Sa'ad ad-Din II (), reigned – c. 1403 or c. 1410, was a

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 ...

of the Ifat Sultanate. He was the brother of Haqq ad-Din II, and the father of Mansur ad-Din, Sabr ad-Din II and Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din. The historian Richard Pankhurst describes him as "the last great ruler of Ifat."

Reign

Sa'ad ad-Din II was born at the court of the Ethiopian Emperor Newaya Krestos. He and his brother Haqq ad-Din II revolted against the Ethiopian Emperor and moved their capital to Adal which was outside the sphere of Abyssinian control in the

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 ...

plateau. Pankhurst adds that Sa'ad ad-Din also fought against the kingdom of the Hadiya and a pastoral people called the Zalan, both of whom were Christian allies.Pankhurst, ''Borderlands'', p. 51 However, as Taddesse Tamrat notes, these successes were short-lived, and in response to the growing

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 ...

power in the region Emperor Dawit I strengthened the Ethiopian defenses along the border and established his court at Tilq in Fatagar. Despite these steps, Sa'ad ad-Din's practice of making quick raids into Ethiopian territory presented a difficult challenge to the Ethiopian Emperor, there were several fights between the Abyssinians and it was not until the Sultan was pursued deep into Ifat territory that the Ethiopians would face him on in a pitched battle. After a battle between Sa'ad ad-Din and the Ethiopian general Barwa, in which the Ifat army was defeated and "no less than 400 elders, each of whom carried an iron bar as his insignia of office" were killed, Sa'ad ad-Din with his remaining supporters were chased to furthest part of

Zeila Zeila (, ), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila with the Biblical location of Havilah. Most modern schola ...

There, the Ethiopian army besieged Zeila, finally capturing the city and killing Sultan Sa'ad ad-Din on the island, Medieval Egyptian historian Al-Maqrizi narrates: :the Amhara pursued Sa'd al-Din as far as the peninsula of

, in the ocean, where he took refuge. The Amhara besieged him there, and deprived him of water; at last one of the impious showed them a way by which they could reach him. When they came upon him a battle ensued; and after three days the water failed. Sa'd al Din was wounded in the forehead and fell to the ground, whereupon they pierced him with their swords. But he died happily, falling in God's cause. With Sa'ad ad-Din's death, the

Walashma dynasty The Walashma dynasty was a medieval Muslim dynasty of the Horn of Africa founded in Ifat (historical region), Ifat (modern eastern Shewa). Founded in the 13th century, it governed the Sultanate of Ifat, Ifat and Adal Sultanate, Adal Sultanates in ...

adopted the title of "kings of Adal". His ten sons took refuge in

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

at the court of King Ahmad bin al-Ashraf.

Legacy

Sa'ad ad-Din's tomb stood as a hallowed site for centuries in Zeila. It was visited by

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

the explorer in 1854, who described it as "a mound of rough stones surrounding an upright pole" near the cemetery, decorated with "the remains of votive banquets, broken stones, dried garbage, and stones blackened by the fire" showing how he was "properly venerated" as the current favorite saint of Zeila. Trimingham notes that at the time he wrote his book (circa 1950), the tomb had been destroyed by the encroaching sea. Additionally, the Saad ad-Din Islands in northern

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, off the coast of

, are named in Sa'ad ad-Din's honour. According to the chronicle ''"Conquest of Abyssinia"'' by Arab Faqīh, Harla clans descendant from Sa'ad ad-Din II participated in the sixteenth century Ethiopian–Adal War.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saad Ad-Din 02 Sultans of Ifat 15th-century monarchs in Africa 15th-century Somali people Somalian Muslims Year of birth missing Year of death missing People from Harari Region

Reign

Legacy

See also

Works cited

Notes