Balaw (or Belew) is an

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

speaking nomadic tribe of Beja and

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

ancestry inhabiting the area of western and southern

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

. The origin of the Balaw is thought to be somewhere along the

Suakin Suakin or Sawakin (, Beja: ''Oosook'') is a port city in northeastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about north. Suakin used to be considered the height ...

area of eastern Sudan. During the second wave of the Beja migrations into Eritrea, the Balaw people, a then predominantly Christian group of mixed Beja and Bedouin ancestry, entered the country between the 12th and 15th centuries CE. Some groups continued down the coast up until

Zeila Zeila (, ), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila with the Biblical location of Havilah. Most modern schola ...

where they influenced the political and social configurations and attained positions of political preeminence. For centuries, the Na’ib family of Balaw origin controlled the region. They lived in towns like

Arkiko Arkiko (, Afar and Saho: ''Hirg-Higo'', alternately Archigo, Arqiqo, Ercoco, Hirgigo, Hargigo or Harkiko) historically known as Dokono is a town in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea. Situated on the Red Sea, it lies on the mainland across f ...

and

Massawa Massawa or Mitsiwa ( ) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea Region, Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak Archipelago. It has been a historically important port for ...

and several villages. The Balaw were scattered across Eritrea and mixed with other tribes. They were the ruling class of the Bani Amer until they were replaced by a

Ja'alin The Ja'alin, Ja'aliya, Ja'aliyin or Ja'al () are an Arabs, Arab or Arabised Nubians, Nubian tribe in Sudan. They claim Arab descent. The Ja'alin formerly occupied the country on both banks of the Nile from Khartoum to Abu Hamad; Citation: ''The A ...

family from Eastern Sudan. Since the 16th century, their main center was

. The

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

recognised their power and appointed their chief as the Na'ib of the

Habesh Eyalet Habesh Eyalet (; ) was an Ottoman eyalet. It was also known as the Eyalet of Jeddah and Habesh, as Jeddah was its chief town, and Habesh and Hejaz. It extended on the areas of coastal Hejaz and Northeast Africa of Eritrea that border the Red Se ...

. Because of their influence and control over the Samhar region, the Balaw played a major role in local history. During the Egyptian occupation, a member of the Na'ib family was made the

Sirdar The rank of Sirdar () – a variant of Sardar – was assigned to the British Commander-in-Chief of the British-controlled Egyptian Army in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Sirdar resided at the Sirdaria, a three-block-long prope ...

of the troops in Massawa. The Balaw of Samhar also helped spread Islam in Eritrea. They were granted land in the highlands by the Ras of

Tigray The Tigray Region (or simply Tigray; officially the Tigray National Regional State) is the northernmost Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob people, Irob and Kunama people. I ...

, which became centres for Islamic teaching. Their agents traveled widely, collecting tribute and trade dues.

References

Arabic-speaking people Cushitic-speaking peoples Modern nomads Blemmyes {{Eritrea-stub