Emirate of Harar
The Emirate of Harar was a Muslim Kingdom founded in 1647 when the Harari people refused to accept Imām ʿUmardīn Ādan as their ruler and broke away from the Imamate of Aussa to form their own state under `Ali ibn Da`ud. Prior to its invasion by Shewan forces under Menelik II, the League of Nations noted that the Harar kingdom made up the area between the rivers Awash and Shebelle while the Ogaden was a tributary state.[1] Originally however the Harar Emirate composed of present-day Somaliland and to south of eastern Ethiopia including the Arsi Province.[2] Harar also dominated trade in Shewa. Harar's influence began shrinking in the nineteenth century possibly due to lack of resources and famine.[3][4] Like all Muslim states in the area, the Emirate of Harar was technically under the protection of the Ottoman Empire. Egypt annexed the Emirate of Harar in 1875. The British Empire defeated the Khedivate and occupied its territories in 1882 including Harar, but the British agreed to evacuate Harar and essentially cede the city to the Ethiopian Empire's sphere of influence in exchange for assistance against Mahdist forces in Sudan. As per the terms of their agreement (the Hewett Treaty), the British withdrew from Harar in 1884, leaving the city to the son of the former Emir of Harar with a few hundred rifles, some cannon and a handful of British trained officers. The Emirate would be finally destroyed and annexed by the armies of Negus Sahle Maryam of Showa (the future Emperor Menelik II) in 1887 following the Emirate's defeat at the Battle of Chelenqo.
Emirate of Harar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1647–1887 | |||||||||
.jpg.webp) The Emirate of Harar c. 1873 | |||||||||
| Capital | Ge | ||||||||
| Common languages | Arabic, Harari, Somali, Oromo, Argobba | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchy | ||||||||
| Emir | |||||||||
• early 17th century | `Ali ibn Da`ud | ||||||||
• 19th century | Abdullahi II | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1647 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1887 | ||||||||
| Currency | Mahlak | ||||||||
| |||||||||
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Emirs of Harar (Ali Dynasty)
| Name | Reign | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emīr ʿAli ibn Dā'ūd | 1647–1662 | Founder of the Emirate of Harar |
| 2 | Emīr Hāshim ibn ʿAli | 1662–1671 | Son of Emīr ʿAli |
| 3 | Emīr ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAli | 1671–1700 | Son of Emīr ʿAli |
| 4 | Emīr Ṭalḥa ibn ʿAbdullah | 1700–1721 | Son of Emīr ʿAbdullah |
| 5 | Emīr Abūbakar ibn ʿAbdullah | 1721–1732 | Son of Emīr ʿAbdullah |
| 6 | Emīr Khalaf ibn Abūbakar | 1732–1733 | Son of Emīr Abūbakar |
| 7 | Emīr Ḥāmid ibn Abūbakar | 1733–1747 | Son of Emīr Abūbakar |
| 8 | Emīr Yūsuf ibn Abūbakar | 1747–1755 | Son of Emīr Abūbakar |
| 9 | Emīr Aḥmed ibn Abūbakar | 1755–1782 | Son of Emīr Abūbakar |
| 10 | Emīr Maḥamed ibn Yūsuf | 1782–1783 | Son of Emīr Yūsuf |
| 11 | Emīr ʿAbdalshakūr ibn Yūsuf | 1783–1794 | Son of Emīr Yūsuf |
| 12 | Emīr Aḥmed ibn Maḥamed | 1794–1821 | Son of Emīr Maḥamed |
| 13 | Emīr ʿAbdalraḥmān ibn Maḥamed | 1821–1825 | Son of Emīr Maḥamed |
| 14 | Emīr ʿAbdulkarīm ibn Maḥamed | 1825–1834 | Son of Emīr Maḥamed |
| 15 | Emīr Abūbakar ibn ʿAbdalmanān | 1834–1852 | Grandson of Emīr Maḥamed |
| 16 | Emīr Aḥmed ibn Abūbakar | 1852–1866 | Son of Emīr Abūbakar |
| 17 | Emīr Maḥamed ibn ʿAbdalshakūr | 1866–1875 | Son of Emīr ʿAbdalshakūr, deposed by the Khedivate of Egypt |
| -- | Khedivate of Egypt | 1875–1882 | Egypt annexed Harar in 1875 |
| -- | British Empire | 1882–1884 | Britain annexed Egypt in 1882, subsequently occupying Harar |
| 18 | Emīr ʿAbdullah ibn Maḥamed | 1884–1887 | Son of Emīr Maḥamed (17), his rule and Harar's briefly renewed independence were both ended by the invasion of Harar by the Shewa kingdom in 1887. |
See also
References
- Ethiopia: land of slavery & brutality (PDF). League of Nations. 1935. p. 2.
- Ben-Dror, Avishai (2018). Emirate, Egyptian, Ethiopian: Colonial Experiences in Late Nineteenth-Century Harar. Syracuse University Press. p. 100. ISBN 9780815654315.
- Ben-Dror, Avishai (2018). Emirate, Egyptian, Ethiopian: Colonial Experiences in Late Nineteenth-Century Harar. Syracuse University Press. p. 100. ISBN 9780815654315.
- History of Harar (PDF). p. 83.
Further reading
- Avishai Ben-Dror (2018): "Emirate, Egyptian, Ethiopian: Colonial Experiences in Late Nineteenth-Century Harar"