The Jeberti (Tigrinya: ጀበርቲ,, also pronounced Gabarti in Egyptian colloquial Arabic ) are a Muslim clan inhabiting the Horn of Africa, mainly Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen and Oman.

History

Islam was in the Horn of Africa early on from the Arabian Peninsula, shortly after the hijra. Zeila's Masjid al-Qiblatayn (Two-mihrab Mosque) dates to the 7th century, and is one of the oldest mosques in Africa. In the late 9th century, Al-Yaqubi wrote that Muslims were living along the northern Somali seaboard. Among these early migrants was Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, the forefather of the Darod clan family. Al-Maqrizi noted that a number of the Muslims settled in the Zeila-controlled Gabarta region which is presently northeastern Somalia, and from there gradually expanded into the hinterland in the Horn of Africa. The Zara Yaqob chronicles mention the Abyssinian province of Gabar-ge being ruled by a Hegano, a Harari title. The Jabarti are the biggest clan in terms of population and land size in Somalia and a large minority in Yemen, Oman, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Most Jabarti concentrated cities include Asmara, Addis Ababa, Kismayo, Badhan, Garowe, Lasanod, Garbaharrey, Jigjiga, Bosaso, Bardera, Buraan, Garissa, Daleti and Salalah.

Language

The Somali Jabarti clan family speak Somali and Arabic. In Eritrea and Ethiopia they mainly speak Tigrinya and Arabic.