A young Afar girl at Senbete market. Her elaborately decorated hairstyle and beaded jewellery are typical of unmarried girls in her tribe. Facial markings are not unusual.Senbete is an important weekly market close to the western scarp of the Abyssinian Rift. Afar nomads from the low-lying arid regions of Eastern Ethiopia trek long distances there to barter with Amhara and Oromo farmers living in the fertile highlands.Agriculture forms the background of the country's economy with 90 percent of its population earning a living from the land. Markets are, therefore, important commercial and social occasions for those living in scattered rural communities.