian cuisine does mix dairy products with meat - which in turn makes it even closer to Islamic dietary laws (see Halal ). Women are prohibited from entering the church during their menses ; they are also expected to cover their hair with a large scarf (or shash ) while in church in keeping with 1 Corinthians 11 . As with Orthodox synagogues , men and women are seated separately in

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2178-478: Is the first known use of this term to describe specifically the region known today as Ethiopia (and not Kush or the entire African and Indian region outside of Egypt). There are many theories regarding the beginning of the Abyssinian civilization. One theory, which is more widely accepted today, locates its origins in the Horn region. At a later period, this culture was exposed to Judaic influence, of which

2277-468: Is the fourth most spoken language. Several Tigrinya dialects, which differ phonetically, lexically, and grammatically from place to place, are more broadly classified as Eritrean Tigrinya or Tigray (Ethiopian) dialects. No dialect appears to be accepted as a standard. Tigrinya is closely related to Amharic and Tigre (in Eritrea commonly called Tigrayit), another East African Semitic language spoken by

2376-676: Is used instead of bebere for a milder alicha wat or both are omitted when making vegetable stews, atkilt wat . Meat such as beef ( Amharic : ሥጋ , səga ), chicken ( Amharic : ዶሮ , doro ) or Tigrinya : ደርሆ, derho ), fish ( Amharic : ዓሣ , asa ), goat or lamb ( Amharic : በግ , beg or Tigrinya : በጊ, beggi ) is also added. Legumes such as split peas ( Amharic : ክክ , kək or Tigrinya : ኪኪ, kikki ) or lentils ( Amharic : ምስር , məsər or birsin ); or vegetables such as potatoes ( Amharic : ድንች , Dənəch ), carrots and chard ( Amharic : ቆስጣ ) are also used instead in vegan dishes. Another distinctively Habesha dish

2475-417: Is usually served in a large bowl with a dug-out made in the middle of the genfo and filled with spiced niter kibbeh . Wat begins with a large amount of chopped red onion , which is simmered or sauteed in a pot. Once the onions have softened, niter kebbeh (or, in the case of vegan dishes, vegetable oil ) is added. Following this, berbere is added to make a spicy keiy wat or keyyih tsebhi . Turmeric

2574-551: The nəgus ("king") GDRT of ḤBŠT. The term appears to refer to a group of peoples, rather than a specific ethnicity. Another Sabaean inscription describes an alliance between Shamir Yuhahmid of the Himyarite Kingdom and King `DBH of ḤBŠT in the first quarter of the third century. However, South Arabian expert Eduard Glaser claimed that the Egyptian hieroglyphic ḫbstjw , used in reference to "a foreign people from

2673-559: The Afroasiatic family. Among these tongues is the classical Ge'ez language . The kingdom of Dʿmt wrote proto-Ge'ez in Epigraphic South Arabian as early as the 9th century BCE. Later, an independent script replaced it as early as the 5th century BCE. Ge'ez literature is considered to begin with the adoption of Christianity in Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as the civilization of Axum in the 4th century BCE during

2772-912: The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria in the 1950s, although the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church has recently reforged the link. A number of unique beliefs and practices distinguish Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity from other Christian groups; for example, the Ark of the Covenant is very important. Every Ethiopian church has a replica of the Ark. Also, the Ethiopian Church has a larger biblical canon than other churches. Church services are conducted in Ge´ez,

2871-710: The Gulf of Aden , south to the Omo River , and west to the Nubian Kingdom of Meroë . The South Arabian kingdom of the Himyarites and also a portion of western Saudi Arabia was also under the power of Aksum. Their descendants include the present-day ethnic groups known as the Amhara, Tigrayans and Gurage peoples. After the fall of Aksum due to declining sea trade from fierce competition by Muslims and changing climate,

2970-477: The Mengistu Haile Mariam -led brutal military dictatorship ( Derg ) used the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia as government policy (by restricting food supplies) for counter-insurgency strategy (against Tigray People's Liberation Front guerrilla-soldiers), and for "social transformation" in non-insurgent areas (against people of Tigray province, Welo province and such). deliberately multiplied

3069-713: The Monumentum Adulitanum in the 3rd century; the cattle herders in Humera; the egalitarian Wajjarat of south-eastern Tigray. There are also some immigrant Tigrayans in the neighbouring country of Eritrea as well as abroad in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. The decline of the Tigrayan population in Ethiopia was caused by the 1958 famine in Tigray, when over 100,000 people died. Later on,

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3168-612: The Oromo people , their land was appropriated by the Abyssinian colonizers coupled with hefty taxation which led to a revolt in the 1960s. Some scholars consider the Amhara to have been Ethiopia's ruling elite for centuries, represented by the Solomonic line of Emperors ending in Haile Selassie I . Marcos Lemma and other scholars dispute the accuracy of such a statement, arguing that other ethnic groups have always been active in

3267-683: The Sabaeans together with the Ḥaḍramites ." The region of the Abasēnoi produce[d] myrrh, incense and cotton and they cultivate[d] a plant which yields a purple dye (probably wars , i.e. Fleminga Grahamiana ). It lay on a route which leads from Zabīd on the coastal plain to the Ḥimyarite capital Ẓafār . Abasēnoi was located by Hermann von Wissman as a region in the Jabal Ḥubaysh mountain in Ibb Governorate , perhaps related in etymology with

3366-488: The Tigre as well as many Beja of Eritrea and Sudan . Tigrinya and Tigre, though more closely related to each other linguistically than either is to Amharic, are however not mutually intelligible. Tigrinya has traditionally been written using the same Ge'ez alphabet ( fidel ) as Amharic and Tigre . The daily life of Tigrayans are highly influenced by religion. Before the coming of Christianity, most Tigrayans followed

3465-831: The Tigre , the Gurage , the Argobba and the Harari people. In antiquity Ge'ez -speaking people inhabited the Aksumite Empire ; the ancient Semitic-speaking Gafat inhabited Eastern Damot ( East Welega ) and Western Shewa ; the Galila clan of Aymallal ( Soddo ) inhabited Southwest Shewa ; the Zay inhabited East Shewa ; the Harla who are the ancestors of Harari lived in Somalia ; and

3564-682: The burning bush , is commanded to remove his shoes while standing on holy ground). Furthermore, both the Sabbath (Saturday), and the Lord's Day (Sunday) are observed as holy, although more emphasis, because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ , is laid upon the Holy Sunday. Islam in Ethiopia and Eritrea dates to 615. During that year, a group of Muslims were counseled by Muhammad to escape persecution in Mecca and migrate to Abyssinia , which

3663-526: The 20th century, elites of the Solomonic dynasty employed the conversion of various ethnic groups to Orthodox Tewahedo Christianity and the imposition of the Amharic language to spread a common Habesha national identity. Within Ethiopian and Eritrean diasporic populations, some second generation immigrants have adopted the term "Habesha" in a broader sense as a supra-national ethnic identifier inclusive of all Eritreans and Ethiopians. For those who employ

3762-464: The 4th century. The Aksumites, in fact, had been converted to Christianity hundreds of years before most of Europe. Many of their churches were cut into cliffs or from single blocks of stone, as they were in Turkey and in parts of Greece , where Christianity had existed from its earliest years. The church is a central feature of communities and of each family's daily life. Each community has a church with

3861-776: The 7th century. The kingdom was favorably located near the Blue Nile basin and the Afar depression. The former is rich in gold and the latter in salt: both materials having a highly important use to the Aksumites. Aksum was accessible to the port of Adulis , Eritrea on the coast of the Red Sea. The kingdom traded with Egypt, India, Arabia and the Byzantine Empire . Aksum's "fertile" and "well-watered" location produced enough food for its population. Wild animals included elephants and rhinoceros. From its capital, Aksum commanded

3960-575: The Aksumite period; according to this source one of the groups of the region were the "Tigrētai" and the "Agazē" (i.e. the Agʿazi ) the latter being the Aksumites. The toponym Tigray is probably originally ethnic, the "Tigrētai" then meant "the tribes near Adulis". These are believed to be the ancient people from whom the present-day Tigray, the Eritrean tribes Tigre and Tigrinya are descended from. There

4059-456: The Dahlak islands through the port of Adulis and destroyed it, which was the economic backbone for the prosperous Aksumite Kingdom. Fearing of what recently occurred, Axum shifted its capital near Agew In the middle of the sixteenth century Adal Sultanate armies led by Harar leader Ahmed Ibrahim invaded Habesha lands in what is known as the "Conquest of Habasha" . Following Adal invasions,

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4158-546: The Ethiopian church, with men on the left and women on the right (when facing the altar). However, women covering their heads and separation of the sexes in the Church building officially is common to many Oriental Orthodox , Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Christians and not unique to Judaism. Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers remove their shoes when entering a church, in accordance with Exodus 3:5 (in which Moses , while viewing

4257-524: The Ethiopians and Eritreans. Beans are roasted on the spot, ground, and brewed, served thick and rich in tiny ceramic cups with no handles. This amount of coffee can be finished in one gulp if drunk cold; but, traditionally it is drunk very slowly as conversation takes place. When the beans are roasted to smoking, they are passed around the table, where the smoke becomes a blessing on the diners. The traditional food served at these meals consists of injera ,

4356-460: The Galla, which inclose Abyssinia proper on all sides except the north-west." Tigray he notes, "is a large and important province, of great wealth and power. All the merchandise destined to cross the Red Sea to Arabia must pass through this province, so that the governor has the choice of all commodities wherewith to make his market." By the beginning of the 19th century Henry Salt , who travelled in

4455-529: The Ge'ez language and Ge'ez script . Linguists have revealed, however, that although its script developed from Epigraphic South Arabian (whose oldest inscriptions are found in Yemen), Ge'ez is descended from a different branch of Southern Semitic, Ethiosemitic or Ethiopic sub-branch . South Arabian inscriptions does not mention any migration to the west coast of the Red Sea, nor of a tribe called "Habashat." All uses of

4554-622: The Great. The decline in the prestige of the dynasty led to the semi-anarchic era of Zemene Mesafint ("Era of the Princes"), in which rival warlords fought for power and the Yejju Oromo enderases ( Amharic : እንደራሴ , "regents") had effective control. The emperors were considered to be figureheads. Until a young man named Kassa Haile Giorgis also known as Emperor Tewodros brought end to Zemene Mesafint by defeating all his rivals and took

4653-622: The Habashat were a tribe from modern-day Yemen that migrated to Ethiopia and Eritrea. However, the Sabaic inscriptions only use the term ḥbšt to the refer to the Kingdom of Aksum and its inhabitants, especially during the 3rd century, when the ḥbšt (Aksumites) were often at war with the Sabaeans and Himyraites. Modern Western European languages, including English, appear to borrow this term from

4752-519: The Kandake (Candace) Queen of Ethiopia in charge of all her treasure." The passage continues by describing how Philip helped the Ethiopian understand one passage of Isaiah that the Ethiopian was reading. After the Ethiopian received an explanation of the passage, he requested that Philip baptize him, which Philip obliged. Queen Gersamot Hendeke VII (very similar to Kandake) was the Queen of Ethiopia from

4851-531: The Tigray Region in towns including Mekelle , Adwa , Axum , Adigrat , and Shire . Huge populations of Tigrayans are also found in other large Ethiopian cities such as the capital Addis Ababa and Gondar . The Tigrayans are, despite a general impression of homogeneity, composed of numerous subgroups with their own socio-cultural traditions. Among these there are the Agame of eastern Tigray, mentioned in

4950-688: The ancient language of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Ge´ez is no longer a living language, its use now confined to liturgical contexts, occupying a similar place in Eritrean and Ethiopian church life to Latin in the Roman Catholic Church . Other Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox practices include such things as fasting, prescribed prayers, and devotion to saints and angels. A child is never left alone until baptism and cleansing rituals are performed. Boys are baptized forty days after birth, whereas girls are baptized eighty days after birth. Defrocked priests and deacons commonly function as diviners, who are

5049-573: The best-known examples are the Qemant and Ethiopian Jews (or Beta Israel ) ethnic groups, but Judaic customs, terminology, and beliefs can be found amongst the dominant culture of the Amhara and Tigrinya. Some scholars have claimed that the Indian alphabets had been used to create the vowel system of the Ge'ez abugida , this claim has not yet been effectively proven. Abyssinian civilization has its roots in

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5148-400: The breasts up, with tiny glass beads of various colours strung so as to make a band two fingers in breadth around their necks. The habesha kemis is the traditional attire of Habesha women. The ankle length dress is usually worn by Ethiopian and Eritrean women at formal events. It is made of chiffon , and typically comes in white, grey or beige shades. Many women also wrap a shawl called

5247-575: The country's politics. This confusion may largely stem from the mislabeling of all Amharic-speakers as "Amhara", and the fact that many people from other ethnic groups have adopted Amharic names . Another is the claim that most Ethiopians can trace their ancestry to multiple ethnic groups, including the last self-proclaimed emperor Haile Selassie I and his Empress Itege Menen Asfaw of Ambassel . The Habesha developed an agricultural society, which most continue, including raising of camels , donkeys , and sheep . They plow using oxen. The Orthodox Church

5346-813: The country. Islam in Ethiopia is the predominant religion in the regions of Somali , Afar , Berta , and the section of Oromia east of the Great Rift Valley , as well as in Jimma . Islam in Eritrea is the predominant religion of all the ethnic groups except for the Tigrinya people, the Bilen people , and the Kunama people . The most important Islamic religious practices, such as the daily ritual prayers ( ṣalāt ) and fasting ( Arabic : صوم ṣawm , Ethiopic ጾም , ṣom – used by local Christians as well) during

5445-478: The early 1st millennium BC as the main factor of state formation on the highlands. Rock inscriptions in Qohayto (Akkala Guzay, Eritrea) document the presence of individuals or small groups from Arabia on the highlands at this time." It was first suggested by German orientalist Hiob Ludolf and revived by early 20th-century Italian scholar Conti Rossini . According to this theory, Sabaeans brought with them South Arabian letters and language, which gradually evolved into

5544-407: The effects of the famine left 300,000 to 1.2 million people death in Ethiopia from this famine. According to United States Agency for International Development in the fall of 1984, the hardest hit regions of the famine were Tigray, Wollo and Eritrea . Tigrayans speak Tigrinya as a mother tongue. It belongs to the Ethiopian Semitic subgroup of the Afroasiatic family. In Ethiopia, Tigrinya

5643-450: The entire Lenten season; so Habesha cuisine contains many dishes that are vegan . According to Leo Africanus , a greater number of the Abyssinians historically wore sheep hides , with the more honourable wearing the hides of lions , tigers and ounces . Duarte Barbosa also attests that their clothes being of hides as the country was in wanting of clothes. Pedro Paez , a Spanish Jesuit who resided in Ethiopia, described that

5742-412: The form of wat (also w'et or wot ), a thick stew, served atop injera , a large sourdough flatbread , which is about 50 centimeters (20 inches) in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour. People of Ethiopia and Eritrea eat exclusively with their right hands, using pieces of injera to pick up bites of entrées and side dishes. Fit-fit , or fir-fir, is a common breakfast dish. It

5841-494: The functions of traditional associations. In most rural areas, however, traditional social organizations are fully in function. All members of such an extended family are linked by strong mutual obligations. Villages are usually perceived as genealogical communities, consisting of several lineages. A remarkable heritage of Tigrayans are their customary laws. In Tigray, customary law is also still partially practiced to some degree even in political self-organization and penal cases. It

5940-418: The highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea between Asmara and Addis Ababa (i.e. the modern-day Amhara , Tigrayan , Tigrinya peoples) and this usage remains common today. The term is also used in varying degrees of inclusion and exclusion of other groups. The oldest reference to Habesha was in second or third century Sabaean engravings as Ḥbśt or Ḥbštm recounting the South Arabian involvement of

6039-473: The holy month of Ramadan , are observed both in urban centers as well as in rural areas, among both settled peoples and nomads. Numerous Ethiopian Muslims perform the pilgrimage to Mecca every year. Tigrayans The daily life of Tigrayans is highly influenced by religious concepts. For example, the Christian Orthodox fasting periods are strictly observed, especially in Tigray; but also traditional local beliefs such as in spirits, are widespread. In Tigray

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6138-454: The incense-producing regions" (i.e. Land of Punt ) by Pharaoh Hatshepsut in 1450 BC, was the first usage of the term or somehow connected. Francis Breyer also believes the Egyptian demonym to be the source of the Semitic term. The first attestation of late Latin Abissensis is from the fifth century CE. The 6th-century author Stephanus of Byzantium later used the term "Αβασηνοί" (i.e. Abasēnoi) to refer to "an Arabian people living next to

6237-401: The interior of Ethiopia, divided the Ethiopian region into three distinct and independent states. These three great divisions (based arbitrarily on Language) are Tigre, Amhara, and the province of Shewa . Salt considered Tigre as the more powerful state of the three; a circumstance arising from the natural strength of the country, the warlike disposition of its inhabitants, and its vicinity to

6336-438: The language of the church remains exclusively Ge’ez . Tigrayan society is marked by a strong ideal of communitarianism and, especially in the rural sphere, by egalitarian principles. This does not exclude an important role of gerontocratic rules and in some regions such as the wider Adwa area, formerly the prevalence of feudal lords, who, however, still had to respect the local land rights. Tigrayans are branched out across

6435-515: The longstanding presumption that Sabaean migrants had played a direct role in Ethiopian civilization. Scholars have determined that the ancient Semitic language of Ethiopia was not derived from the Sabaean language . Recent linguistic studies as to the origin of the Ethiosemitic languages seem to support the DNA findings of immigration from the Arabian Peninsula, with a recent study using Bayesian computational phylogenetic techniques finding that contemporary Ethiosemitic languages of Africa reflect

6534-550: The main healers. Spirit possession is common, affecting primarily women. Women are also the normal spirit mediums. A debtera is an itinerant lay priest figure trained by the Church as a scribe , cantor , and often as a folk healer, who may also function in roles comparable to a deacon or exorcist . Folklore and legends ascribe the role of magician to the debtera as well. A small number of Abyssinian Christians adhere to various forms of Pentecostalism or Anabaptism , collectively known as P'ent'ay . The Ethiopian church places

6633-421: The majority of the Muslim world , hence the beliefs and practices of the Muslims of Ethiopia and Eritrea are basically the same: embodied in the Qur'an and the Sunnah . There are also Sufi orders present in Ethiopia. According to the 1994 census of Ethiopia (with similar numbers for the 1984 census), about a third of its population is adherent of Islam and members of the Muslim community can be found throughout

6732-405: The modern Ethiopian state were formed by a migration across the Red Sea of Sabaean -speaking South Arabian tribes, including one called the " Habashat" , who intermarried with the local non-Semitic-speaking peoples, in around 1,000 BC. Many held to this view because "epigraphic and monumental evidence point to an indisputable South Arabian influence suggesting migration and colonization from Yemen in

6831-421: The northern Ethiopian Highlands were ancient foreigners from South Arabia that displaced the original peoples of the Horn has been disputed by Ethiopian scholars specializing in Ethiopian Studies such as Messay Kebede and Daniel E. Alemu who generally disagree with this theory arguing that the migration was one of reciprocal exchange, if it even occurred at all. In the 21st century, scholars have largely discounted

6930-406: The northern Habesha. Predominately Muslim ethnic groups in the Eritrean Highlands such as the Tigre have historically opposed the name Habesha; Muslim Tigrinya-speakers are usually referred to as Jeberti people . Another term for Muslims from the Horn of Africa was '"Al-Zaylai"' , this applied to even the empress Eleni of Ethiopia due to her ties to the state of Hadiya . At the turn of

7029-495: The old South Arabian alphabet . Joseph W. Michels noted based on his archeological surveying Aksumite sites that "there is abundant evidence of specific Sabean traits such as inscription style, religious ideology and symbolism, art style and architectural techniques." However, Stuart Munro-Hay points to the existence of an older D'MT kingdom, prior to any Sabaean migration c. 4th or 5th century BC, as well as evidence that Sabaean immigrants had resided in Ethiopia for little more than

7128-440: The other ancient Argobba and Harari inhabited Shewa , Ifat , and Adal . Throughout history, various European travelers such as Jeronimo Lobo , James Bruce and Mansfield Parkyns visited Abyssinia . Their written accounts about their experiences include observations and descriptions of the Abyssinian customs and manners. Habesha cuisine characteristically consists of vegetable and often very spicy meat dishes, usually in

7227-410: The peasant women wore skins like their husbands and, in some areas, some woollen cloths five or six cubits long and three wide that they call " mahâc ", and they could quite fairly call it haircloth because it is much rougher than what Capuchin monks wear, as in Ethiopia they do not know how to make cloth, and the wool is not suitable for it as it is very coarse. They all go barefoot and often naked from

7326-483: The periphery. According to Gerard Prunier, one very restrictive use of the term today by some Tigrayans refers exclusively to speakers of Tigrinya ; however, Tigrayan oral traditions and linguistic evidence bear witness to ancient and constant relations with Amharas. Some Gurage societies, such as Orthodox Christian communities where Soddo is spoken, identify as Habesha and have a strong sense of Ethiopian national identity, due in part to their ancient ties with

7425-528: The population of Ethiopia and are largely small holding farmers inhabiting small communal villages. The Tigrayans constitute the fourth largest ethnic group in the country after the Oromo , Amhara and Somali . They are mainly Christian and members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church with a small minority of Muslims, Catholics and Protestants. The predominantly Tigrayan populated urban centers in Ethiopia are found within

7524-478: The post-classical form Abissini in the mid-sixteenth century. (English Abyssin is attested from 1576, and Abissinia and Abyssinia from the 1620s.) Historically, the term "Habesha" represented northern Ethiopian Highlands Semitic speaking Orthodox Christians , while the Cushitic-speaking peoples such as Oromo and Agaw , as well as Semitic-speaking Muslims/ Ethiopian Jews , were considered

7623-469: The power base of the kingdom migrated south and shifted its capital to Kubar (near Agew). They moved southwards because, even though the Axumite Kingdom welcomed and protected the companions of Muhammad to Ethiopia, who came as refugees to escape the persecution of the ruling families of Mecca and earned the friendship and respect of Muhammad. Their friendship deteriorated when South-Arabians invaded

7722-482: The pre-Aksumite culture. An early kingdom to arise was that of D'mt in the 8th century BC. The Kingdom of Aksum , one of the powerful civilizations of the ancient world, was based there from about 150 BC to the mid of 12th century AD. Spreading far beyond the city of Aksum, it molded one of the earliest cultures of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Architectural remains include finely carved stelae , extensive palaces, and ancient places of worship that are still being used. Around

7821-715: The pre-Aksumites had begun trading along the Red Sea. They mainly traded with Egypt. Earlier trade expeditions were taken by foot along the Nile Valley. The ancient Egyptians' main objective in the Red Sea trade was to acquire myrrh . This was a commodity that the Horn region, which the ancient Egyptians referred to as the Land of Punt , had in abundance. Much of the incense is produced in Somalia to this day. The Kingdom of Aksum may have been founded as early as 300 BCE. Very little

7920-429: The region may date back to at least 2000 BC. According to Edward Ullendorff , the Tigrinya speakers in Eritrea and Tigray are the authentic carriers of the historical and cultural tradition of ancient Abyssinia. He regards the contemporary Tigrayans to be the successors of the Aksumite Empire . A variant of the term Tigray, first appears in a 10th-century gloss to Cosmas Indicopleustes Indicopleustes , i.e. after

8019-636: The reign of Ezana. While Ge'ez today is extinct and only used for liturgical purposes in the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church . Ge'ez language is ancestral to Tigre and Tigrinya languages. Some historians in the past have labelled the Ethiopian Semitic languages as the Abyssinian languages . They are mainly spoken by the Amhara , the Tigrayans ,

8118-500: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Habash . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Habash&oldid=1162913979 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

8217-452: The sea coast; an advantage that allowed it to secure a monopoly on all the muskets imported into the country. He divided the Tigre kingdom into several provinces with the seat of the state, a region around Adwa, being referred as Tigre proper. The other Provinces of this kingdom includes Raya , Enderta , Agame , Wojjerat , Tembien , and Shire . Tigrayans constitute approximately 6.1% of

8316-409: The seven compulsory fasts. Because of this reason, many vegan meals are present. Eating around a shared food basket, mäsob ( Tigrinya : መሶብ ) is a custom in the Tigray region and is usually done so with families and guests. The food is eaten using no cutlery, using only the fingers ( of the right hand ) and sourdough flatbread to grab the contents on the bread. T'ihlo ( Tigrinya : ጥሕሎ , ṭïḥlo )

8415-487: The single largest non-Arab ethnic group who were Muhammad's companions. Among these was Umm Ayman who cared for Muhammad during his infancy, a woman that he referred to as "mother". Abyssinia was thus the earliest home outside of Arabia for the dispersal of the Islamic world faith. One third (34%) of Ethiopia's population are Muslims by last census (2007). Most of Ethiopia and Eritrea's Muslims are Sunni Muslims, much like

8514-579: The southern part of the Empire was lost to Oromo and Muslim state of Hadiya thus scattered Habesha like the Gurage people were cut off from the rest of Abyssinia. In the late sixteenth century the nomadic Oromo people penetrated the Habesha plains occupying large territories during the Oromo migrations . Abyssinian warlords often competed with each other for dominance of the realm. The Amharas seemed to gain

8613-480: The surrounding area. The Habesha people have a rich heritage of music and dance, using drums and stringed instruments tuned to a pentatonic scale . Arts and crafts and secular music are performed mostly by artisans, who are regarded with suspicion. Sacred music is performed and icons are painted only by men trained in monasteries. Abyssinians speak languages belonging to the Ethiopian Semitic branch of

8712-507: The term date to the 3rd century AD and later, when they referred to the people of the Kingdom of Aksum. Edward Ullendorff has asserted that the Tigrayans and the Amhara comprise "Abyssinians proper" and a "Semitic outpost," while Donald N. Levine has argued that this view "neglects the crucial role of non-Semitic elements in Ethiopian culture." Edward Ullendorff and Carlo Conti Rossini 's theory that Ethiosemitic-language speakers of

8811-440: The term, it serves as a useful counter to more exclusionary identities such as "Amhara" or "Tigrayan". However, this usage is not uncontested: On the one hand, those who grew up in Ethiopia or Eritrea may object to the obscuring of national specificity. On the other hand, groups that were subjugated in Ethiopia or Eritrea sometimes find the term offensive. European scholars postulated that the ancient communities that evolved into

8910-554: The throne in 1855. The Tigrayans made only a brief return to the throne in the person of Yohannes IV in 1872, whose death in 1889 resulted in the power base shifting back to the dominant Amharic-speaking elite. His successor Menelik II an Emperor of Amhara origin seized power. Upon Menelik's occupation of the Harar Emirate and other neighboring states, a considerable number of natives were displaced and Abyssinians settled in their place. In Arsi Province , mainly inhabited by

9009-405: The time that the Aksumite empire began to decline, the burgeoning religion of Islam made its first inroads in the Abyssinian highlands. During the first Hijrah , the companions of Muhammad were received in the Aksumite kingdom. The Sultanate of Shewa , established around 896, was one of the oldest local Muslim states. It was centered in the former Shewa province in central Ethiopia. The polity

9108-473: The trade of ivory . It also dominated the trade route in the Red Sea leading to the Gulf of Aden. Its success depended on resourceful techniques, production of coins, steady migrations of Greco-Roman merchants, and ships landing at Adulis. In exchange for Aksum's goods, traders bid many kinds of cloth, jewelry, metals and steel for weapons. At its peak, Aksum controlled territories as far as southern Egypt, east to

9207-487: The upper hand with the accession of Yekuno Amlak of Ancient Bete Amhara in 1270, after defeating the Agaw lords of Lasta (in those days a non-Semitic-speaking region of Abyssinia) The Gondarian dynasty, which since the 16th century had become the centre of Royal pomp and ceremony of Abyssinia, finally lost its influence as a result of the emergence of powerful regional lords, following the murder of Iyasu I , also known as Iyasu

9306-577: The world in diaspora communities but are native residence of Tigray. Areas where Tigrayans have strong ancestral links are: Enderta , Agame , Tembien , Kilite Awlalo , Axum , Raya, Humera, Welkait, and Tsegede. The latter three areas are now under the de facto administration of the Amhara Region , having been forcibly annexed by Amhara during the Tigray War . The Tigrayans trace their origin to early Semitic-speaking peoples whose presence in

9405-663: The year 42 to 52. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church was founded in the 4th century by Syrian monks. Historically, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church have had strong ties with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria , the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria appointing the archbishop for the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. They gained independence from

9504-606: The ḥbš Semitic root ). Other place names in Yemen contain the ḥbš root, such as the Jabal Ḥabaši, whose residents are still called al-Aḥbuš (pl. of Ḥabaš ). The location of the Abasēnoi in Yemen may perhaps be explained by remnant Aksumite populations from the 520s conquest by King Kaleb . King Ezana's claims to Sahlen (Saba) and Dhu-Raydan (Himyar) during a time when such control was unlikely may indicate an Aksumite presence or coastal foothold. Traditional scholarship has assumed that

9603-510: Was minor, limited to a few localities, and disappearing after a few decades or a century. It may have represented a trading colony (trading post) or military installations in a symbiotic or military alliance between the Sabaeans and D`MT. In the reign of King Ezana , c. early 4th century AD, the term "Ethiopia" is listed as one of the nine regions under his domain, translated in the Greek version of his inscription as Αἰθιοπία Aithiopía. This

9702-474: Was ruled by, in Muhammad's estimation, a pious Christian king ( al-najashi ). Muhammad's followers crossed the Red Sea and sought refuge in the Kingdom of Aksum, possibly settling at Negash , a place in present-day Tigray Region. Moreover, Islamic tradition states that Bilal , one of the foremost companions of Muhammad, was from Abyssinia, as were many non-Arab Companions of Muhammad ; in fact, Abyssinians were

9801-468: Was succeeded by the Sultanate of Ifat around 1285. Ifat was governed from its capital at Zeila in northern Somalia . Throughout history, populations in the Horn of Africa had been interacting through migration, trade, warfare and intermarriage. Most people in the region spoke Afroasiatic languages , with the family's Cushitic and Semitic branches predominant. As early as the 3rd millennium BCE,

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