Negash Explained

Official Name:Negash
Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Ethiopia
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Ethiopia
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Coordinates:13.8814°N 39.5989°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Ethiopia
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Type2:Zone
Subdivision Name2:Misraqawi (Eastern)
Subdivision Type3:Woreda
Subdivision Name3:Wukro
Population Total:7,753
Population As Of:2007
Timezone:EAT

Negash is a village in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, which straddles the Adigrat to Mekelle road 10km (10miles) north of Wukro. It is located in Wukro woreda.

History

Negash is considered to be the earliest Muslim settlement in Africa; a cemetery from the 7th century CE has been excavated inside the village boundaries.[1] The Futuh al-Habasha records Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi visited the tomb of Ashama ibn Abjar in Negash during his invasion of the province of Tigray (around 1537).[2] Negash is also known for having one of Africa's oldest mosques,[3] that is the Al Nejashi Mosque.

In 2020 during Tigray War, the Al Nejashi Mosque was heavily damaged from shelling and looting.[4]

Demographics

In the statistical tables of the 2007 census published by the Central Statistical Agency, the kebele Negash is located in is reported to have a total population of 7,753 of whom 3,607 are men and 4,146 women; they are distributed amongst 1,689 households in 1,626 housing units. Although it is known for its particular relationship with Islam, 98.2% of the population follows the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the 1.1% of the population is Protestant, and the remaining 0.7% is Muslim.[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Paul B. Henze, Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 43.
  2. Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia, translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), pp. 350f
  3. News: Histoire Islamique . Liste des premières mosquées au monde prophètique, rashidun et omeyyade selon les écris historique et les traces archéologiques . 2014-06-15 . 2017-09-24 . fr-FR.
  4. Web site: Tigray crisis: Ethiopia to repair al-Nejashi mosque. January 5, 2021. BBC News.
  5. http://www.csa.gov.et/index.php?option=com_rubberdoc&view=doc&id=275&format=raw&Itemid=521 "Tigray Statistical Table"