Sulayman Solong () (c. 1550 – c. 1637)
[ Hill 1967, p. 350] was the first historical
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
Darfur
Darfur ( ; ar, دار فور, Dār Fūr, lit=Realm of the Fur) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju ( ar, دار داجو, Dār Dājū, links=no) while ruled by the Daju ...
.
[ Ofcansky 1992, "The Fur"] According to several sources, he ruled the
Sultanate of Darfur
The Sultanate of Darfur was a pre-colonial state in present-day Sudan. It existed from 1603 to October 24, 1874, when it fell to the Sudanese warlord Rabih az-Zubayr and again from 1898 to 1916, when it was conquered by the British and integra ...
from 1596 to 1637.
[ MacMichael 1967, p. 7] However, because of the lack of contemporary references, estimates of his reign dates diverge widely, with some modern scholars stating that he probably reigned between 1660 and 1680.
[ O'Fahey 2008, p. 36]
Biography
The region of Darfur is named after the
Fur people
The Fur (Fur: ''fòòrà'', Arabic: فور ''Fūr'') are an ethnic group predominantly inhabiting western Sudan. They are concentrated in the Darfur region, where they are the largest ethnic group.Gettleman, Jeffrey, "Chaos in Darfur on rise as ...
inhabiting it. The Fur succeeded the
Tunjur
__NOTOC__
The Tunjur (or Tungur) people are a Sunni Muslim ethnic group living in eastern Chad and western Sudan. In the 21st century, their number has been estimated at 175.000 people.
History
Based on linguistic and archaeological evidence, th ...
as the dominant people in the region. The royal
Keira (also spelled Kayra) clan sprang from the
Kunjara, one of the three Fur tribes.
[ Holt 1991, p. 122] Although Fur tradition speaks of early rulers such as
Daali and
Kuuruu, they are generally regarded as
folk hero
A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore
...
es.
[ Holt 1982, p. 51] Sulaiman Solong is considered the first historical ruler of the Keira dynasty.
According to traditional accounts, a land dispute erupted between Sulaiman's father Kuuruu and his uncle Tunsam, which forced Kuuruu to flee with Sulaiman to Dar Masalit in the west.
Sulaiman grew up there among his mother's
Masalit tribe,
to whom an
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
origin is generally ascribed.
[ Fisher 1977, p. 305] When he became strong enough, he overthrew his uncle Tunsam, recaptured
Jabal Marra from him and forced him to flee east to the border with
Kordofan
Kordofan ( ar, كردفان ') is a former province of central Sudan. In 1994 it was divided into three new federal states: North Kordofan, South Kordofan and West Kordofan. In August 2005, West Kordofan State was abolished and its territory di ...
. Modern historians hypothesize that the civil war between Kuuruu and Tunsam may be linked to the collapse of the Tunjur empire.
Little is known of Sulaiman's reign beyond vague generalities.
[ O'Fahey 2008, p. 37] The traditions surrounding him were recorded two centuries later.
Sulaiman's nickname "Solong" means "the red-faced" or "the Arab" in the
Fur language
The Fur language (or For; Fur: ''bèle fòòr'' or ''fòòraŋ bèle''; ar, فوراوي, ''Fûrâwî''; sometimes called Konjara by linguists, after a former ruling clan) is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by the Fur of Darfur in Western Sudan. ...
, in reference either to his complexion or to his mother's origins.
He is remembered as a warrior and conqueror who led 33 military campaigns, thereby transforming his Fur tribal kingdom into a
multiethnic
A multinational state or a multinational union is a sovereign entity that comprises two or more nations or states. This contrasts with a nation state, where a single nation accounts for the bulk of the population. Depending on the definition of ...
empire in succession to the Tunjur.
He conquered Kordofan and for a time extended his dominions over
Sennar,
which was weakened due to a series of civil wars.
His conquests were mainly aimed at increasing the number of slaves he held, which he could then
barter
In trade, barter (derived from ''baretor'') is a system of exchange in which participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. Economists distingu ...
with merchants from surrounding regions for arms, war-horses and fine cloth.
Nevertheless, Sulaiman's sultanate lagged behind other Sub-Saharan African states in terms of modern weaponry. Unlike the
Bornu or
Songhai empires, Darfur did not use
firearm
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
s.
The monarchy Sulaiman founded followed the then common African model of
divine kingship,
which was later transformed under the impact of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
.
[ O'Fahey 2008, p. 38] Sulaiman is traditionally credited with making
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
the sultanate's
state religion
A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular, is not necessarily a t ...
.
The prior religion of his semi-legendary predecessors is unclear,
with some sources suggesting that it was
paganism
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. In ...
. Sulaiman built mosques for his subjects and encouraged Islamic practices such as
circumcision
Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. Topi ...
.
However, the
Islamization of the Keira state was a slow process, and the monarchy retained pre-Islamic rituals throughout its existence.
Sulaiman was married to an Arab woman.
He was succeeded on his death by his son
Musa Sulayman and was buried on Jabal Marra, which went on to become the ancestral cemetery of the Fur sultans.
Sulaiman was considered the "
founding father
The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...
" of the Keira state, a status that was highlighted in the oral traditions as well as on the seals of succeeding sultans,
[ O'Fahey 2008, p. 39] which often gave a
pedigree back to Sulaiman.
Nevertheless, historian
Peter Malcolm Holt writes in the ''
Encyclopaedia of Islam
The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is an encyclopaedia of the academic discipline of Islamic studies published by Brill. It is considered to be the standard reference work in the field of Islamic studies. The first edition was published i ...
'' that Sulaiman was probably not the founder of the Keira dynasty, but simply its first Muslim ruler.
Sulaiman's descendants continued to reign over Darfur until
Ali Dinar
Ali Dinar ( ar, علي دينار; 1856 – November 6, 1916) was a Sultan of the Sultanate of Darfur and ruler from the Keira dynasty.
In 1898, with the decline of the Mahdists, he managed to regain Darfur's independence.
A rebellion ...
's death in battle at the hands of the British in 1916.
See also
*
History of Darfur
Throughout its history, Darfur has been the home to several cultures and kingdoms, like the mythical Tora or the Daju and Tunjur kingdoms. The recorded history of Darfur begins in the seventeenth century, with the foundation of the Fur Sultan ...
*
Islamization of Sudan
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sulayman Solong
1550s births
1637 deaths
16th-century monarchs in Africa
17th-century monarchs in Africa
Founding monarchs
Keira dynasty
Muslim rulers
Sultans of Darfur