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Jeberti people

Muslim clan in the Horn of Africa From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Jeberti also Jaberti or Jabarti (Arabic: الجبرتي, romanized: al-Jabartī, also pronounced Gabarti in Egyptian colloquial Arabic[1]) are a Muslim[2] clan inhabiting the Horn of Africa and Southern Arabia, mainly Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen and Oman.[3][4]

Quick facts الجبرتي, Regions with significant populations ...
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Etymology

The earliest mention of the term "Jabart" appears in Ptolemy’s Geographia, where he references a region, Gabartus Mons, which he places about 250 miles from Avalites, with the actual distance being 225 miles, indicating a reasonably accurate ancient mapping. The region, situated by the Gulf of Aden, is associated with the myrrh country, a known trade area in the Horn of Africa.[5][6]

The Arabic term "al-Jabartī" (الجبرتي) may derive from "Jabart" or "Jabarah," which medieval Arab geographers and historians used to describe the region,[7] particularly the lowland, semi-arid to desert areas around Zeila and extending further into eastern Ethiopian territories. This vast area was characterized by its intense heat, leading to the descriptor "the burning land."[8]

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History

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Islam was in the Horn of Africa early on from the Arabian Peninsula, shortly after the hijra. Zeila's Masjid al-Qiblatayn dates back to the 7th century, and is one of the oldest mosques in Africa.[9] In the late 9th century, Al-Yaqubi wrote that Muslims were living along the northern Somali seaboard.[10] Among these early migrants was Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, the forefather of the Darod clan family.[11] Al-Maqrizi noted that a number of the Muslims settled in the Zeila-controlled Gabarta region which is presently northeastern Somalia, and from there gradually expanded into the hinterland in the Horn of Africa.[12]

At the time, a merchant class developed in the region known as Jabarti. Largely in response to a long-held Ethiopian aversion to trade as an occupation, the Muslim principalities expanded towards the Awash River and beyond.[13] The Zara Yaqob chronicles also mentions the Abyssinian province of Gabar-ge being ruled by a Hegano.[14]

The Jabarti are the second biggest clan in terms of population and land size in Somalia and a large minority in Yemen, Oman, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Most Jabarti concentrated cities include Asmara, Addis Ababa, Kismayo, Badhan, Garowe, Lasanod, Garbaharrey, Jigjiga, Bosaso, Bardera, Buraan, Garissa, Daleti and Salalah.

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Language

The Somali Jabarti clan family speak Somali and Arabic. In Eritrea and Ethiopia they mainly speak Tigrinya and Arabic.

See also

References

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