The descendants of Antarah ibn Shaddad in Eritrea: How did the Rashayda tribe preserve its identity over 180 years?
Jul 5, 2026 Ahmed Sami
The Rashayda tribe, descended from the Arab tribe of Bani Abs whose name is associated with the famous knight and poet Antarah ibn Shaddad, is one of the Arab groups that has most preserved its identity and heritage outside the Arabian Peninsula.
Despite the passage of nearly two centuries since their migration to East Africa, the tribe still retains its language, customs and nomadic lifestyle, and today it is the only officially recognized Arab ethnicity among the nine ethnicities in Eritrea.
Who are the descendants of Antarah ibn Shaddad?
The Rashayda tribe traces its lineage back to the Bani Abs tribe, one of the Qaysi Adnanite tribes that settled in the Hijaz and Najd, and were famous in Arab history for their knights and poets, foremost among them Antarah ibn Shaddad, whom Arabic literature immortalized with stories of heroism, chivalry, and his love story with Abla.
With the rise of tribal conflicts, worsening famines, and the pressures that Arab tribes were subjected to during Ottoman rule, groups of Bani Abs migrated across the Red Sea in 1846, to settle in the coastal areas stretching between Eritrea and northeastern Sudan.
The only Arab nationalism in Eritrea
The Rashaida constitute the smallest officially recognized ethnic group in Eritrea, numbering around 78,000 according to 1996 statistics. Most of them are concentrated in the coastal plains stretching from Massawa to Port Sudan.
After Eritrea gained independence in 1991, the government worked to integrate the tribesmen by providing residential land and establishing schools and health centers, while preserving their cultural and social distinctiveness.
Hijazi dialect and Bedouin life
Despite generations having passed since their migration, the Rashayda still speak a dialect close to that of the Bedouin in the Hejaz, and are known as the last Bedouin group in Eritrea.
The tribe's members rely on raising camels, sheep, and goats, and move between grazing areas, while many of them live in traditional tents made of goatskin and camel and sheep wool, in a scene that reflects the continuation of the lifestyle they brought with them from the Arabian Peninsula.
Rashayda women... the burqa and silver jewelry
The women of the tribe maintain distinctive traditional clothing, most notably the burqa embroidered with silver threads and beads, in addition to dresses with bright colors and geometric patterns.
They are also known for making handmade silver jewelry and selling it in local markets, while social traditions still play an important role in marriage, which is often arranged by the family, with some cases where a woman chooses her life partner by lifting her veil in front of him to express her desire to be with him.
Camels and gold are the foundation of wealth.
Camels are central to the economic life of the Rashayda, as they rely on them for transportation and grazing, and they also raise them to produce meat, participate in races, and sell them to the Gulf countries.
Camel milk holds a central place in their diet, as it is a major source of protein and vitamins, while the combination of grazing, trade and seasonal agriculture has contributed to the formation of wealth based on livestock herds and gold reserves.
Skilled traders and horse races
The Rashayda men are known for their trading skills, transporting goods from the Middle East using camels or modern vehicles. Horse racing also holds a special place in their social events, along with the "Zareeb" dance performed at weddings and religious celebrations
An identity that has stood the test of time
Despite the challenges the tribe has faced since its migration from the Arabian Peninsula in the nineteenth century, the Rashayda have managed to preserve their Arabic language, customs, traditions, and Bedouin lifestyle, remaining a unique example of the continuity of Arab identity outside its original homeland, and a historical extension of the Bani Abs tribe, whose name is associated with Antarah ibn Shaddad, one of the most famous Arab knights in history.
