Apart from local dialects of Arabic, the Bishari speak the Beja language, which belongs to the Afroasiatic family of the Cushitic branch.

Most people of the tribe move within the territory of Sudan, where members have political representation in the Beja Congress.

[4] In 1949, a member of the Bishari tribe stated that when they meet a stranger, they immediately ask "'Are you biggaweijet (=Bišari) or belaeijt (Arab)?'"

'"[5] The Bishari are traditionally nomadic people, working in husbandry of camels, sheep, and goats in the southern part of the Eastern Desert.

[8] Throughout their history, the Bishari tribes have practised numerous different religions, including varieties of paganism, then Christianity and now Islam.