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Sarsa Dengel
Sarsa Dengel ( gez, ሠርጸ ድንግል ; 1550 – 4 October 1597), also known as Sarsa the Great, was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne name was throne name Malak Sagad I (መለክ ሰገድ ). Biography The son of Emperor Menas and Empress Admas Mogasa, and thus hailing from the Amhara people, Sarsa Dengel was elected king by the Shewan commanders of the army and the Dowager Empress. He was barely fourteen years old, but was supported by the Amhara aristocracy who feared Tigrayan influence in the person of Yishaq who frequently aligned with the Ottomans. Upon his coming of age, Sarsa Dengel had to put down a number of revolts: such as his cousin Hamalmal in 1563 at the Battle of Endagabatan, and another by his cousin Fasil two years later. Sarsa Dengel moved the center of the empire from Shewa to Begemder, especially around the Lake Tana area where he established his imperial residence and built many castles. War against the Ot ...
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Ethiopian Aristocratic And Court Titles
Until the end of the Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Mesafint ( gez, መሳፍንት , modern , singular መስፍን , modern , "prince"), the hereditary nobility, formed the upper echelon of the ruling class. The Mekwanint ( gez, መኳንንት , modern , singular መኰንን , modern or am, መኮንን , "officer") were the appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the aristocracy. Until the 20th century, the most powerful people at court were generally members of the ''Mekwanint'' appointed by the monarch, while regionally, the ''Mesafint'' enjoyed greater influence and power. Emperor Haile Selassie greatly curtailed the power of the ''Mesafint'' to the benefit of the ''Mekwanint'', who by then were essentially coterminous with the Ethiopian government. The ''Mekwanint'' were officials who had been granted specific offices in the Abyssinian government or court. Higher ranks from the titl ...
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Debarwa
Debarwa ( ) is a market town in central Eritrea. It is situated about 25 kilometers south of the capital Asmara, and has a population of about 25,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Debarwa district (''Tsilima'') in the Debub ("Southern") administrative region (one of five in Eritrea). History Debarwa was formerly the capital of an Kingdom named Medri Bahri, which roughly translates as ''Land of the Sea''. It was ruled by the Bahr Negus (''King of the Sea''). The Portuguese expedition under Cristóvão da Gama spent the rainy season of 1542 in Debarwa as the guests of the Bahr Negus. The Ottomans invaded part of Medri Bahri in 1557, and for several decades struggled for control over the local population and their Ethiopian neighbors. By the time everything settled, the Ottomans were confined to Suakin, Massawa, Hergigo and the immediate hinterlands, but at times their raids would reach into the Bogos, Hamasien and Habab districts of Eritrea. In 1576 the Ethiopian Empe ...
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Oromo People
The Oromo (pron. Oromo: ''Oromoo'') are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the Oromia region of Ethiopia and parts of Northern Kenya, who speak the Oromo language (also called ''Afaan Oromoo'' or ''Oromiffa''), which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and represent a large portion of Ethiopia's population. The Oromo people traditionally used the ''gadaa'' system as the primary form of governance.Harold G. MarcuA History of Ethiopia University of California Press (1994) pp. 55 Google Books A leader is elected by the ''gadaa'' system and their term lasts eight years, with an election taking place at the end of those eight years. Although most modern Oromos are Muslims and Christians, about 3% practice Waaqeffanna, the native ancient monotheistic religion of Oromos. Origins and nomenclature The Oromo people are one of the oldest cushitic peoples inhabiting the Horn of Africa, as there is still no corr ...
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Beja People
The Beja people ( ar, البجا, Beja: Oobja, tig, በጃ) are an ethnic group native to the Eastern Desert, inhabiting a coastal area from southeastern Egypt through eastern Sudan and into northwestern Eritrea. They are descended from peoples who have inhabited the area since 4000 BC or earlier, although they were Arabized by Arabs who settled in the region. They are nomadic, and live primarily in the Eastern Desert. They number around 1,900,000 to 2,200,000 people. Most of the Beja speak Arabic, while some speak the Cushitic language of Beja and the Semitic language of Tigre. In Eritrea and southeastern Sudan, many members of the Beni-Amer grouping speak Tigre. Originally, the Beja did not speak Arabic, however the migration of the numerous Arab tribes of Juhaynah, Mudar, Rabi'a, and many more to the Beja areas contributed to the Arabization and Islamization of them, however the Arabs did not fully settle in the Beja areas as they looked for better climate in oth ...
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Mareb River
The Mareb River, or Gash River ( ar, القاش) is a river flowing out of central Eritrea. Its chief importance is defining part of the boundary between Eritrea and Ethiopia, between the point where the Mai Ambassa enters the river at to the confluence of the Balasa with the Mareb at . Course According to the ''Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68'', the Mereb River is long. The Ethiopian Ministry of Water Resources reports its Ethiopian catchment area as , with an annual runoff of 0.26 billion cubic meters. Other sources talking about a catchment of to over all, and a discharge of in average over the year, and in peaks. Its headwaters rise south-west of Asmara in central Eritrea. It flows south, bordering Ethiopia, then west through western Eritrea to reach the Sudanese plains near Kassala. Unlike the Setit or Takazze rivers, which flow out of Ethiopia and also forms a natural border with Eritrea, the waters of the Mareb do usually not reach the Nile but dis ...
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Hamasien
The Provinces of Eritrea existed between Eritrea's incorporation as a colony of Italy until the conversion of the provinces into administrative regions. Overview In Italian Eritrea, the Italian colonial administration had divided the colony into eight provinces (administrative regions) called Akele Guzay, Barka, Denkalia, Hamasien, Sahel, Semhar, Senhit and Serae. These administrative regions relied heavily upon the historical political boundaries in the region, including, but not exclusively, that of local nobility. These Provinces of Eritrea were also used by the Federated Eritrean Government from 1952-1962 and as districts (awrajja) in Eritrea when it was annexed by Ethiopia from 1962-1991. After independence, the Provisional Government of Eritrea converted the original eight Provinces of Eritrea (from the Italian colonial period) to nine provinces by splitting the Barka province in two (the north known as Barka Province and the south as Gash-Setit Province), while at the same ...
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Hirgigo
Arkiko ( ar, حرقيقو, Afar and Saho: ''Hirg-Higo'', alternately Archigo, Arqiqo, Ercoco, Hirgigo, Hargigo or Harkiko) is a town in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea. Situated on the Red Sea, it lies on the mainland across from the city of Massawa. Overview Arkiki or known by the locals Saho tribe; the clans of Dasamo, as Hirg-Higo. The clan of Dasamo are the inhabitant of this area, it is also known by the name Dahano, from either the Saho or Afar word for "elephant". The meaning of Higo is legend of legends in Saho language. Richard Pankhurst explains this etymology to the importance of the ivory trade to Hirg-Higo or known as Arkiko. In 1826–48 (during the Ottoman period, but not the phase under de facto Egyptian rule), parts of Eritrea were ruled by the Naib (or deputy) of Hirg-Higo, according to some sources part of the time cumulating with the office of wali (regular military governor) of Massawa, the present capital. This town was the site of a terrible mas ...
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Battle Of Hadiya
The Battle of Hadiya was fought between the forces of the Hadiya led by their Garad (chief) Aze, and the Ethiopian Empire under Emperor Sarsa Dengel. The Hadiya ruler had refused to pay tribute to the Ethiopian emperor, which lead to the conflict. Emir Uthman of Harar dispatched 500 Malassay warriors donned in cuirasses to assist Hadiya however Aze's own men, who were large in number, refused to fight the invading Ethiopian army. Hadiya soldiers cited their refusal as being due to already having sustained heavy casualties during the Oromo migrations The Great Oromo Expansions, also known as the Oromo migrations, were a series of expansions, outlined by a Ethiopian monk named Bahrey, in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Borona segment of the Oromo people from southern Ethiopia. Who expande .... The Malassay of Harar, finding themselves alone in battle, were thus easily defeated by the Ethiopian forces. References Hadiya {{battle-stub ...
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Sultanate Of Harar
The Sultanate of Harar was a Muslim state centered in present-day Harar, Ethiopia. It succeeded the Adal Sultanate. In this period the Harar Sultanate led by Amīr Nūr continued to carry on the struggle of the Adal leader Imām Aḥmed Gurēy against the Ethiopian Empire. Due to the encroaching Oromo people invading from the south, and Somali threats in north east blocking Harar's coastal influence, the Sultanate of Harar was ultimately a short lived state, lasting only 18 years (though if you start from the reign of Imām Aḥmed Gurēy, a more respectable 51 years). The capital was moved east to the oasis of Aussa by Imām Maḥamed "Jāsa" Ibrahim who founded the Imamate of Awsa. History Establishment After the death of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, his nephew Nur ibn Mujahid proclaimed himself Amir or Sultan of Harar. Nur had to repair a damaged kingdom so spent the majority of his region upgrading Harar's defences and created the great wall of Harar. Nur ibn Mujhad inhe ...
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Malassay
A Malassay ( Harari: መለሳይ ''Mäläsay'') was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Adal Sultanate's household troops. According to Manfred Kropp, Malassay were the Harari armed forces. Etymology Malassay appears to refer to a military rank or warrior in Afar and Harari languages. According to Dr. Duri Mohammed and others, Malassay in ancient times attributed to Harari serviceman however in the present day it refers to a brotherhood or member of a fraternity. According to Harari scholar Abdurrahman Qorram, Malassay derives from the root Harari term ''mälä'' meaning to provide solutions. History Early Ge'ez and Portuguese texts indicate Muslim soldiers were known as the Malassay. In the thirteenth century the Malassay appear to back the Amhara rebel Yekuno Amlak in his conflict with the Zagwe dynasty. Historians have identified the Gafat regiments of the Malassay played a key role in founding the Christian Solomonic dynasty. Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-G ...
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Atse
The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. The emperor was the head of state and head of government, with ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country. A ''National Geographic'' article from 1965 called imperial Ethiopia "nominally a constitutional monarchy; in fact t wasa benevolent autocracy". Title and style The title "King of Kings", often rendered imprecisely in English as "emperor", dates back to ancient Mesopotamia, but was used in Axum by King Sembrouthes (c. 250 AD). However, Yuri Kobishchanov dates this usage to the period following the Persian victory over the Romans in 296–297. The most notable pre-Solomonic usage of the title "Negusa Nagast" was by Ezana of Axum; despite this, prior to the beginning of the Solomo ...
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Hadiya People
Hadiya (Amharic: ሐድያ), also spelled as Hadiyya, is an ethnic group native to Ethiopia in Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region who speak the Hadiyya language. According to a popular etymology, the name 'Hadiya," sometimes written in the versions Hadya, Hadea, Hadija, Hadiyo, Hadiyeh, Adea, Adia, means "gift of god" A historical definition of the Hadiya people based on the old Hadiya Sultanate included a number of Ethiopian ethnic groups currently known by other names. Currently, this historic entity is subdivided into a number of ethnonyms, partly with different languages and cultural affiliations. In his book "A History of the Hadiya in Southern Ethiopia," Ulrich Braukämper reported that Leemo, Weexo-giira (Baadogo, Haballo, Bargaago, Waayabo, Hayyibba, Hoojje and Hanqaallo), Sooro, Shaashoogo, Baadawwaachcho, and Libido (Maraqo) Hadiya subgroups remain a language entity and preserved identity of oneness, the Hadiya proper. In contrast, Qabeena, Halaaba, Welen ...
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