Beja people

Beja

البجا
Beja men dancing
Total population
1,900,000[1]–2,759,000[2]
Regions with significant populations
Eastern Desert
Sudan	2,620,000 (2024)[2]
Eritrea	121,000 (2022)[3]
Egypt	88,000 (2023)[4]
Languages
Arabic (Sudanese Arabic), Beja, Tigre
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Cushites, Tigre, Sudanese Arabs, Nubians

The Beja people (Arabic: البجا, Beja: Oobja, Tigre: በጃ) are a Cushitic ethnic group^[5] native to the Eastern Desert, inhabiting a coastal area from southeastern Egypt through eastern Sudan and into northwestern Eritrea.^[1] They are descended from peoples who have inhabited the area since 4000 BC or earlier,^[1] although they were Arabized by Arabs who settled in the region.^[6] They are nomadic^[1] and live primarily in the Eastern Desert. The Beja number around 1,900,000^[1] to 2,759,000.^[2]

Some of the Beja speak a Cushitic language called Beja and some speak Tigre, an Ethiopian Semitic language; most speak Arabic.^[1][7] In Eritrea and southeastern Sudan, many members of the Beni-Amer grouping speak Tigre. Originally, the Beja did not speak Arabic, but the migration of the numerous Arab tribes of Juhaynah, Mudar, Rabi'a, and many more to the Beja areas contributed to the Arabization and Islamization of them.^[6][8] The Arabs did not however fully settle in the Beja areas as they looked for better climate in other areas.^[8] The Beja have partially mixed with Arabs through intermarriages over the centuries,^[8] and by the 15th century were absorbed into Islam.^[8] The process of Arabization led to the Beja adopting the Arabic language,^[6] Arab clothing,^[9] and Arab kinship organization.^[1]

While many secondary sources identify the Ababda as an Arabic-speaking Beja tribe because of their cultural links with the Bishari, this is a misconception; the Ababda do not consider themselves Beja, nor are they so considered by Beja people.^[10]