[Lithograph 18]
ABABDEH, NOMADS OF THE EASTERN THEBAID DESERT
 The ʻAbābda(Ababdeh) are camel nomads living in the Eastern Desert lying between the eastern bank of the Nile and the Red Sea, and northern Sudan. They speak Beja, one of the Cushitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic family. Their custom is to saturate their hair with mutton-fat or castor-oil and to thicken it enough to keep combs from falling off. They were cooperative to the Muḥammad ʻAlī government and contributed to the Nubia-Sudan expedition in early 1820s. Their arms consist of a long sword carried by the man in front and a crooked dagger on the waist of the man behind.
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