Sultanate Of Bale
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The Sultanate of Bale was a large Somali Muslim sultanate located in the
Bale Bale may refer to: Apps Bale Messenger, an Iranian instant messaging (IM) app owned by the National Bank of Iran Packaging * Cotton bale * Hay or straw bale in farming, bound by a baler * Paper bale, a unit of paper measurement equal t ...
region of southern
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
. It was the largest of the Muslim kingdoms in Ethiopia described by the Muslim geographers al-Umari and al-Makrizi. Along with other sultanates, including Dawaro, Arababni, Hadiya, Shirka, and Dara, Bale became part of the so-called confederation of
Zeila Zeila (, ), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila with the Biblical location of Havilah. Most modern schola ...
.Islam, Ethnicity, and Conflict in Ethiopia
by Terje Østebø Page 52
It corresponds roughly to the modern
Bale Zone Bale Zone (Oromo language, Oromo: Godina ''Baalee'') is a Zones of Ethiopia, zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Bale is bordered on the south by the Ganale Dorya River which separates it from Guji Zone, on the west by the Shashamane, on the nort ...
of the
Oromia Region Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...
in
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
.


History

Bale was first mentioned during the rule of the
Zagwe dynasty The Zagwe dynasty () was a medieval Agaw monarchy that ruled the northern parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It ruled large parts of the territory from approximately 1137 to 1270 AD, when the last Zagwe King Za-Ilmaknun was killed in battle by the ...
, and was described as a "mysterious province" that bordered the Islamic sultanates and provinces of Dawaro and Sharkha in the north, Adal in the east and Hadiya in the west. Bale emerged sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries, shaped by Islamic influences introduced by traders and preachers. Islam provided the rulers with a framework for governing larger and more complex political entities by fostering ideological unity and granting access to international Islamic thought, which helped them rise above narrow, local loyalties. Additionally, Islam served as a form of international "passport," enabling traders, teachers, and preachers to live and travel freely throughout these states, from the port of
Zeila Zeila (, ), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila with the Biblical location of Havilah. Most modern schola ...
on the northern Somali coast to Bale in the fertile highlands of southern
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
. The history of the Muslim state of Bale is closely tied to the legacy of Sheikh Hussein, a prominent standard-bearer of Islam in Bale during the 11th century. A Muslim scholar from modern
Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
, Sheikh Hussein played a pivotal role in spreading Islam across the region. Revered as the most accomplished missionary saint in southern Ethiopia, he became the ultimate symbol of saintly virtues and baraka (spiritual blessing). Since the 13th century, his shrine in Bale has been a center for the diffusion of Islam and a rallying point for Muslims throughout southern Ethiopia. According to al-Umari, Bale was among the largest of Ethiopia's Muslim provinces, spanning roughly twenty days journey by six—approximately 400 kilometers by 120 kilometers. Nestled in the southern highlands, Bale experienced higher rainfall and a cooler, more fertile climate than its neighboring territories. Despite this, its agricultural production, food, clothing, and social customs were similar to those of nearby Muslim lands. Due to its remote southern location, Bale's trade was less developed than that of neighboring regions. Coins were not in circulation as they were in Ifat, nor was hakuna used as in lands to the north. As a result, trade primarily relied on barter, with cattle, sheep, and cloth being the main goods exchanged. However, Bale appears to be famous for its cotton-cloth-weaving industry, and its foreign traders, which primarily included
Arabs Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
and
Persians Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...
. Unlike nearby Muslim provinces, Bale's leadership was not held by a hereditary dynasty but rather by a man of humble origins—possibly the aforementioned 'Ali—who had gained the favor of ' Amda Seyon and received official investiture as ruler. The province’s military force included eighteen thousand cavalry and numerous infantry soldiers. In 1332, Bale was conquered by the Christian king of the
Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire, historically known as Abyssinia or simply Ethiopia, was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day territories of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It existed from the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty by Yekuno Amlak a ...
, Amde Seyon. The subsequent expansion of Christian Ethiopia led to conflict between the neighboring Muslim polities and the Christian empire, and the borderland province soon became the epicenter of these conflicts. Ethiopian rule of Bale also provided an outpost to carry out attacks on neighboring states, such as Ifat and Adal. Due to its southernly position in the empire, Bale was under intense pressure from the neighboring
Adal Sultanate The Adal Sultanate, also known as the Adal Empire or Barr Saʿad dīn (alt. spelling ''Adel Sultanate'', ''Adal Sultanate'') (), was a medieval Sunni Muslim empire which was located in the Horn of Africa. It was founded by Sabr ad-Din III on th ...
. Despite its peripheral status, Bale remained under Ethiopian control well into the early 16th century when Emperor Na'od repulsed a raid by a Muslim leader named Adruh, this reign also witnessed the rebellion of a nobleman named Wanag Jan brother of Wasan Sagad, who converted to Islam and slaughtered many Christians but was eventually defeated. The province thus remained a part of the empire, testimony to its Christian affiliation can be seen in the remains of a rock hewn church near
Goba Goba ( Oromo: ', Amharic: ጎባ) is a town and separate woreda located in the Bale Zone of the Oromia Region, Ethiopia approximately 446 km southeast of Addis Ababa, this city has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2,743 ...
. Of all the Muslim states of southern Ethiopia, it was Bale that appears to have played a defining role in the early history of the
Oromo people The Oromo people (, pron. ) are a Cushitic peoples, Cushitic ethnic group native to the Oromia region of Ethiopia and parts of Northern Kenya. They speak the Oromo language (also called ''Afaan Oromoo''), which is part of the Cushitic language ...
. Historical Bale was the original homeland of the primeval Oromo groups, who practiced a mixed economy. It was also in Bale that the Oromo oral calendar and the qaalluu institution emerged, shaped by the influences of both Muslim and Christian ideas.


Location

It bordered the sultanates of Dawaro and Makhzumi Dynasty in the north, Hadiya in the west, and Adal in the east and its core areas were located around the
Shebelle River The Shebelle River ( Oromo: Laga Shabeellee, , , ) also known historically as the Nile of Mogadishu, begins in the highlands of Ethiopia, and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu. Near Mogadishu, it turns sharply southwest, where ...
. However, the geopolitical borders of the sultanate are unclear - it is usually placed around the Wabe Shebelle river. Taddesse Tamrat locates Bale south of the
Shebelle River The Shebelle River ( Oromo: Laga Shabeellee, , , ) also known historically as the Nile of Mogadishu, begins in the highlands of Ethiopia, and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu. Near Mogadishu, it turns sharply southwest, where ...
, which separated the kingdom from Dawaro to the north and Adal to the northeast;Taddesse Tamrat, ''Church and State in Ethiopia (1270-1527)'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), p. 142 n. 1. Richard Pankhurst adds that its southern boundary was the Ganale Dorya River. Ulrich Braukämper, after discussing the evidence, states that this former dependency "occupied an area in the northeast of the province which later was named after it, between the mountain range of Urgoma and the eastern Wabi Bend." Another river that shaped the sultanate's borders was the Wabe River. Overall, borders of the Bale Sultanate corresponded to the modern districts of
Goba Goba ( Oromo: ', Amharic: ጎባ) is a town and separate woreda located in the Bale Zone of the Oromia Region, Ethiopia approximately 446 km southeast of Addis Ababa, this city has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2,743 ...
, Sinana- Dinsho, Agarfa, Gasera and Goro.


Demographics

The sultanate consisted of Cushitic speakers that was likely a part of the Hadiya-Sidama cluster of speakers that was also present in Hadiya. Richard Pankhurst claims that the sultanate was "inhabited by an animist Sidama people, some of whom had by the fourteenth century at least adopted Islam." The Sidama people claim to originate from Bale. The Futūḥ al-Ḥabasha speaks of "sharifs and the Arabs who lived in Bale", which points to the Arab background of Bale and its population. However, there were Christian clans in Bale as well, such as Sabro, Fankal, Koiye, Daiyu and Fasil. While rulers of the sultanate of Bale were Muslims, the population of Bale consisted of adherents of indigenous religions as well as Christians, in addition to Muslims.


References

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Bale Bale may refer to: Apps Bale Messenger, an Iranian instant messaging (IM) app owned by the National Bank of Iran Packaging * Cotton bale * Hay or straw bale in farming, bound by a baler * Paper bale, a unit of paper measurement equal t ...