Jeberti people

The Jeberti (also spelled Jabarti, Jaberti, Jebarti or Djeberti) are a Muslim^[1] clan inhabiting the Horn of Africa, mainly Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen.

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 which is presently northeastern Somalia, and from there gradually expanded into the hinterland in the horn of Africa.^[5] The Jebertis (Darod) are the biggest clan interms of population and land size in Somalia and a large minority in Yemen, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Most Jeberti concentrated cities include Asmara, Addis Ababa, Kismayo, Badhan, Garowe, Garbaharey, Jigjiga, Bosaso, Bardera, Buraan and Garissa.

Language

The Jebertis in Somalia are called "Darood"; they seem to be an ancient Cushitic Somali clan family and they speak Somali. In Eritrea they mainly speak Tigrinya, while the Jeberti in Ethiopia speak Tigrinya. Their original language belongs to the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.

See also

• Habesha
• Darood

References

^[1]