
What is afar?
AFAR is the award-winning travel media brand that makes a positive impact on the world through high-quality storytelling that inspires, empowers, and enriches travelers who care. Edited for an affluent and sophisticated audience, AFAR attracts highly engaged readers who have both the desire and the means to pursue the luxury of experience.
Where do Afar people live?
Written By: Afar, Amharic Adal, Arabic Danakil (singular), a people of the Horn of Africa who speak Afar, a language of the Eastern Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. They live in northeastern Ethiopia, southeastern Eritrea, and Djibouti, where, with the Issas, they are the dominant people.
What is the history of the Afar people?
The most notable sultanates in the history of the Afar include the Adal Sultanate, the Sultanate of Dawe, and the Sultanate of Tadjouran. Currently, most of the Afar people are under the governance of modern governments although those on the fringes maintain their traditional structures.
Who is afar's board?
Comprised of leaders across the scientific, medical, business, and civic sectors, AFAR's Board of Directors helps further the work of our dedicated staff. AFAR's Impact on Aging Research & Aging Research's Impact on Your Vitality and Longevity.

What do the Afar people do?
The Afar are mainly livestock holders, primarily raising camels but also tending to goats, sheep, and cattle. However, shrinking pastures for their livestock and environmental degradation have made some Afar instead turn to cultivation, migrant labor, and trade.
Are Afar people Arab?
The Afar people are believed to be the descendants of Arabs, potentially from Yemen. They settled on farm land in the Ethiopian highlands some time before 1000AD and have since been nomadic pastoralists, raising goats, sheep and cattle.
Are Afar and Somali related?
The Afar are a distinct Eastern Cushite people, whose language and culture are related to the Somali and Oromo. They are very traditional in culture and belief, retaining many ancient Cushite animistic practices.
How old is the Afar tribe?
Such inhospitable conditions haven't stopped the Afar, who regard themselves as the oldest of Ethiopia's ethnic groups having occupied their arid homeland for at least 2,000 years. One of the Afar's claims to fame is due to an anthropological find in the Afar Depression.
What do Afar men wear?
jileMarried women traditionally wear a black headscarf called a shash. Afar men are also known for wearing the jile, a long, double-edged curved dagger, at their waists.
What language do Afar speak?
Afar, Amharic Adal, Arabic Danakil (singular; now pejorative), a people of the Horn of Africa who speak Afar (also known as 'Afar Af), a language of the Eastern Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family.
Is Afar part of Tigray?
96% of Tigrayans are Orthodox Christian. Tigray is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, the Amhara Region to the south and the Afar Region to the east and southeast....Tigray Region.Tigray Region ክልል ትግራይCoordinates: 13°34′30″N 39°05′15″ECountryEthiopiaCapitalMekelleGovernment23 more rows
Are Afar indigenous to Djibouti?
Djibouti contains two indigenous ethno-linguistic groups, the Afar (sometimes also called the Danakil) and the Somali. (Djibouti Somalis primarily belong to the Issa clan of the Dir clan-family, which covers two-thirds of Djibouti and extends into adjacent Somalia and Ethiopia.)
How old are Somalis?
Around 1200 A.D., Somali people appeared in southern Ethiopia and then migrated into northern Kenya 150 years later. They then gradually moved north and occupied the Horn of Africa. For centuries, parts of the Horn of Africa were under Egyptian rule. By the 10th century, most Somalis had already converted to Islam.
How do the Afar people survive?
The Afar are a nomadic people who rely on their herds of camels, cattle, sheep and goats to survive and frequently move around in order to find water in the dry harsh deserts.
Are Afar people indigenous?
The Afar are a proud, resilient, unconquered and fascinating people who have kept their indigenous identity alive in a part of the world that is inhospitable and which has seen its share of religious and political turmoil. Today they are poor and marginalized.
How many people speak Afar language?
Geographic distribution. The Afar language is spoken as a mother tongue by the Afar people in Djibouti, Eritrea, and the Afar Region of Ethiopia. According to Ethnologue, there are 1,379,200 total Afar speakers.
Where are Oromos from?
EthiopiaThe Oromo people are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia.
Which country is Afar?
EthiopiaAfar RegionAfar Region አፋር ክልል Qafar RakaakayakCountryEthiopiaCapitalSemeraGovernment• Chief AdministratorAwol Arba13 more rows
Is Afar part of Tigray?
96% of Tigrayans are Orthodox Christian. Tigray is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, the Amhara Region to the south and the Afar Region to the east and southeast....Tigray Region.Tigray Region ክልል ትግራይCoordinates: 13°34′30″N 39°05′15″ECountryEthiopiaCapitalMekelleGovernment23 more rows
Are Afar indigenous to Djibouti?
Djibouti contains two indigenous ethno-linguistic groups, the Afar (sometimes also called the Danakil) and the Somali. (Djibouti Somalis primarily belong to the Issa clan of the Dir clan-family, which covers two-thirds of Djibouti and extends into adjacent Somalia and Ethiopia.)
What is the Afar known for?
In addition, the Afar are reputed for their martial prowess. Men traditionally carry the jile, a famous curved knife. They also have an extensive repertoire of battle songs.
Where are the Afar?
The Afar principally reside in the Danakil Desert in the Afar Region of Ethiopia, as well as in Eritrea and Djibouti. They number 2,276,867 people in Ethiopia (or 2.73% of the total population), of whom 105,551 are urban inhabitants, according to the most recent census (2007). The Afar make up over a third of the population of Djibouti, and are one of the nine recognized ethnic divisions ( kililoch) of Ethiopia.
What language do Afars speak?
The Afar speak the Afar language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. Afars are the only inhabitants of the Horn of Africa whose traditional territories border both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
What are the two groups of Afar?
According to Elisée Reclus, Afar are divided into two groups, the Asaimara and the Adoimara, these groups are further subdivided into upwards of one hundreds and fifty sub-tribes according to their interests but all combine against the common enemy. The Modaitos who occupy the region of the lower Awash are the most powerful and no European traversed their territory without claiming the right of hospitality or the brotherhood of blood. Irregular climate often causes the Afar to migrate into Issa territory when their pastures are dry and they reciprocate the hospitality to maintain harmony. From the 1840s, some Afar's help Europeans by providing, for a fee, the security of Western caravans that circulated between the southern coast of the Red Sea and central Ethiopia. Towards the end of the 19th century, the sultanates of Raheita and Tadjoura on the coasts of the Red Sea are then colonized between European powers: Italy forms Italian Eritrea with Assab and Massawa, and France the French Somaliland in Djibouti, but the inland Aussa in the south was able to maintain its independence for longer. Even comparatively fertile and located on the Awash River, it was demarcated from the outside by surrounding desert areas. It was not until 1895 that Ethiopia, under Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia, sent an army from Shewa against Aussa on the grounds that the Sultan had allied himself with the Italian colonizers. As a result, the sultanate paid tribute to Ethiopia, but retained extensive autonomy.
What happened to the Afar settlements after the death of the Adal leader?
After the death of the Adal leader Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, Afar settlements were overtaken in Hararghe by the result of the Oromo migrations. The Issa Somali also took advantage of the crippled Afar and occupied large swaths of their territory in the north west of East Africa.
What religion do Afar people follow?
Afar people are predominantly Muslim. They have a long association with Islam through the various local Muslim polities and practice the Sunni form of Islam, or non-denominational Islam. Majority of the Afar had adopted Islam by the 13th century due to the expanding influence of holy men and traders from the Arabian peninsula. The Afar mainly follow the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islam. Sufi orders like the Qadiriyya are also widespread among the Afar. Afar religious life is somewhat syncretic with a blend of Islamic concepts and pre-Islamic ones such as rain sacrifices on sacred locations, divination, and folk healing. Another strand or self-identification adopted by the Afar is that of the non-denominational Muslim.
What were the Afar provinces?
When a modern administrative system was introduced in Ethiopia after the Second World War, the Afar areas controlled by Ethiopia were divided into the provinces of Eritrea, Tigray, Wollo, Shewa and Hararge. Tribal leaders, elders and religious and other dignitaries of the Afar tried unsuccessfully in the government from 1961 to end this division. Following an unsuccessful rebellion led by the Afar Sultan, Alimirah Hanfare, the Afar Liberation Front was founded in 1975 to promote the interests of the Afar people. Sultan Hanfadhe was shortly afterward exiled to Saudi Arabia. Ethiopia's then-ruling communist Derg regime later established the Autonomous Region of Assab (now called Aseb and located in Eritrea ), although low-level insurrection continued until the early 1990s. In Djibouti, a similar movement simmered throughout the 1980s, eventually culminating in the Afar Insurgency in 1991. After the fall of the Derg that same year, Sultan Hanfadhe returned from exile.
Where are the Afar people from?
The Afar people are a nomadic eastern Cushitic community found in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti. Ethiopia has the highest population of the Afar people at about 1,276,372 people followed by Eritrea with 526,000, and Djibouti with 306,000. The Afar speaks the Afar language, which is closely related to other Cushitic languages such as the Oromo, ...
What is the movement of the Afar?
The movement of the Afar is related to the seasonal changes in weather patterns and availability of water and pasture. During movement, the Afar carry their houses and reassemble them at their new settlement. The Afar people, unlike most Muslim communities, are a monogamous group with marriages occurring mainly among first cousins.
What sultanate did the Afar have?
The most notable sultanates in the history of the Afar include the Adal Sultanate, the Sultanate of Dawe, and the Sultanate of Tadjouran. Currently, most of the Afar people are under the governance of modern governments although those on the fringes maintain their traditional ...
What religion do the Afar people practice?
Religion Of The Afar People. The Afar people are Muslims and base most of their traditions and practices around the Islamic faith. Although some of the community members still practice traditional Cushitic religions, they recognize the importance of Islam within their lives. Others are lax about practicing Islam.
What language do Afar speak?
The Afar speaks the Afar language, which is closely related to other Cushitic languages such as the Oromo, Saho, and Somali. Though the origin of the Afar is not precisely known, they are linked to Yemeni Arabs. The first records of the Afar in Ethiopia date back to the thirteenth century.
What is the culture of the Afar people?
Culture Of The Afar People. The Afar people are predominantly nomadic basing their lives around livestock including camels, goats, sheep, and sometimes cattle. Like in most nomadic communities, the size of cattle is a direct indicator of a man’s wealth and social status. The movement of the Afar is related to the seasonal changes in weather ...
What is the social organization of the Afar people?
Social, Economic And Political Organization Of The Afar People. The Afar are a patriarchal community with most men taking leadership roles. The basic social organization of the community is the family then the clan. Within the family, women have the responsibility of running the home, setting up houses, and milking goats.
What is AFAR magazine?
AFAR is a publication focused on experiential travel. The company also operates a non-profit foundation providing scholarships for educational journeys for students. Greg Sullivan and Joseph Diaz launched the magazine in 2009, after a six-week trip to India.
Where is Afar magazine located?
AFAR is headquartered in San Francisco, California and has an office in New York City. The magazine was featured on The Martha Stewart Show, and has received awards in the travel writing and journalism industry ( Lowell Thomas Awards ). Content is also available on the magazine's website and mobile application.
What is Afar's family?
Afar is classified within the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. It is further categorized in the Lowland East Cushitic sub-group, along with Saho and Somali. Its closest relative is the Saho language.
What is the word order in Afar?
As in most other Cushitic languages, the basic word order in Afar is subject–object–verb.
Where is the Afar language spoken?
It is spoken by the Afar people inhabiting Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia .
What language do Afar speakers speak?
In education, however, Afar speakers prefer Arabic – which many of them speak as a second language – as the language of instruction. In the Afar Region of Ethiopia, Afar is also recognized as an official working language.
Who created the Afar alphabet?
In the early 1970s, two Afar intellectuals and nationalists, Dimis and Redo, formalized the Afar alphabet. Known as Qafar Feera, the orthography is based on the Latin script.
Is Afar a national language?
Official status. In Djibouti, Afar is a recognized national language. It is also one of the broadcasting languages of the Radio Television of Djibouti public network. In Eritrea, Afar is recognized as one of nine national languages which formally enjoy equal status although Tigrinya and Arabic are by far of greatest significance in official usage.
Where did Azar work?
Between 1996 and 2001, Azar worked for Wiley Rein, a Washington, D.C., law firm, where he achieved partner status.
What is Azar responsible for?
As secretary of Health and Human Services, Azar was responsible for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a key institution in charge of containing contagious diseases. On January 28, 2020, Azar requested that the Chinese government allow a CDC expert team into their country to help them learn more about the virus. Referring to the SARS epidemic 17 years earlier, Azar said, "I can say that the posture of the Chinese government levels of cooperation and interaction with us is completely different from what we experienced in 2003 and I want to commend them for such assistance." The World Health Organization had already agreed to supply international experts to visit China "as soon as possible". Seventy-three possible cases were being monitored in the U.S. Simultaneously, the CDC had ramped up coronavirus screenings of travelers coming into the U.S. at 20 airports. Azar said it might be possible to ban any travelers arriving from China, and all options had to be considered. "Diseases are not terribly good at respecting borders", he added.
Why did Ron Wyden write to Azar?
On February 28, 2020, United States Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden wrote Azar to ask why employees of the HHS Administration for Children and Families were involuntarily dispatched to California to meet with quarantined travelers despite lacking expertise in the field and lacking proper information, equipment, and training. Wyden also asked why said employees were not cleared to ensure that they had not become carriers of the disease before they were returned to their home stations.
Why was Azar criticized?
On March 2, 2020, Azar was criticized for unpreparedness that may have accelerated the spread of the virus. Some critics focused on the lack of definitive testing of those who might be spreading the virus. China had tested over one million people, while the CDC had tested fewer than 500 and its results had been undermined by problems with accuracy and potential contamination. There was substantial internal feuding with regard to formulation of policy at HHS and the CDC.
What did Azar do in 2020?
In September 2020, Azar forbade health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, from making new rules on foods, medicines, medical devices, or other products, including vaccines, without his permission. His memo to the agencies declared that such power "is reserved to the Secretary.".
Why did Azar leave Eli Lilly?
In January 2017, Azar resigned from Eli Lilly "to pursue other career opportunities" as a result of a company reorganization. He also resigned from the board of directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. In his last year at the corporation he earned $2 million.
How much is Alex Azar worth?
former pharmaceutical executive. Net worth. $8.7 million. Alex Michael Azar II ( / ˈeɪzɑːr /; born June 17, 1967) is an American politician, attorney, businessman, lobbyist, and former pharmaceutical executive who served as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2018 to 2021. Azar was nominated to his post by President Donald ...

Overview
The Afar (Afar: Qafár), also known as the Danakil, Adali and Odali, are a Cushitic-speaking ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, as well as the entire southern coast of Eritrea. The Afar speak the Afar language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. Afars are the only inhabitants of the Horn of Africa whose …
History
The earliest surviving written mention of the Afar is from the 13th-century Andalusian writer Ibn Sa'id, who reported that they inhabited the area around the port of Suakin, as far south as Mandeb, near Zeila. They are mentioned intermittently in Ethiopian records, first as helping Emperor Amda Seyon in a campaign beyond the Awash River, then over a century later when they assist…
Demographics
The Afar principally reside in the Danakil Desert in the Afar Region of Ethiopia, as well as in Eritrea and Djibouti. They number 2,276,867 people in Ethiopia (or 2.73% of the total population), of whom 105,551 are urban inhabitants, according to the most recent census (2007). The Afar make up over a third of the population of Djibouti, and are one of the nine recognized ethnic divisions (k…
Society
Afar people are predominantly Muslim. They have a long association with Islam through the various local Muslim polities and practice the Sunni sect of Islam. A majority of the Afar had adopted Islam by the 13th century due to the expanding influence of holy men and traders from the Arabian peninsula. The Afar mainly follow the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islam. Sufi orders like the Qadiriyya are also wi…
See also
• Afar Depression
• Aussa Sultanate
• Kwosso
• Mudaito Dynasty
Further reading
• Jeangene Vilmer, Jean-Baptiste; Gouery, Franck (2011). Les Afars d'Éthiopie. Dans l'enfer du Danakil. ISBN 9782352701088. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013.
External links
• Omniglot - Afar language
• Ethnologue - Afar - A Language of Ethiopia
Religion of The Afar People
Culture of The Afar People
- The Afar people are predominantly nomadic basing their lives around livestock including camels, goats, sheep, and sometimes cattle. Like in most nomadic communities, the size of cattle is a direct indicator of a man’s wealth and social status. The movement of the Afar is related to the seasonal changes in weather patterns and availability of water and pasture. During movement, t…
Social, Economic and Political Organization of The Afar People
- The Afar are a patriarchal community with most men taking leadership roles. The basic social organization of the community is the family then the clan. Within the family, women have the responsibility of running the home, setting up houses, and milking goats. During ceremonies, women lead in songs. While most of them are nomadic herders, others hav...