Sultanate of Ifat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sultanate of Ifat سلطنة عفت
1185–1403
The Ifat Sultanate in the 14th century.
Capital	Shewa, Harar plateau, and Zeila present day Somaliland
Common languages	Somali, Harari, Arabic, Afar, Argobba and other languages
Religion	Islam
Government	Monarchy
Sulṭān
History
• Established	1185
• Disestablished	1403
Currency	Dinar and Dirham
Preceded by Succeeded by Sultanate of Showa Adal Sultanate Ethiopian Empire
Today part of	Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Somaliland

The Sultanate of Ifat was an important Muslim kingdom in the eastern part of the Horn of Africa. It existed from the late 1200s to the early 1400s. This kingdom was located in what is now Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somaliland.

The Ifat Sultanate was led by the Walashma dynasty. Its lands stretched from Zequalla to the port city of Zeila. In Arabic texts, it was also known as Wafāt or Awfāt.

Where was the Ifat Sultanate located?

The Ifat Sultanate was near the Red Sea coast. It was a large area, taking about 15 to 20 days to cross by normal travel. The region had a river, the Awash River, and was well-populated.

A historian named Al-Omari described seven cities in Ifat: Belqulzar, Kuljura, Shimi, Shewa, Adal, Jamme, and Laboo. Its main center was likely a place called Walalah, which is about 50 miles east of Addis Ababa today.

The port city of Zeila was very important for Ifat. It was a major trading hub and a key entry point for the religion of Islam into the Ethiopian region. Ifat's rulers controlled Zeila, making it a strong base for both business and faith.

Ifat was the northernmost of several Muslim states in the Horn of Africa. It acted like a barrier between the Christian kingdom in the highlands and the Muslim states along the coast. Old city ruins from the 1300s have been found in eastern Shewa. These include Asbäri, Nora, Mäsal, Rassa Guba, and Beri-Ifat. Local people believe Arabs helped build these towns.

How was the Ifat Sultanate founded?

Islam arrived in the Horn of Africa very early, soon after the religion began in the Arabian Peninsula. One of the oldest mosques in Africa, the two-mihrab Masjid al-Qiblatayn in Zeila, dates back to around the 7th century. By the late 800s, Muslims were living along the northern Somali coast.

Some historians believe the Argobba people helped found the Ifat Sultanate. Other scholars think that Somalis, Ethiopian Muslims, and Arabs were also involved in its creation.

The Walashma dynasty, which ruled Ifat, is linked to a Somali Muslim saint named Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn. He was born in Zeila.

Ifat began when a leader named Umar ibn Dunya-huz, later known as Sultan Umar Walashma, created his own kingdom. He conquered the Sultanate of Showa in northern Harar. In 1288 AD, Sultan Wali Asma expanded his rule by invading Hubat, Adal, and other Muslim states nearby. Historians believe these actions were meant to unite the Muslim areas in the Horn of Africa. This was similar to how Emperor Yekuno Amlak was trying to unite the Christian areas at the same time.

Key events in Ifat's history

According to the Arab historian Maqrizi, Sultan Umar ibn Dunya-huz was the first ruler of Ifat. He founded the sultanate in Zeila in 1185. Umar passed away around 1275. After him, several of his sons ruled for short periods. Eventually, Sabr ad-Din I came to power and ruled until the early 1300s. Sultan Ali followed him and was the first Ifat ruler to fight against the Christian Abyssinian Empire.

Independent states within Ifat's influence

Before Ifat was established, eastern Ethiopia had several independent states like Gidaya, Dawaro, Sawans, Bali, and Fatagar. These states became part of the Ifat Sultanate. However, they managed to keep some independence even after Ifat became weaker. When the Ethiopian Empire took over Ifat, these states were also invaded. Yet, Fatagar still managed to remain somewhat under Ifat's influence.

Conflicts with the Abyssinian Empire

A major conflict between the Christian Ethiopian Empire and the Muslim Ifat leaders began in 1320. This started because the Mamluk ruler of Egypt, Al-Nasir Muhammad, was persecuting Christians and destroying churches there. The Ethiopian Emperor Amda Seyon I sent a warning to the Mamluk ruler. He said that if the persecution didn't stop, he would harm Muslims in his own lands and could even cut off the Nile River's flow to Egypt. The threat about the Nile was likely not serious, but it worried Egyptians for many centuries.

Because of these threats, the Sultan of Ifat, Haqq ad-Din I, started a war. He invaded Christian Ethiopian territory, burned churches, and forced Christians to change their religion. He also captured and killed the Emperor's envoy who was returning from Cairo. In response, Emperor Amda Seyon attacked the people of Shewa, which had many Muslims, and other parts of the Ifat Sultanate. Historical records from both sides describe many battles, defeats, and the burning of towns.

In one battle, the son of Sultan Haqq ad-Din, Dadader Haqq ad-Din, fought the Emperor. Dadader's forces surrounded Emperor Amda Seyon I, but the Emperor still managed to defeat them and killed Dadader in the battle of Marra Biete.

The Ifat rebellion and its goals

Sabr ad-Din I led a rebellion in 1332. His goal was not just to make Ifat independent, but to become the ruler of all Ethiopia. He wanted to rule Christians by their own laws but also destroy their churches and turn them into mosques. He even planned to make the Christian Emperor a provincial governor or a camel keeper if he refused to convert. He also threatened to plant khat, a stimulant used by Muslims but forbidden to Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, in the capital.

Sabr ad-Din appointed governors in many provinces, both nearby and far away. This showed his ambition to control a vast area. His rebellion was seen as a jihad (a holy struggle) and was supported by other Muslim provinces like Dewaro and Hadiya. Sabr ad-Din divided his army into three parts to attack different regions.

Emperor Amda Seyon gathered his soldiers, giving them many gifts of gold, silver, and fine clothes. Even though the terrain was difficult, his army advanced. They found Sabr ad-Din and forced him to flee. Amda Seyon's army then destroyed Ifat's capital, Zeila, and killed many soldiers in the battle of Zeila.

Sabr ad-Din tried to make peace, but the Emperor refused. Realizing his rebellion was hopeless, Sabr ad-Din surrendered. The Emperor's advisors wanted him executed, but Amda Seyon only imprisoned him. He then appointed Sabr ad-Din's brother, Jamal ad-Din I, as the new ruler of Ifat. Soon after, other nearby Muslim provinces also rebelled, but Amda Seyon quickly put down those uprisings too.

Ifat after Emperor Amda Seyon I

After Amda Seyon, the Muslim rulers of Ifat continued to fight the Christian Emperor. Emperor Sayfa Arad appointed Ahmad as the new sultan of Ifat. However, Ahmad was killed in an uprising. His son, Haqq ad-Din II, then took power.

Haqq ad-Din II moved Ifat's capital to the Harar plateau. Because of this, some consider him the true founder of the Adal Sultanate. From his new capital, he fought many battles against the Emperor. Haqq ad-Din II died in battle in 1376.

Historians believe the ongoing wars between Ifat and the Ethiopian Empire were part of a larger conflict. This included disputes between Egypt and Ethiopia over the treatment of Christians and Muslims.

The end of the Ifat Sultanate

In 1376, Sultan Sa'ad ad-Din II became ruler. He continued to attack the Abyssinian Christian army. He raided local chiefs who supported the Emperor. These attacks made the Christian ruler determined to end Muslim rule in the east.

In the early 1400s, the Ethiopian Emperor, likely Dawit, gathered a large army. He called the Muslims "enemies of the Lord" and invaded Ifat. After many battles, Ifat's troops were defeated in 1403 on the Harar plateau.

Sultan Sa'ad ad-Din fled to Zeila. The Ethiopian soldiers chased him and killed him in the southern parts of Zeila. There is some disagreement among historical sources about which Emperor killed Sa'ad ad-Din II. Some say it was Emperor Dawit I in 1403, while others say it was Emperor Yeshaq in 1415.

After Ifat's defeat, the Adal Sultanate emerged as the main Muslim power in the southeastern areas. Several smaller territories continued to be ruled by different Walashma groups for centuries. Today, the name Ifat is preserved in the Ethiopian district of Yifat in the Amhara Region.

Who were the Sultans of Ifat?

The rulers of Ifat were known as Sultans. According to the historian Al Umari, the ruler of Ifat wore silk headbands.

Ifat's military forces

The Ifat army included infantry made up of the Argobba people. Somalis also played an active role in fighting against neighboring Ethiopia.

Who lived in Ifat?

The people of Ifat included nomadic groups like Somalis, Afars, and Werjih, who were already Muslim by the 1200s. Other groups were the Hararis, Argobbas, and the now-extinct Harla.

The Somali connection

Some historians believe that Somalis founded a state called Ifat, with its main center in Zeila. The rulers of Zeila were local dynasties who were either Somalis who adopted Arab culture or Arabs who adopted Somali culture. These dynasties also ruled the Sultanate of Mogadishu to the south. Over centuries, trade with Arabia led to the creation of these states. These Muslim converts also established other sultanates like Dawaro, Adal, and Dahlak.

The Walashma dynasty of Ifat is often linked to Sheikh Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn, who is described as a Somali.

The Abyssinian king Yeshaq (1414-1429) expanded his kingdom into the trade routes and lands of the Somali Kingdom of Ifat. King Yeshaq declared the Muslims "enemies of the lord" and invaded Ifat in 1415. The local Muslim ruler, King Sa'ad Ad-Din, was defeated and chased along the coast.

The Ethio-Semitic connection

Some scholars suggest that the people of Ifat mainly spoke Ethiopian Semitic languages, based on Al Umari's historical accounts.

Ifat, or Yifat, was once the eastern part of the Shewa Sultanate. It was located in a key area between the central highlands and the sea, with a diverse population. The Sultanate of Showa, which came before Ifat, is thought to be the first Muslim state inland. By the time it joined Ifat, many people in Shewa were Muslim. Historical records show that people in the area began converting to Islam in 1108.

By the mid-1300s, Islam had spread widely in the region. Many people north of the Awash river, including the Zaber and Midra Zega, Gabal (or Werjih), and many in Ankober, were under the Ifat Sultanate. Tegulat, which was the capital of the Shewa Sultanate, was known to Muslims as Mar'ade. It later became the capital of the Ethiopian Empire under Emperor Amde Tsion. The Emperor then appointed the descendants of the Walasmas as rulers of all the Muslim lands.

What language was spoken in Ifat?

The 19th-century Ethiopian historian Asma Giyorgis believed that the Walashma rulers themselves spoke Arabic.

Images for kids

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  Flag of Adal Sultanate

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  Flag of Ethiopian Empire

See also

In Spanish: Ifat para niños