Ifat
Encyclopedia
The Ifat Sultanate was a medieval Muslim
sultanate in the Horn of Africa
. Led by the Walashma dynasty
, it was centered in Zeila
. The kingdom ruled over parts of what is now eastern Ethiopia
, Djibouti
and northern Somalia
.
records that Ifat was situated near the Red Sea
coast, and states its size as 15 days travel by 20 days travel. Its army numbered 15,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers. Al-Umar also credits it with seven "mother cities": Belqulzar, Kuljura, Shimi, Shewa
, Adal
, Jamme and Laboo. Professor Taddesse Tamrat believes Ifat's borders included Fatagar, Dawaro and Bale
. This gave the polity control of the trade route inland from Zeila, making it a major commercial power. While reporting that its center was "a place called Walalah, probably the modern Wäläle south of Šäno in the Ěnkwoy valley, about 50 miles ENE of Addis Ababa", G.W.B. Huntingford offers a more tangible description of Ifat's borders (although he admits they are "provisional"), stating that its southern and eastern boundaries were along the Awash River
, the western a line drawn between Medra Kabd towards the Jamma
river east of Debre Libanos
(which it shared with Damot
), and the northern boundary along the Adabay
and Mofar
rivers.
Ifat first emerged in the 13th century, when its Sultan Umar Walashma (or his son Ali, according to another source
) is recorded as having conquered the Sultanate of Shewa
in 1285. Taddesse Tamrat explains Sultan Umar's military acts as an effort to consolidate the Muslim territories in the Horn of Africa in much the same way as Emperor Yekuno Amlak
was attempting to consolidate the Christian territories in the highlands during the same period. These two states inevitably came into conflict over Shewa and territories further south. A lengthy war ensued, but the Muslim sultanates of the time were not strongly unified. Ifat was finally defeated by Emperor Amda Seyon I
of Ethiopia in 1332, who then appointed Jamal ad-Din
as the new King, followed by Jamal ad-Din's brother Nasr ad-Din.
Despite this setback, the Muslim rulers of Ifat continued their campaign. The Ethiopian Emperor branded the Muslims of the surrounding area "enemies of the Lord", and invaded Ifat in the early 15th century. After much struggle, Ifat's troops were defeated. The Sultanate's ruler, King Sa'ad ad-Din
, subsequently fled to Zeila. The Ethiopian Emperor's men pursued the King there, where they slayed him. The sources disagree on which Emperor conducted this campaign. According to the medieval historian al-Makrizi, Emperor Dawit in 1403 pursued the Sultan of Adal, Sa'ad ad-Din II
, to Zeila, where he killed the Sultan and sacked the city. However, another contemporary source dates the death of Sa'ad ad-Din II to 1415, and credits Emperor Yeshaq
with the slaying.
Ifat eventually disappeared as a distinct polity following the invasion of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, and the subsequent Oromo migrations into the area. Its name is preserved in the modern Ethiopian district of Yifat in the Oromia Region
.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
sultanate in the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
. Led by the Walashma dynasty
Walashma dynasty
The Walashma dynasty was a Muslim noble family based in the Horn of Africa. It ruled the Ifat Sultanate, in parts of what are now eastern Ethiopia, Djibouti and western Somalia.-History:...
, it was centered in Zeila
Zeila
Zeila, also known as Zaila , is a port city on the Gulf of Aden coast, situated in the northwestern Awdal region of Somalia.Located near the Djibouti border, the town sits on a sandy spit surrounded by the sea. It is known for its offshore islands, coral reef and mangroves. Landward, the terrain is...
. The kingdom ruled over parts of what is now eastern 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...
, Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
and northern Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
.
Location
The historian Al-UmariAl-Umari
Chihab Addine Abul-Abbas Ahmad ben Fadhl al-Umari , or simply al-Umari, 1300 – 1384) was an Arab historian, born in Damascus. al-Umari visited Cairo shortly after the Malian Mansa Kankan Musa I's pilgrimage to Mecca, and his writings are one of the primary sources for this legendary hajj...
records that Ifat was situated near the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
coast, and states its size as 15 days travel by 20 days travel. Its army numbered 15,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers. Al-Umar also credits it with seven "mother cities": Belqulzar, Kuljura, Shimi, Shewa
Shewa
Shewa is a historical region of Ethiopia, formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire...
, Adal
Adal
- Places :*Ådal, valley and former municipality in Buskerud county, Norway*Illerup Ådal, archeological site in Denmark*Adal Sultanate, former sultanate and geographic region in Northeast Africa**Adal , breed of sheep from Ethiopia**F. C...
, Jamme and Laboo. Professor Taddesse Tamrat believes Ifat's borders included Fatagar, Dawaro and Bale
Bale Province, Ethiopia
Bale is the name of two former polities located in the southeastern part of modern Ethiopia.- The medieval dependency of Bale :...
. This gave the polity control of the trade route inland from Zeila, making it a major commercial power. While reporting that its center was "a place called Walalah, probably the modern Wäläle south of Šäno in the Ěnkwoy valley, about 50 miles ENE of Addis Ababa", G.W.B. Huntingford offers a more tangible description of Ifat's borders (although he admits they are "provisional"), stating that its southern and eastern boundaries were along the Awash River
Awash River
The Awash is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begin with Lake Gargori and end with Lake Abbe on the border with Djibouti, some 100 kilometers from the head of the Gulf of Tadjoura...
, the western a line drawn between Medra Kabd towards the Jamma
Jamma River
The Jamma River is a river in central Ethiopia and a tributary of the Abay on its right side. It drains parts of the Semien Shewa Zones of the Amhara and Oromia Regions. The Upper Jamma flows through steep, deep canyons cut first through volcanic rock and then through the Cretaceous sandstone and...
river east of Debre Libanos
Debre Libanos
Debre Libanos is a monastery in Ethiopia, lying northwest of Addis Ababa in the Oromia Region. Founded in the thirteenth century by Saint Tekle Haymanot, the monastery's chief abbot, called the Ichege, was the second most powerful official in the Ethiopian Church after the Abuna.The monastery...
(which it shared with Damot
Damot
Damot was a medieval kingdom in what is now Ethiopia, and tributary to the Ethiopian Empire. Originally located south of the Abay and west of the Muger River, under the pressure of Oromo attacks the rulers were forced to resettle north of the Abay in southern Gojjam between 1574 and 1606.Its...
), and the northern boundary along the Adabay
Adabay River
Adabay River is a river of central Ethiopia which, along with the Wanchet River, defined the former district of Marra Biete. Its tributaries include the Chacha, the Beresa, and three otherstreams which join together at the top of a deep canyon....
and Mofar
Mofar River
Mofar River is a west-flowing river of central Ethiopia, and part of the watershed of the Abay. Part of its course is in a deep canyon.- References :...
rivers.
History
Walashma dynasty
The Walashma dynasty was a Muslim noble family based in the Horn of Africa. It ruled the Ifat Sultanate, in parts of what are now eastern Ethiopia, Djibouti and western Somalia.-History:...
) is recorded as having conquered the Sultanate of Shewa
Shewa
Shewa is a historical region of Ethiopia, formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire...
in 1285. Taddesse Tamrat explains Sultan Umar's military acts as an effort to consolidate the Muslim territories in the Horn of Africa in much the same way as Emperor Yekuno Amlak
Yekuno Amlak of Ethiopia
Emperor Yekuno Amlak was of Ethiopia and founder of the Solomonic dynasty. He traced his ancestry through his father, Tasfa Iyasus, to Dil Na'od, the last King of Axum.-Rise to power:...
was attempting to consolidate the Christian territories in the highlands during the same period. These two states inevitably came into conflict over Shewa and territories further south. A lengthy war ensued, but the Muslim sultanates of the time were not strongly unified. Ifat was finally defeated by Emperor Amda Seyon I
Amda Seyon I
Amda Seyon was Emperor of Ethiopia , and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
of Ethiopia in 1332, who then appointed Jamal ad-Din
Jamal ad-Din I
Jamal ad-Din was Governor of Ifat. He was the son of Nahwi b. Mansur b. Umar Walashma and a brother of Haqq ad-Din I.-Reign:...
as the new King, followed by Jamal ad-Din's brother Nasr ad-Din.
Despite this setback, the Muslim rulers of Ifat continued their campaign. The Ethiopian Emperor branded the Muslims of the surrounding area "enemies of the Lord", and invaded Ifat in the early 15th century. After much struggle, Ifat's troops were defeated. The Sultanate's ruler, King Sa'ad ad-Din
Sa'ad ad-Din II
Sa'ad ad-Din II was a Sultan of the Ifat Sultanate. He was the brother of Haqq ad-Din II, and the father of Mansur ad-Din, Sabr ad-Din II and Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din. The historian Richard Pankhurst describes him as "the last great ruler of Ifat."-Reign:Sa'ad ad-Din II was born at the court of...
, subsequently fled to Zeila. The Ethiopian Emperor's men pursued the King there, where they slayed him. The sources disagree on which Emperor conducted this campaign. According to the medieval historian al-Makrizi, Emperor Dawit in 1403 pursued the Sultan of Adal, Sa'ad ad-Din II
Sa'ad ad-Din II
Sa'ad ad-Din II was a Sultan of the Ifat Sultanate. He was the brother of Haqq ad-Din II, and the father of Mansur ad-Din, Sabr ad-Din II and Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din. The historian Richard Pankhurst describes him as "the last great ruler of Ifat."-Reign:Sa'ad ad-Din II was born at the court of...
, to Zeila, where he killed the Sultan and sacked the city. However, another contemporary source dates the death of Sa'ad ad-Din II to 1415, and credits Emperor Yeshaq
Yeshaq I of Ethiopia
Yeshaq I or Isaac was of Ethiopia. A member of the Solomonic dynasty, he was the second son of Dawit I.-History:Yeshaq's reign was marked by a revolt of the Beta Israel...
with the slaying.
Ifat eventually disappeared as a distinct polity following the invasion of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, and the subsequent Oromo migrations into the area. Its name is preserved in the modern Ethiopian district of Yifat in the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
.