20/01/2025
The “Suruxso” people (ሱርክሶ ሕዝብ), correctly referred to as “Suri Kiso” (ሱሪ ኪሶ), are a group of Saho origin from the Buri Peninsula near the Red Sea. The name “Suri Kiso” in Saho means “descendants of Suri,” with “Suri” being the person’s name and “Kiso” meaning clan or descendants. Thus, the name “Suri-Kiso” signifies the descendants of Suri from Buri.
Their history traces back to the 6th century when two individuals migrated to the Irob region, specifically to Maebino (ማዕቢኖ) from the Buri (ቡሪ) Peninsula. One of these individuals, named Suri, became the namesake of the people, and his original tribe in Buri is known as Serwan (ሰርዋን). The Serwans (ሰርዋን), Turan (ጣሩዓን/ጣሩዓ), and Hazwan (ሓዝዋን/ሓዞ) are known Saho tribes in the region, particularly Eritrea. Maebino is situated a few kilometers from Assimba Mountain and is in close proximity to the Gundagundo Monastery and Alitena Town.
Maebino is notable for being the home of Abba Zewengel’s Meskele Kirstos Church, which was constructed in the 6th century during the reign of Emperor Geberemeskel, the son of Emperor Kaleb. Suri is believed to have been baptized in Maebino and was given land around Sebeya where the Suri-Kiso established themselves. Buri and the wider Buya and Galelo region are known for being some of the oldest settled regions in the world.