The Emirate of Harar was a Muslim kingdom founded in 1647 when the

Harari people The Harari people ( Harari: Gēy Usuach, "People of the City") are Semitic-speaking ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa. Members traditionally reside in the walled city of Harar, called simply ''Gēy'' "the City" in Harari, situated in t ...

refused to accept Imām ʿUmardīn Ādan as their ruler and broke away from the

Imamate of Aussa The Imamate of Aussa also spelled Imamate of Awsa was a medieval Harari people, Harari imamate in present-day eastern Ethiopia with its capital in Asaita. It was carved out of the Sultanate of Harar and the Adal Sultanate. History This polity was ...

to form their own state under

`Ali ibn Da`ud ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

. Prior to its invasion by Shewan forces under

Menelik II , spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"'' , alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.) Menelik II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 A ...

, the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

noted that the

Harar Harar ( amh, ሐረር; Harari: ሀረር; om, Adare Biyyo; so, Herer; ar, هرر) known historically by the indigenous as Gey (Harari: ጌይ ''Gēy'', ) is a walled city in eastern Ethiopia. It is also known in Arabic as the City of Saint ...

kingdom made up the area between the rivers Awash and

Shebelle The Shebelle River ( so, Webi Shabeelle, ar, نهر شبيلي, am, እደላ) begins in the highlands of Ethiopia, and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu. Near Mogadishu, it turns sharply southwest, where it follows the coast. ...

while the

Ogaden Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled ''Ogadēn''; so, Ogaadeen, am, ውጋዴ/ውጋዴን) is one of the historical names given to the modern Somali Region, the territory comprising the eastern portion of Ethiopia formerly part of the Harargh ...

was a tributary state. Originally however the Harar Emirate composed of present-day

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

and to south of eastern

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

including the

Arsi Province Arsi Province (Amharic: አርሲ) was a Provinces of Ethiopia, province of Ethiopian Empire with its capital at Asella. Historically a part of the Emirate of Harar until its invasion by Menelik and subsequent incorporation into modern Ethiopia. ...

. Harar also dominated trade in

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 ...

. Harar's influence began shrinking in the nineteenth century possibly due to lack of resources and famine. Like all Muslim states in the area, the Emirate of Harar was technically under the protection of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

annexed the Emirate of Harar in 1875. The

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

defeated the Khedivate and occupied its territories in 1882 including Harar, but the British agreed to evacuate Harar and essentially cede the city to the

Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...

's sphere of influence in exchange for assistance against Mahdist forces in Sudan. As per the terms of their agreement (the

Hewett Treaty The Hewett Treaty, also called the Treaty of Adwa, was an agreement between Britain, Egypt and Ethiopia signed at Adwa on 3 June 1884. The treaty ended a long-simmering conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia, but indirectly started a new conflict bet ...

), the British withdrew from Harar in 1884, leaving the city to the son of the former Emir of Harar with a few hundred rifles, some cannon and a handful of British trained officers. The Emirate would be finally destroyed and annexed by the armies of Negus Sahle Maryam of Shewa (the future Emperor

) in 1887 following the Emirate's defeat at the

Battle of Chelenqo The Battle of Chelenqo (also spelled Chalanko, Chalenko, Calanqo, Calanko, Chelenko, etc.) was an engagement fought on 9 January 1887 between the army of Shewa under ''Negus'' Menelik and Emir 'Abd Allah II ibn 'Ali 'Abd ash-Shakur of Harar. Th ...

Emirs of Harar (Dawud Dynasty)

{, class="wikitable" , - ! !! Name !! Reign !! Note , - , 1 , , , Founder of the Emirate of Harar , - , 2 , , , Son of Emīr ʿAli , - , 3 , , , Son of Emīr ʿAli , - , 4 , , , Son of Emīr ʿAbdullah , - , 5 , , , Son of Emīr ʿAbdullah , - , 6 , , , Son of Emīr Abūbakar , - , 7 , , , Son of Emīr Abūbakar , - , 8 , , , Son of Emīr Abūbakar , - , 9 , , , Son of Emīr Abūbakar , - , 10 , , , Son of Emīr Yūsuf , - , 11 , , , Son of Emīr Yūsuf , - , 12 , , , Son of Emīr Maḥamed , - , 13 , , , Son of Emīr Maḥamed , - , 14 , , , Son of Emīr Maḥamed , - , 15 , , , Grandson of Emīr Maḥamed , - , 16 , , , Son of Emīr Abūbakar , - , 17 , , , Son of Emīr ʿAbdalshakūr, deposed by the

Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ota, خدیویت مصر ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which brou ...

, - , -- , , , Egypt annexed Harar in 1875 , - , -- , , , Britain annexed Egypt in 1882, subsequently occupying Harar , - , 18 , , {{nowrap, 1884–1887 , Son of Emīr Maḥamed (17), his rule and Harar's briefly renewed independence were both ended by the invasion of Harar by the Shewa kingdom in 1887.

Emirs of Harar (Dawud Dynasty)

See also

References

Further reading