Can anyone tell me more about the Rashaida people?

They live in Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Eritrea and some other places. All i know is that they were bedouins but my mum is one so i just wanted to learn more about my heritage

Not much found
here goes


The Rashaida are a Bedouin people populating either side of the Red Sea, they come from a major tribe in mainland Arabia called Banu Abs[citation needed], most of the Rashaida live in the Arabian Peninsula. They are primarily Muslims of recent Arab origin, through migration having been expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1846.[2] They speak Arabic.


population of Eritrea
Also occupying the northern plateau are Bilin speakers, whose language belongs to the Cushitic family. The Rashaida are a group of Arabic-speaking nomads who traverse the northern hills.

The Rashaida

The Rashaida are closely related to the Saudi Arabia Bedouin, who migrated to Sudan from the Arabian Peninsula about 150 years ago. Many Rashaida also live in the neighboring country of Eritrea; in fact, they make up five percent of the population of Eritrea (3.75 million people). In Sudan, they number around 68,000, and live mostly in the northeast part of the country on the outskirts of the city of Kassala, one of the most frequently visited spots in Sudan.

The Rashaida are a nomadic people who live in tents made of goatskins. They are herdsmen, breeding primarily goats and sheep. Since they are largely illiterate, they memorize in great detail the pedigree of their animals, keeping mental records of their herds over seven or eight preceding generations of the flock, although they usually only emphasize the female lines.

Besides herding, the Rashaida also gain income through jewelry making. It is the veiled Rashaida women who craft much of the silver jewelry sold in the Kassala souq, or market, which is said to be one of the best in Sudan. Along with the jewelry, the Kassala souq supposedly markets some of the best and juiciest fruits Sudan has to offer.


The Rashaida are primarily Muslim, and very few Christians are known to exist among the group.

Along the beautiful but dry coasts of northern Eritrea live the Rashaida, a people counting some 61,000 (in 2005). Most of them are semi-nomadic camel pastoralists and traders. The Rashaida are one of the smallest but also most fascinating groups of Eritrea, descending from Arab immigrants who came to these shores in the middle of the 19th century. They are the sole people in Eritrea who have Arabic as their native tongue, although the majority are illiterate. Rashaida women are heavily veiled and are donned in beautifully coloured and embroidered dresses, which give them an impressive appearance. They also wear distinctive jewellery and silver bracelets. Men usually wear white djellaba鈥檚 and turbans.