Along the beautiful but dry coasts of northern Eritrea live the Rashaida, a people counting some 61,000 (in 2005). Most of them are semi-nomadic camel pastoralists and traders. The Rashaida are one of the smallest but also most fascinating groups of Eritrea, descending from Arab immigrants who came to these shores in the middle of the 19th century. They are the sole people in Eritrea who have Arabic as their native tongue, although the majority are illiterate. Rashaida women are heavily veiled and are donned in beautifully coloured and embroidered dresses, which give them an impressive appearance. They also wear distinctive jewellery and silver bracelets. Men usually wear white djellaba’s and turbans.