Afar People

The Afar people come to mine salt at Lake Assal. It is their only means of living. The salt lakes boast a vastness of raw beauty. The effects created when the salt is covered with water are an outstanding masterpiece of unbelievable formations. The Afar miners mine the salt by hand and then it is transported by the famous Salt Caravans that stretch for miles as they travel.

Afar people are predominantly Muslim. They have a long association with Islam through the various local Muslim polities and practice the Sunni sect of Islam.

The camels baring heavy loads of 6 to 6.5 pounds, blocks strapped to their bodies on either side as they walk through the desert for 3 days.

Afar People Mining Salt

Each day, Afar miners chop salt from the earth under the hot sun, then load the minerals onto camels and donkeys, march for days to market towns. The Most Afar people live as nomadic herders of camels, goats, sheep, and cattle. The size of a man's herd is an indication of his wealth. Whole families are involved in this salt trade and transporting of the salt from salt deposit sites to the road which accommodates motorised vehicles. The majority of Afar had adopted Islam by the 13th century due to the expanding influence of holy men and traders from the Arabian peninsula.

Three Day Journey to Dallol Town

A salt caravan crossing the desert, Danakil Depression Sufi orders like the Qadiriyya are also widespread among Afar. Afar's religious life is somewhat syncretic with a blend of Islamic concepts and pre-Islamic ones such as rain sacrifices on sacred locations, divination, and folk healing.