Asmara grew from four villages founded in the twelfth century. It is said that there were four clans living in the Asmara area. The women of these tribes told them men to join together to fight bandits who had been attacking the area. After they defeated the bandits, a new name was given to the place, "Arbaete Asmara". This name, in the Tigrinya language, meant "the four females united". "Arbaete" was later dropped and the name was made Asmara.