The first recorded historical description of the region and the inhabitants of North-East Africa goes back about 4,800 years to the time of the ancient pharaonic Egyptians.
The coastal region of North-East Africa, approximately between today’s the Red Sea port of Suwakin in the north, and the Cape of Guardafui in the southeast, was dimly known to the pharaonic Egyptians as the Land of Punt, the land of spices and deities.
They also called the people of Punt by the name of Habasha. In the opinion of one leading Egyptologist, the historical origin of the name “Habasha” in reference to both the Aksumites and the present Ethiopians in the subcontinent seems to be from Punt.
According to the hieroglyphical records and the study of the pharaonic Egyptians, between the 5th and 18th dynasties of that ancient country, that is, between ca. 2800 and 1300 B.C., the great Egyptian rulers like Suhare (2743-2731 B.C) and Hatshepsut (1504-1482 B.C) every so often used to dispatch commercial expeditions to the Puntite land, both by the sea and land routes of the Red Sea and the Nile Valley.
The direction of the Egyptian Nile Valley route to Punt seems to be via the Nubia-Atbara-Barka caravan line.
In the long list of Puntite natural products of minerals, animals, and woods imported by the Egyptians, antimony, electrum, gold, gold dust, malachite, silver, eye cosmetic, apes, asses, bulls, calves, cynocephali, feathers, giraffes, greyhounds, ivory, monkeys, ostrich eggs, ostrich feathers, oxen, panthers, panther skins, rhinoceros horn, balsam, boomerangs, cinnamon wood, ebony fragrant gums, frankincense, incense, myrrh,..were included.
The Egyptian artist who painted the picture of the Hatshepsut commercial fleet of five ships to the Puntite land under the leadership of a certain captain Nehasi, 3500 years ago, left behind for humanity the only known documentary evidence of Punt’s natural and human scenery with its people, houses, plants, and animals including the king and queen of the country named Perehu and Ati, respectively.
This famous painting of Punt has been preserved in the Hatshepsut Temple of Deir el Bahari in Egypt as the first and extant historical document of the land and people of ancient Ethiopia.
Keywords: Ethiopia, Punt, habasha, North-East Africa, Egyptians, land of spices and deities, Habasha,
7 responses so far ↓
1 Axmed Gurey // Oct 11, 2008 at 4:59 pm
you will lick your wounds properly one day, bastarda
2 Axmed Gurey // Oct 11, 2008 at 5:00 pm
long live somalia
3 Fake history = Ethiopia // Dec 2, 2008 at 11:55 am
Another Ethiopian creating fake history. Ethiopia of today is only 100 years old. Amhara and the majority of Ethiopians have nothing to do with Aksumite empire and other empires that started in Eritrea. You guys are Oromos and not Habesha. Just because you ware Habesha cloths today and except the Habesha culture from the people of ancient Eritrea does not mean you baboons are of Habesha Origins.
Leave ancient Eritrean history for Eritreans you dirty lost Oromo, now known as “amhara people”.
4 Fake History // Apr 10, 2009 at 3:47 am
Those comments, true or not, give the impression that you may be somewhat mentally disturbed.
5 Kassaye // Dec 31, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I think we must be sober when we comment. Our emotions should not govern us. Forget these derogatory words; attempt to be rational. What you think and write tells the level of your mind.
Let’s be critical and analytical than disparaging people.
6 ali shire // Jan 3, 2010 at 9:12 am
We awer of punt of land where is and also we know their capital where it was , and we can get the map of punt .
part of Eriteria land, part of yaman djabuti, and Somaliland was called punt of land and thier capital CIty was Erigavo region in somaliland
and also we have many many evendences lake building, arts, cultures , even part of language e.g myrrh, sap , and many words are somali language and also I have there’s last palces the ruled and I have thier last king his name .
7 ali shire // Jan 3, 2010 at 9:30 am
I am going to talk the word of HABASHA wich people called Habasha and where are they now ?
some people they believe habasha are Etopian but the question is. wich tripe called habasha and were are they life right now.
Habasha it has two meaning difrent , first the lands of Ethoipia ,erateria,djaputi, and somaliland was called habasha land or ardul Habash.
and second meaning is the majoraty tripe of somaliland is a ISACC or ISAQ. so they are two party party of them is called Magado and another party is HABASHA an also they have another neck name is it Habar Je’lo
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