InEthiopia andEritrea, the termsTukrīr (Amharic) andTukrir (Tigrinya[a]) are used to designate persons ofWest orCentral African origin. The terms derives from the city and kingdom ofTakrūr that thrived on the lowerSenegal River in the eleventh century. The place was well-known toArab geographers, and an inhabitant of Takrūr or of West Africa in general was called inArabic a Takrūrī (plural Takārīr or Takārna) from the 14th century onward. Thenisba al-Takrūrī was a common surname for one of West African descent. The Ethiopian terms are derived from the Arabic language.[1]
The Tukrīr primarily inhabit the western edge of theEthiopian Highlands. They are overwhelminglyMuslim. They are mainlyFulani andHausa in origin from the region of the formerKanem–Bornu Empire. There were two major periods of immigration from West Africa to Ethiopia. The first coincided with theFula jihads that lasted from 1804 until 1842; the second with theScramble for Africa, when West Africa was colonized by Europeans between 1885 and 1914.[1]
In the 19th century there was a Tukrīrsheikhdom with its capital atMetemma, sometimes owing tribute to Ethiopia and at other times toEgypt. It ended up dominated byFur from the nearbySultanate of Darfur.[1] It sided with the Mahdists during theMahdist War against Ethiopia (1885–1891) and disappeared with the Mahdists' defeat.[2][3]
The term Fallāta (fromFulani) has largely replaced Takārīr in theSudan as a term for immigrants from West Africa.[4]