The Muẓaffarids (or Muẓaffar dynasty) were a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

dynasty that ruled the

Banaadir Banaadir (, , ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southeastern Somalia. It covers the same area as the city of Mogadishu, which serves as the capital. It is the only region in the country not belonging to any of the six states. It is b ...

coast with their capital at

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

from the late 15th or early 16th century until around 1624 or possibly as late as 1700.: "In the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century a Muzaffarid dynasty, apparently related to the Somali Ajuran, who by then controlled the lower Shebele basin, was established at Mogadishu. Later the Ajuran succumbed to Hawiya immigrants and the Muzaffarid dynasty collapsed about 1624.": "As to Mogadishu, when its independence was once asserted, although tribute was occasionally paid to quieten the Portuguese, the town enjoyed virtual self-government until c. 1700, when the Muzaffarid dynasty was overthrown by an invasion of the Somali, since then its rulers and now the majority of its inhabitants." They were of

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

extraction that mixed with the local Somali population and are related to the Ajuran clan.: "The Ajuran Sultanate amalgamated other existing dynasties such as the Muzaffar, of mixed Persian–Somali ancestry, who ruled the Benadir coast from Mogadishu, and created a confederacy of clans..." They were effectively independent, but allied to the more powerful

Ajuran Sultanate The Ajuran Sultanate (, ), natively referred to as Ajuuraan, and often simply Ajuran/Ajur, was a Muslims, Muslim empire in the Horn of Africa that thrived from the Late Middle Ages, late medieval and Early modern period, early modern period. F ...

.: "Recent coin finds also indicate that Mogadishu minted its own local currency from 1300 to 1700. But this economic affluence was very much dependent on international trade; and the economic decline of these coastal city-states, which may have started around the 15th century, was accelerated when the Portuguese began intercepting their trade during the 16th century. This economic calamity was followed by the overthrow of both the Ajuran dynasty of the Banadir hinterland and Muzaffar dynasty of Mogadishu by Hawiye clans. These allied dynasties had assisted in building a regional economy based on trade and tribute that linked the coast to the interior." They resisted the Portuguese, but occasionally paid them tribute.: "The Muzaffar dynasty ruled Mogadishu in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The city fought off the Portuguese, who were expanding their sphere of influence all along the Swahili Coast, but by the end of the seventeenth century it had been taken over by another foreign power, the sultan of Oman." In the 17th century, the Muẓaffarids were conquered by the Somali

Abgaal The Abgaal (Somali language, Somali: Abgaal; Arabic: أبگال) are a Somali clan, Somali sub-clan of the Hawiye and the even larger Samaale clan. This prominent Somali clan, despite being one of the youngest in Somalia, is one of the most ...

. The Muẓaffarid is the second known dynasty of Mogadishu. Its first attested ruler, ʿUmar al-Malik al-Muẓaffar, bore the title of

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

. He is known from his coins.

Coins A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

were minted throughout the Muẓaffarid period. The prosperity of Mogadishu during this time stemmed from its status as a trade link between the interior and the sea and its alliance with Ajuran. The city, however, was already in decline when the Muẓaffarids took over.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * *{{cite book , last=Mukhtar , first=M. H. , year=2016 , chapter=Ajuran Sultanate , title=The Encyclopedia of Empire , volume=1 , doi=10.1002/9781118455074.wbeoe146 , publisher=John Wiley & Sons 15th-century establishments in Africa 17th-century disestablishments in Africa 15th century in Africa 16th century in Africa Iranian Muslim dynasties