Hadiya also known as Adea or Hadia was a medieval

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

state in the southern part of its realm located south of

Shewa Shewa ( am, ሸዋ; , om, Shawaa), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa (''Scioà'' in Italian language, Italian), is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous monarchy, kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The ...

and west of Sharkha. The Hadiya Muslim state mainly composed of Cushitic Hadiyya proper,

Halaba Halaba is a zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the Halaba people, and covers part of their homeland. Located in the Great Rift Valley, Halaba zone is bordered on the south by an exclav ...

Kebena people The Kebena people (also spelled Qebena) are a Cushitic ethnic group found in the Gurage Zone of Ethiopia. They speak the Kebena language and area very similarly to the Kembata and Alaba people in terms of language and to the Gurages in term of cu ...

as well as Semitic Sil'te and other tongues related to

Harari language Harari is an Ethiopian Semitic language spoken by the Harari people of Ethiopia. According to the 2007 Ethiopian census, it is spoken by 25,810 people. Most of its speakers are multilingual in Amharic and/or Eastern Oromo. Harari is closely rel ...

. Hadiya was historically a vassal state of the Adal federation and then became an autonomous province of Abyssinia in the fourteenth century while still remaining a member of the Zeila union. In the 1600s Hadiya regained its independence and was led by a Garad. By 1850, Hadiya is placed north-west of lakes

Zway Batu ( om, Baatuu), formerly Zway or Ziway,Langano but still between these areas. Hadiya was described in the mid-fourteenth century by the Arab historian Shihab Al-Umari as measuring eight days' journey by nine, which Richard Pankhurst estimates was 160 by 180 kilometers. Although small, Hadiya was fertile with fruit and cereals, rich with horses, and its inhabitants used pieces of iron as currency. It could raise an army of 40,000 cavalry and at least twice as many foot soldiers.Richard Pankhurst, ''The Ethiopian Borderlands'' (Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press, 1977) p. 79

History

Hadiya was likely part of the domain of the

Sultanate of Shewa The Makhzumi dynasty also known as Sultanate of Shewa or Shewa Sultanate, was a Muslim kingdom in present-day Ethiopia. Its capital Walale was situated in northern Hararghe in Harla country. Its territory extended possibly to some areas west of th ...

and linked to the Harla. Before the pagan Kingdom of Damot's invasion led by Sidama. A cluster of speakers labelled Hadiya-Sidama developed, maintaining Islamic identity and later creating the Hadiya Sultanate. According to Hadiya elders the dynasty was started by descendants of Harar Emir Abadir, who intermarried with Sidama. The earliest surviving mention of Hadiya is in the '' Kebra Nagast'' (ch. 94), indicating that the kingdom was in existence by the 13th century. Another early mention is in a manuscript written on the island monastery of

Lake Hayq Lake Hayq ( Amharic: ሐይቅ ሐይቅ, ) is a freshwater lake of Ethiopia. It is located north of Dessie, in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region. The town of Hayq is to the west of the lake. Lake Hayq is 6.7 km long and 6 km w ...

, which states that after conquering Damot, Emperor Amda Seyon I proceeded to Hadiya and brought it under his control using Gura armies from modern

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

which would later become Gurage region. Later during Amda Seyon's reign, the King of Hadiya, Amano, refused to submit to the Emperor of Ethiopia. Amano was encouraged in this by a Muslim "prophet of darkness" named Bel'am. Amda Seyon subsequently set forth for Hadiya, where he "slew the inhabitants of the country with the point of the sword", killing many of the inhabitants while enslaving others. Despite such punitive measures, many of the Hadiya people served in the military units of Amda Seyon. In the fourteenth century according to professor Lapiso Delebo, the Hadiya state which he designates as "Hadiya-Harla Sultanate" maintained one of the largest armies in the region, consisting of 80,000 infantry and 40,000 cavalry. Arab historian

Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari Shihab al-Din Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Fadlallah al-Umari ( ar, شهاب الدين أبو العبّاس أحمد بن فضل الله العمري, Shihāb al-Dīn Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Faḍlallāh al-ʿUmarī), commonly known as Ibn Fadlal ...

notes that the Hadiya, along with all the other Muslim principalities in the area, were under the authority of the "King of Amhara." They also held a distinct reverence for the ruler of Ifat and, under specific circumstances, lent their support to him. During the reign of Zara Yaqob, the '' Garad'' or

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) 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 ...

of Hadiya, Mahiko, the son of ''Garaad'' Mehmad, repeated his predecessor's actions and refused to pay tribute to the Ethiopian Emperor. However, with the help of one of Mahiko's followers, the Garaad was deposed in favor of his uncle Bamo. Garaad Mahiko then sought sanctuary at the court of the Adal Sultanate. He was later slain by the military contingent Adal Mabrak, who had been in pursuit. The chronicles record that the Adal Mabrak sent Mahiko's head and limbs to Zara Yaqob as proof of his death. Zara Yaqob turned away from the policy of expansion to that of consolidating what had been won so far. He organized the administration of the empire by appointing his relatives to the highest posts. He initiated the policy of appointing Christians in the peripheral Muslim territories, he instituted the practice of converting and marrying Hadiya princesses most notably

Eleni of Ethiopia Eleni ( Ge’ez: እሌኒ, "Helena"; died April 1522) also known as Queen of Zeila was Empress of Ethiopia by marriage to Zara Yaqob (r. 1434–1468), and served as regent between 1507 and 1516 during the minority of emperor Dawit II. She played ...

, which was denounced by Muslims in the region. Adal attempted to invade Ethiopia in response, however the campaign was a disaster and led to the death of Sultan Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din at the

Battle of Gomit The Battle of Gomit was fought in 1445 between the Ethiopian Empire and a powerful Muslim army under the Adal Sultanate. The Ethiopians were led by Emperor Zara Yaqob, while the forces of Adal were led by Sultan Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din. The Eth ...

. Hadiya was later visited by the Portuguese traveler Francisco Álvares, he described it as "very wooded", so much so that one "could not travel without cutting trees and making roads." He claim that it produced large amounts of cattle to which it used to pay tribute to the Emperor

Dawit II Dawit II ( gez, ዳዊት; – 2 September 1540), also known by the macaronic name Wanag Segad (ወናግ ሰገድ, ''to whom the lions bow''), better known by his birth name Lebna Dengel ( am, ልብነ ድንግል, ''essence of the vi ...

. Despite its inhabitants being Muslims, he described them as "very peaceful" and subservient to the Emperor. Lebna Dengel lists it in his letter to Manuel I of Portugal as being a part of his realm. The next time Hadiya is mentioned is in the ''Futuh al-Habasa'', the history of the conquests of Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi. Just prior to arriving in the province, the unnamed governor addressed the Imam and declared "I am a Muslim, like you, I will obey your orders." The Imam was said to have received a warm welcome and hospitality from the Muslim populace. The inhabitants then informed the Imam of the oppression their people had to endure under the Emperor, "He was stronger then us; he forbade us carry defensive arms, hold swords or ride on saddled horses, allowing us only to ride bareback; he imposed on us the obligation of giving him each year a young girl, which we do for fear that he will kill us and destroy our mosques." The Imam told the people of Hadiya to have no more fear and called upon them to join his struggle against the Christians. After staying in Hadiya for five days, the Imam then left the province, taking with him the governor and his brother.The lord of Hadiya later gave his daughter Mureyas to the Imam, who died 3 months later. Emperor Sarsa Dengel suppressed a rebellion by Hadiya leader Garad Aze at the Battle of Hadiya. In the 1600s the Garad of Hadiya

Sidi Mohammed Sidi Mohammed was the Garad (chief) of the Hadiya people in the beginning of the seventeenth century. He is considered a descendant of some of the Silt'e clan originators as well as the founder of Halaba Halaba is a zone in the Southern N ...

defeated the troops of Emperor Susenyos I thus protecting their frontier from Abyssinian annexation for the next three hundred years. In the late sixteenth century, some parts of the Hadiya region was overrun by the

Oromo expansion The Oromo expansions, also known as the Oromo migrations or the Oromo invasions (in older historiography, Galla invasions), were a series of expansions in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Oromo. Prior to their great expansion in the 16th centu ...

, thus, the Arsi Oromo today claim Hadiya ancestry. However the Hadiya Muslim cluster state existed until the Abyssinian invasion under Menelik II in the 1800s. The Hadiya state of Qabeena under imam Umar Baksa capitulated to the Abyssinians without resistance due to fears of a direct occupation in 1875. This was opposed by nobles especially the Garad of Qabeena at the time Hassan Enjamo who began a resistance movement. In the following years, Hassan would expand his dominion into all of Hadiya, Gurage and some parts of Oromo territory. Hassan was however defeated in 1889 at the battle of Jabdu Meda leading to Qabeena Hadiya states annexation by the Abyssinians. With the exception of the

Hadiya under their chief Barre Kagaw who continued to resist until 1893 when the Abyssinians took advantage of the famine that had struck the region and led a conquest into their territory.

Identity

Historical definition of Hadiya people includes a number of Ethiopian ethnic groups currently known by other names according to ethnologist Ulrich Braukämper, who lived in various parts of southern-central Ethiopia for over four years during his research. In his book titled "A history of the Hadiyya in Southern Ethiopia", he established linkages to the ancient Hadiya Kingdom. Currently, Hadiya is not a homogeneous ethnic group but is rather sub-divided into a number of ethnonyms, partly with different languages and cultural affiliations. They were initially all inhabitants of a single political entity, a Sultanate, which in the 4th centuries following its break-down became remarkably diverse. The Libidoo (Maräqo), Leemo, Sooro, Shaashoogo, and Baadawwaachcho remained a language entity and preserved an identity of oneness, the Hadiya proper. The term Hadiya specifically designates the Qabeena people. Other ethnic groups such as Siltʼe, Wulbareg, Azarnat, Barbare, Wuriro, Wolane and Gadabano profess that they're the seven Hadiya clans. Ancient Hadiyans are distinguished by their Muslim heritage however these populations have decreased in the following centuries. There are clans of Hadiyya origin in Welayta as well as descendants of an old Hadiya stratum living with the Oromo and Sidama. Hadiya are related to the Harari.

Famous members

* Garad Aze * Garad Side Mohammed * Garad Hassan Enjamo * Garaad Amano * Garaad Mehmad * Garaad Mahiko * Garaad Bamo

Notes

References

*Braukämper, Ulrich. (1980), Geschichte der Hadiya Süd-Äthiopiens: von den Anfängen bis zur Revolution 1974, Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag (Studien zur Kulturkunde 50). *Braukämper, Ulrich. (2005), "Hadiyya Ethnography", in: Siegbert Uhlig (ed.): Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 2: D-Ha, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 961–963. *Braukämper, Ulrich. (2005), "Hadiyya Sultanate", in: Siegbert Uhlig (ed.): Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 2: D-Ha, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 963–965. {{authority control Monarchies of Ethiopia Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region Ethnic groups in Ethiopia

History

Identity

Famous members

See also

Notes

References