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BEJA (or BiJA)

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 659 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BEJA (or BiJA) , the name under which is comprised a wide-spread See also:family of tribes, usually classed as Hamitic. They may, however, represent very See also:early Semitic immigrants (see HAMITIC RACES). When first recorded the Beja occupied the whole region between the See also:Nile and the Red See also:Sea from the border of Upper See also:Egypt to the See also:foot of the Abyssinian See also:plateau. They were known to the See also:ancient Egyptians, upon whose monuments they are represented. They are the Blemmyes of See also:Strabo (xvii. 53), and have also been identified with the Macrobii of See also:Herodotus, " tallest and finest of men " (iii. 17). It has been suggested, though on insufficient grounds, that the Beja, rather than the Abyssinians, are the " Ethiopians " of Herodotus, the civilized See also:people who built the See also:city of Meroe and its pyramids. During the See also:Roman See also:period the Beja were much what they are to-See also:day, nomadic and aggressive, and were constantly at See also:war. In 216 A.H. (A.D. 832) the Moslem See also:governor of See also:Assuan made a treaty with the Beja See also:chief, by which the latter undertook to guard the road to Aidhab and pay an See also:annual See also:tribute of one See also:hundred camels.

This is the earliest See also:

record of a See also:government engagement with the See also:northern See also:section of the Beja, now the See also:Ababda. See also:Ibn Batuta, early in the 14th See also:century, mentions a See also:king of Beja, El Hadrabi, who received two-thirds of the See also:revenue of Aidhab, the other third going to the king of Egypt. The Beja territory contained See also:gold and See also:emerald mines. The tribesmen were-the usual escort for pilgrims to See also:Mecca from Kus to Aidhab. According to See also:Leo See also:Africanus, at the See also:close of the 14th or very early in the 15th century their See also:rich See also:town of Zibid (Aidhab?) on the Red Sea was destroyed. This seems to have broken up the tribal cohesion. Leo Africanus describes the Beja as " most See also:base, miserable and living only on See also:milk and camels' flesh." In the See also:middle ages the Beja, partially at any See also:rate, were Christians. The See also:kingdom of Meroe was succeeded by that of " Aloa," the See also:capital of which, Soba, was on the See also:Blue Nile, about 13 M. above See also:Khartum. The See also:country was conquered by the See also:Funj (q.v.), a See also:negroid people who subsequently became See also:Mahommedan and compelled the Beja to adopt that See also:religion. Until the invasion of the Egyptians, under See also:Ismail, son of Mehemet All (1820), the Funj remained in See also:possession. All the Beja are now Mahommedans, but generally only so in name, though some of the tribes enthusiastically fought for Mandiism (1883--99). As a See also:race the Beja are remarkable forphysical beauty, with a See also:colour more red than See also:black, and of a distinctly Caucasic type of See also:face.

The chiefs are, as a See also:

rule, of much fairer complexion than the tribesmen. In spite of their claim to Arab origin, the tribes have preserved many See also:negro customs in the See also:matter of See also:costume and scarring the See also:body. Their See also:hair-dressing is very characteristic. The hair, worn thick as a See also:protection against the See also:sun, is parted in a circle See also:round the See also:head on a level with the eyes, above which the hair, saturated with mutton See also:fat or See also:butter, is trained straight up like a See also:mop, with See also:separate tufts at sides and back. Most of the tribes are nomadic shepherds, See also:driving their See also:cattle from pasture to pasture; some few are occupied in See also:agriculture. They are polygynous, but, unlike the See also:Arabs, See also:great See also:independence is granted their See also:women. Among most of the Beja peoples the wife can return to her See also:mother's See also:tent whenever she likes, and after a See also:birth of a See also:child she can repudiate the See also:husband, who must make a See also:present to be re-accepted. Cases are said to have occurred where the woman has thus obtained all her husband's possessions. The whole social position of the Beja women points, indeed, to an earlier matriarchal See also:system. Among some of the tribes the See also:custom of the " See also:fourth day See also:free " is observed, by which the women are only considered married for so many days a See also:week, forming what liaisons they please on the See also:odd day. The chief Beja tribes are the Ababda, See also:Bisharin, See also:Hadendoa, Beni-Amer, See also:Amarar, Shukuria, Hallenga and Hamran.

End of Article: BEJA (or BiJA)

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BEJA (probably the ancient Pax Julia)

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