Gallabat
Encyclopedia
Gallabat is a village in the Sudan
ese state of Al Qadarif
. It lies at one of the country's border crossing points with Ethiopia
; on the other side of the border is Ethiopia's corresponding border village Metemma
.
, who, finding the spot a convenient resting-place for their fellow-pilgrims on their way to Mecca
and back, obtained permission from the Emperor of Ethiopia
to make a permanent settlement there. Lying on the main trade route from Sennar to Gondar
(some 90 miles to the east) as well as being the center of the frontier province of Ras al-Fil, Gallabat grew into a trade center of some importance. The Scottish explorer James Bruce
(who calls the town Hor-Cacamoot) spent two months in the town in 1772, disabled with dysentery
which was cured only by the herbs of a local medicine-man and the attentions of his companion Yasin.
One notable ruler of Gallabat was Sheikh Miri, who has been described as "probably the most celebrated of these border chiefs." The Sheikh formed an alliance with the Khedive
some time after Ismail Pasha had conquered Sennar in 1821, and proclaimed himself independent of the Ethiopian Empire. He accompanied the Turks in their raid on Gondar, but escaped the ambush of Dejazmach Kinfu had sprung on the raiders. In 1838 Emperor Tewodros
avenged the sack of Gondar with an attack on Gallabat; Sheikh Miri, with many of the Takruri, was killed.
About 1870, the Egypt
ians garrisoned Gallabat. In 1886, the town was attacked by followers of Abdallahi ibn Muhammad
(the successor of Muhammad Ahmad
) and sacked. From Gallabat, a Mahdists raiding party penetrated to Gondar
in Ethiopia. The Mahdists then looted Gondar. In March 1889, in revenge, an Ethiopian army under Emperor
Yohannes IV
attacked the dervishes
close to Gallabat in what is known as the Battle of Gallabat
(or Metemma). Yohannes IV was originally successful, with the Mahdists suffering many casualties, but a shot from a lone sniper killed the Emperor late in the battle, causing his army to flee and routing the attack.
In 1899, the Mahdists were decisively defeated in the Sudan by British
and Egyptian
forces during the Battle of Umm Diwaykarat
. After the even more decisive Battle of Omdurman
, Mahdist rule in the Sudan was at an end. From 1899 to 1956, Gallabat was located in what was known as the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
.
In July 1940, during the East African Campaign
, Italian forces advancing from Italian East Africa
forced a small British garrison commanded by Wilfred Thesiger
to withdraw from Gallabat to the pass at Khor el Otrub. The Italians then occupied the town until November when the British under General Slim
launched an attack to take the town back, but due to poor morale of the Essex Regiment
and lack of coordination by the British bombers failed to capture Metemma.
In 1956, the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan became the Republic of the Sudan
.
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese state of Al Qadarif
Al Qadarif (state)
Al Qadarif , also spelt Gadaref or Gadarif, is one of the 15 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 75,263 km² and an estimated population of approximately 1,400,000 . Al Qadarif is the capital of the state; other towns include Doka and Gallabat....
. It lies at one of the country's border crossing points with Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
; on the other side of the border is Ethiopia's corresponding border village Metemma
Metemma
Metemma is a town in northwestern Ethiopia, on the border with Sudan. Located in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Metemma has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 685 meters above sea level. Across the border is the corresponding Sudanese village of Gallabat...
.
History
The town and district form a small ethnographical island in Al Qadarif, having been founded in the 18th century by a colony of Takruri from DarfurDarfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, who, finding the spot a convenient resting-place for their fellow-pilgrims on their way to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and back, obtained permission from the Emperor of Ethiopia
Emperor of Ethiopia
The Emperor of Ethiopia was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1974. The Emperor was the head of state and head of government, with ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country...
to make a permanent settlement there. Lying on the main trade route from Sennar to Gondar
Gondar
Gondar or Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder Province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar...
(some 90 miles to the east) as well as being the center of the frontier province of Ras al-Fil, Gallabat grew into a trade center of some importance. The Scottish explorer James Bruce
James Bruce
James Bruce was a Scottish traveller and travel writer who spent more than a dozen years in North Africa and Ethiopia, where he traced the origins of the Blue Nile.-Youth:...
(who calls the town Hor-Cacamoot) spent two months in the town in 1772, disabled with dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
which was cured only by the herbs of a local medicine-man and the attentions of his companion Yasin.
One notable ruler of Gallabat was Sheikh Miri, who has been described as "probably the most celebrated of these border chiefs." The Sheikh formed an alliance with the Khedive
Khedive
The term Khedive is a title largely equivalent to the English word viceroy. It was first used, without official recognition, by Muhammad Ali Pasha , the Wāli of Egypt and Sudan, and vassal of the Ottoman Empire...
some time after Ismail Pasha had conquered Sennar in 1821, and proclaimed himself independent of the Ethiopian Empire. He accompanied the Turks in their raid on Gondar, but escaped the ambush of Dejazmach Kinfu had sprung on the raiders. In 1838 Emperor Tewodros
Tewodros II of Ethiopia
Tewodros II was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death....
avenged the sack of Gondar with an attack on Gallabat; Sheikh Miri, with many of the Takruri, was killed.
About 1870, the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ians garrisoned Gallabat. In 1886, the town was attacked by followers of Abdallahi ibn Muhammad
Abdallahi ibn Muhammad
Abdullah Ibn-Mohammed or Abdullah al-Taaisha, also known as "The Khalifa" was a Sudanese Ansar General and ruler.-Early years:Abdullah was born into the Ta'aisha Baqqara tribe in Darfur around 1846 and was trained and educated as a preacher and holy man.He became a follower of Mohammed Ahmed "the...
(the successor of Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah was a religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, on June 29, 1881, proclaimed himself as the Mahdi or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith...
) and sacked. From Gallabat, a Mahdists raiding party penetrated to Gondar
Gondar
Gondar or Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder Province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar...
in Ethiopia. The Mahdists then looted Gondar. In March 1889, in revenge, an Ethiopian army under Emperor
Emperor of Ethiopia
The Emperor of Ethiopia was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1974. The Emperor was the head of state and head of government, with ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country...
Yohannes IV
Yohannes IV of Ethiopia
Yohannes IV , born Lij Kassay Mercha Ge'ez, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1872 until his death.-Early life:...
attacked the dervishes
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
close to Gallabat in what is known as the Battle of Gallabat
Battle of Gallabat
The Battle of Gallabat was fought 9–10 March 1889 between the Mahdist Sudanese and Ethiopian forces. It is a critical event in Ethiopian history because Nəgusä Nägäst Yohannes IV was killed in this battle...
(or Metemma). Yohannes IV was originally successful, with the Mahdists suffering many casualties, but a shot from a lone sniper killed the Emperor late in the battle, causing his army to flee and routing the attack.
In 1899, the Mahdists were decisively defeated in the Sudan by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Egyptian
Kingdom of Egypt
The Kingdom of Egypt was the first modern Egyptian state, lasting from 1922 to 1953. The Kingdom was created in 1922 when the British government unilaterally ended its protectorate over Egypt, in place since 1914. Sultan Fuad I became the first king of the new state...
forces during the Battle of Umm Diwaykarat
Battle of Umm Diwaykarat
The Battle of Umm Diwaykarat on November 25, 1899 marked the final obliteration of Muhammad Ahmad's short-lived Sudanese empire, when Anglo-Egyptian forces under the command of Lord Kitchener wiped out what was left of the Mahdist armies under the command of the Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, known as the...
. After the even more decisive Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Omdurman
At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the British Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad...
, Mahdist rule in the Sudan was at an end. From 1899 to 1956, Gallabat was located in what was known as the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan referred to the manner by which Sudan was administered between 1899 and 1956, when it was a condominium of Egypt and the United Kingdom.-Union with Egypt:...
.
In July 1940, during the East African Campaign
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
, Italian forces advancing from Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...
forced a small British garrison commanded by Wilfred Thesiger
Wilfred Thesiger
Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger, CBE, DSO, FRAS, FRGS was a British explorer and travel writer born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.-Family:...
to withdraw from Gallabat to the pass at Khor el Otrub. The Italians then occupied the town until November when the British under General Slim
William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim
Field Marshal William Joseph "Bill"'Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DSO, MC, KStJ was a British military commander and the 13th Governor-General of Australia....
launched an attack to take the town back, but due to poor morale of the Essex Regiment
Essex Regiment
The Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.-Origins:...
and lack of coordination by the British bombers failed to capture Metemma.
In 1956, the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan became the Republic of the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.