Bohra Jamat of Addis Ababa / Ethiopia

The Bohra community of Addis Ababa is part of the wider East African Bohra presence — a network of communities established through the centuries-long Indian Ocean trade that connected Gujarat with the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and the Swahili coast. Ethiopia occupies a unique place in Islamic history as the land of Abyssinia — the first country to which the early Muslim community sent its refugees fleeing Meccan persecution. The Negus (king) of Abyssinia gave the early Muslims sanctuary, and the Prophet (SAW) instructed his companions to treat Abyssinia with particular respect. The Bohra community in Addis Ababa carries this Islamic historical memory as it maintains its distinctive identity in one of Africa's most historically significant cities. The jamat serves Bohra families engaged in trade and professional activities in Ethiopia's capital and economic centre.