Tigray History
Geography
Tigray is the northernmost region of the East African country Ethiopia. It is bordered by the Amhara region to the south, Afar region to the east, Eritrea to the north, and Sudan to the west. The region is over 50,000 km2 in size, making it the fifth largest region in Ethiopia. Tigray is known for its very mountainous terrain which has historically been advantageous in fighting foreign invaders. The capital city of Tigray is Mekelle (Mekele or Mek’ele).
The people
Tigrayans are people who live in Tigray and speak the Tigrayan language a.k.a. Tigrinya, which is a Semitic language. Population projection based on the last census in 2007 indicate that Tigray likely has an estimated population of at least 7 million. While Tigrayans are the largest ethnic group native to Tigray, the Kunama and Irob peoples are also native to Tigray and make up approximately 1% of the population.
The majority of Tigrayans trace their origin to early Semitic-speaking peoples whose presence in the region dates back to at least 2000 BC, based on linguistic evidence (and known from the 9th century BC from inscriptions).
Early History
Unique in Africa, Tigray’s civilization dates back at least 3,000 years to the time of the D’MT or DEMT (ደዐመተ) kingdom, which from its central Tigray, ruled over present day Tigray and Eritrea. The DEMT (Damot) kingdom was replaced by what can be described as the greatest civilization in sub-Saharan Africa, which was centered in Axum, Tigray. The ancient Kingdom of Axum (Aksum) ruled over large areas on both sides of the Red Sea and it was considered one of the greatest civilizations in the ancient world. According to UNICEF, the “Kingdom of Aksum was the most powerful state between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia.”
The ruins of the great temple at Yeha, which was the capital city of the Tigrayans before Axum, is the oldest standing structure in this part of the world dating back to 700 BC. Not far from Yeha is the ancient town of Axum, which is believed to be the final resting place of the Arc of the Covenant at the St. Mary of Zion monastery. The ancient port of Adulis in today’s Eritrea, was used by the Axumites for their maritime trade. Settled centuries before Christ and showcasing some of the greatest archaeological and religious heritages of Tigray, the town of Axum is today the holiest place for the tens of millions of followers of the Orthodox Church. Negash, in eastern Tigray, is one of the holiest places in the Islamic world having the earliest Muslim settlement in Africa and the Al Nejashi Mosque, which is the oldest in Africa.
As well as the Giiz (Ge’ez) language that is still used for liturgical purposes, the Tigrayan civilization gave us the writing system still in use today known as the Axumite ‘feedel’ or ‘script’ which is unique in Africa. In fact, Tigrayans possess the only civilization in Africa with a writing system that has been in use continuously for millennia.
