Siddiqis in the Horn of Africa Siddiqis in the Horn of Africa Siddiqi () is a Muslim family name, found in the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Sheikh is an additional title used occasionally by Siddiqis to signify noble Arab heritage. According to tradition, people having surname "Siddiqi" are offspring of Abu Bakr Siddique (), the first Khalifa (Caliph) and an early companion and friend of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. People claiming Siddiqi descent can be found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia. However, representatives in these countries are not referred to as Siddiqi, but are instead known by various local names.
Languages of Africa expansion, in which Bantu-speaking peoples expanded over most of Sub-Equatorial Africa, displacing Khoi-San speaking peoples from much of Southeast Africa and Southern Africa and other peoples from Central Africa. Another example is the Arab expansion in the 7th century, which led to the extension of Arabic from its homeland in Asia, into much of North Africa and the Horn of Africa. Trade languages are another age-old phenomenon in the African linguistic landscape. Cultural and linguistic innovations spread along trade routes and languages of peoples dominant in trade developed into languages of wider communication (lingua franca). Of particular importance in this