The Battle of Bali was fought in 1532 between Adalite forces under Vizier Addoli and the Abyssinian army under Addalih, Governor of Bali.

Prelude

After the Adalites subjugated and

islamized The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...

the Dawaro region under the command of Hussain Al- Gaturi, Imam Ahmed Gurey sent order for Vizier Addoli, the

Second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, f ...

of the Dawaro expedition, to go down to Bali and conquer it. Upon reaching Bali and that the Abyssinian governor of Bali, Addalih, was camped in the town of Zallah on the bank 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 ...

, Addoli sent him a message ordering him to surrender and pay the

Jizya Jizya (), or jizyah, is a type of taxation levied on non-Muslim subjects of a state governed by Sharia, Islamic law. The Quran and hadiths mention jizya without specifying its rate or amount,Sabet, Amr (2006), ''The American Journal of Islamic Soc ...

. Addalih refused stating he was unimpressed with the small size of Addoli's army and ordered his men to bring their families with them in order to prevent fleeing. The two armies met at Zallah on Dhul Hijjah 938 AH which corresponds to July or August 1532.

Battle

The two armies clashed fiercely with the Adalites having the upper hand until Addalih was flung from his horse by a Somali cavalryman and then beheaded. Seeing the death of their commander the Abyssinian forces broke and fled. As they fled the Adalites slew innumerable fleeing Abyssinian soldiers and captured all their belongings. The Muslim women rode behind their menfolk on mules and helped to capture prisoners. By the end of the battle each woman would boast that they had captured 5 Abyssinian soldiers.

Aftermath

The Muslim chronicler notes that following the battle the terrain was covered with the dead and blood flowed like water on the ground. Innumerable Abyssinian infantrymen were killed along with 3,000 cavalrymen, and 100 Azmachs. 100 Azmachs were also captured and thereafter summarily executed by the victorious Adalites. On the Muslim side however only 2 infantrymen were killed. Addoli took the wife of Addalih as his

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and on orders from Imam Ahmad hanged an

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named Naqdiyah outside the gates of Zallah. The Abyssinian womenfolk were divided up among the Adalites as concubines. After battle the entire of Bali was brought to heel and all of the inhabitants embraced Islam. According to oral tradition, Ahmed ibn Ibrahim's troops overwhelmed Bali, destroyed the churches, killed many Christians, and forced those who escaped from the massacre to look for refuge in caves and forests. Gragn invaded Bali from the region of Galb, and the Christian forces under Asmach Degelhan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bali, Battle of Battles involving the Adal Sultanate Conflicts in 1532 Battles involving the Ethiopian Empire Battles of the Ethiopian–Adal War