Malak ( Harari: መላቅ) (sometimes spelled ''Malaq'') was an administrative designation in the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

Etymology

Polish linguist

Wolf Leslau __NOTOC__ Wolf Leslau (; born November 14, 1906, in Krzepice, Vistula Land, Poland; died November 18, 2006, in Fullerton, California) was a scholar of Semitic languages and one of the foremost authorities on Semitic languages of Ethiopia. Youth ...

notes that the term Malaq signifies chief for one of the five gates of

Harar Harar (; Harari language, Harari: ሀረር / ; ; ; ), known historically by the indigenous as Harar-Gey or simply Gey (Harari: ጌይ, ݘٛىيْ, ''Gēy'', ), is a List of cities with defensive walls, walled city in eastern Ethiopia. It is al ...

. It is derived from two Harari words, "mala" and "aqa," which together mean 'who knows the way and means.'

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

historian Manfred Kropp, suggests that it may be associated with another Harari term the

Malassay A Malassay (Harari language, Harari: መለሳይ ''Mäläsay'', Somali language, Somali: Maalasay) was a member of the elite cavalry units that formed the Adal Sultanate's household troops. According to Manfred Kropp, Malassay were the Harari peo ...

. Additionally, Malak denotes ‘chief’ in Somali, a term borrowed from Harari, as stated by Italian linguist Giorgio Banti and historian

Enrico Cerulli Enrico Cerulli (15 February 1898 – 19 August 1988)Enrico Cerulli
''Worldcat''. Retrieved 27 Oct 20 ...

. It also signifies ‘chief’ in both the Afar and Oromo languages.

History

Israeli historian Avishai Ben-Dror asserts that the term "Malak" has its roots in the fifteenth century within the context of the

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 ...

. In the 1600s, the leader of the

Imamate of Aussa The Imamate of Aussa, also spelled Imamate of Awsa, was a medieval Sunni Muslim imamate in present-day eastern Ethiopia and north-western Djibouti. Muhammad Gasa established the seat of power to Aussa from Harar in 1577, as the latter was too e ...

was referred to as Malaq Adam b. Sadiq. This designation persisted in the successor states of

Adal Adal may refer to: *A short form for Germanic names in ''aþala-'' (Old High German ''adal-''), "nobility, pedigree"; see Othalan ** Adál Maldonado (1948–2020), Puerto Rican artist ** Adal Ramones (born 1969), Mexican television show host ** A ...

, including the Aussa Sultanate and the

Emirate of Harar The Emirate of Harar was a Muslim kingdom founded in 1647 when the Harari people refused to accept Imām ʿUmardīn Ādam as their ruler and broke away from the Imamate of Aussa to form their own state under `Ali ibn Da`ud. The Harar, city of Ha ...

Notable Malak

* ʽAli ibn Daʽud

References

{{Reflist Horn of Africa Society of Somalia Adal Sultanate Royal titles Noble titles Aristocracy

Etymology

History

Notable Malak

See also

References