The first field season in Negash

Category: Cooperation, Research projects

In December 2025, a research team from the Faculty of Asian and African Cultures at the University of Warsaw carried out in the town of Negash (Tigray, Ethiopia) the faculty’s first project combining ethnographic and archaeological research: NeGaSh – Narratives, Guardianship, Sacredness. The work is led by Dr. Zuzanna Augustyniak from the Chair of African Languages and Cultures and Prof. Kamil Kuraszkiewicz from the Department of Egyptology, in cooperation with Mekelle University, the Tigray Culture and Tourism Bureau, and the Ethiopian Heritage Authority.

Negash holds a unique place in the history of the region and of early Islam. According to local tradition, it was here in the year 615 that a group of companions of the Prophet Muhammad found refuge during the so‑called First Hijra. The refugees were received by the ruler of Aksum, al‑Najashi – remembered to this day as a symbol of tolerance and openness.

The team documented local accounts of these events, especially those passed down by the oldest and most respected members of the community, such as the imam of the modern mosque and representatives of one of Negash’s oldest families. These testimonies make it possible to interpret and theoretically reconstruct the first mosque – now in ruins but still deeply revered by the inhabitants – as well as to recreate the appearance of the former settlement and the life of its people.

At the same time, archaeological research is being conducted in and around the site of the first mosque. The combination of ethnographic and archaeological data allows for a holistic view of Negash’s history and a deeper understanding of how the memory of the First Hijra shapes local identity.

The recently completed field season marks the first stage of a long‑term project, whose subsequent phases aim to expand knowledge about one of the most important sites in the early history of Islam and the heritage of Tigray.