Summary
Negash is a village in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, which straddles the Adigrat to Mekelle road 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) north of Wukro. It is located in Wukro woreda.
Negash | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Negash Location in Ethiopia | |
| Coordinates: 13°52′53″N 39°35′56″E / 13.88139°N 39.59889°E | |
| Country |  Ethiopia |
| Region |  Tigray |
| Zone | Misraqawi (Eastern) |
| Woreda | Wukro |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 7,753 |
| Time zone | EAT |
History edit
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 edit
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 edit
References edit
- ^ Paul B. Henze, Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 43.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Liste des premières mosquées au monde prophètique, rashidun et omeyyade selon les écris historique et les traces archéologiques". Histoire Islamique (in French). 2014-06-15. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
- ^ "Tigray crisis: Ethiopia to repair al-Nejashi mosque". BBC News. January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Tigray Statistical Table", Annex Table 1B CSA website (accessed 27 August 2010)