Village History

The history of Adi Nefas is woven into the broader story of the Eritrean highlands and the ancient Asgede clan. Origins and the Asgede Lineage According to oral tradition passed down through generations, an ancestor named Asgade came down from the highland of Kabasa. Some accounts say he started from tsnAa degle (ጽንዓ ደግለ), and on his journey he halted at Ad Nefas. His brother chose to stay, founding the community that would become Adi Nefas, while Asgede continued into the lowlands. Asgede went to baQla Habab (ባቕላ ሓባብ), Sahel region. Married Zahra gual Omar TseAda from Hrgigo enda nayb and had four kids - habteyes, teklyes, 'etemariam and Habab. With another woman, he had Osman. Asgede is believed to have twelve children. The descendants became the Three Maflas tribes — the Habab, Ad Takles, and Ad Temaryam — who settled in the Sahel region of Eritrea. They spoke the Tigre language and originally practiced Christianity before many converted to Islam. The Beit Asgede, as they came to be known, were Tigrinya-speaking Orthodox Christians from Akle Guzai who introduced feudal socio-political structures into the Sahel. Meanwhile, the brother clan at Adi Nefas remained in the highlands. The two branches — lowland and highland — are recognized as kin to this day, both called the sons of Asgade. Our story is one of deep roots, resilience, and an unbroken bond between the highlands and the wider world wherever our people have settled.