Negash is a village in the

Tigray Region 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 ...

of Ethiopia, which straddles the Adigrat to Mekelle road north of

Wukro Wukro (also transliterated Wuqro, Tigrinya language, Tigrigna: ውቕሮ; also known as Wukro Kilte Awulaelo, Tigrinya language, Tigrigna: ውቕሮ ክልተ ኣውላዕሎ) is a small town and separate Districts of Ethiopia, woreda in Tigray R ...

. It is located in

woreda Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas (; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''List of zones of Ethiopia, zones'' and the ''Regions of Ethiopia, regional states''. These districts are f ...

History

Negash is considered to be the earliest

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

settlement in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

; The ''Futuh al-Habasha'' records

Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (, Harari: አሕመድ ኢብራሂም አል-ጋዚ, ; 21 July 1506 – 10 February 1543) was the Imam of the Adal Sultanate from 1527 to 1543. Commonly named Ahmed ''Gragn'' in Amharic and ''Gurey'' in Somali, ...

visited the tomb of Ashama ibn Abjar in Negash during his invasion of the province of Tigray (around 1537).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 Negash is also known for having one of Africa's oldest

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s, that is the Al Nejashi Mosque. In 2020 during Tigray War, the Al Nejashi Mosque was heavily damaged from shelling and looting.

Demographics

In the statistical tables of the 2007 census published by the Central Statistical Agency, the

kebele A ward (; ; ) is the smallest administrative unit of Ethiopia: a ward, a neighbourhood or a localized and delimited group of people. Somali word that has meaning of collected people where water is fairly sufficient and available to prolongue thei ...

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 Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...

, the 1.1% of the population is

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, and the remaining 0.7% is

."Tigray Statistical Table"
Annex Table 1B CSA website (accessed 27 August 2010)

Climate

Negash, located in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, experiences a semi-arid climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The rainy season spans from June to September, with July and August receiving the heaviest rainfall. Temperatures in Negash are generally warm throughout the year, with cooler nights and occasional variability depending on elevation and rainfall. The dry season, from October to May, sees minimal precipitation, and the landscape remains arid.

References

{{Authority control Islam in Africa Populated places in the Tigray Region

History

Demographics

Climate

See also

References