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Harar, Ethiopia: Two months in Africa's City of Saints {Gadling}
Mar 28th 2011 11:38AM Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi
Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi (c.1507 - February 21, 1543) was a Somali general who defeated several Ethiopian emperors and wreaked much damage on that nation. He is also known as Ahmad Gragn, or "Ahmed the left-handed".
He was born from the Abraine clan sub-clan of the majority populated North Gadaboursi (Samaron) Tribe in Zeylac. He was married to Bati del Wambara, the daughter of Mahfuz the governor of Zeila . When Mahfuz was killed returning from a campaign against the Ethiopian emperor Lebne Dengel in 1517, the Adal sultanate lapsed into anarchy for several years, until Ahmad killed the last of the contenders for power and took control of Harar.
In retaliation for an attack on Adal in 1527-8 by the Ethiopian general Degalhan, Ahmad invaded Ethiopia in 1529, and inflicted a defeat on Lebne Dengel. Ahmad campaigned again in Ethiopia in 1531, looting the island monastery of Lake Hayq and the stone churches of Lalibela. When he entered the province of Tigray, he defeated an Ethiopian army that confronted him there, and on reaching Axum destroyed the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, in which the Ethiopian emperors had been coronated for centuries.
The Ethiopians were forced to ask for help from the Portuguese, who landed at the port of Massawa on February 10, 1541 in the reign of the emperor Gelawdewos . This force was led by Christopher da Gama , and included 400 musketeers and a number of artisans and other non-combatants. In response, Ahmad received 900 well-armed men from the Ottomans in Yemen to assist him.
While the Portuguese expedition were victorious in most of their engagements with Ahmad's forces, da Gama allowed himself to be trapped by Ahmad somewhere north of the Tekezé River, where he was killed along with all but 140 of his troops. The survivors and Galawedos were able to join forces, and drawing on the Portuguese supplies, they attacked Ahmad on February 21, 1543 in the Battle of Wayna Daga , where their 9,000 troops managed to defeat the 15,000 soldiers under Ahmad. Ahmad was killed by a Portuguese musketteer, who was mortally wounded in avenging da Gama's death.
His wife Bati del Wambara managed to escape the battlefield with a remnant of the Turkish soldiers to Harar, where she rallied his followers. She agreed to marry his nephew Nur ibn Mujahid on the condition that Nur would avenge Ahmad's defeat.
Nur Ibn Mujahid was also the person who built the wall of Harar and it's five gates (but a sixth one has been built when Ethiopia took control in the 19th century)
A sum up of Ahmed the left handed.
Harar tour: a walk around one of Africa's most unique cities {Gadling}
Mar 28th 2011 11:00AM Great post! By the way, The wall of Harar was built by Nur ibn Mujahid a Somali who opposed the oromos also the word(s) feres magala are Somali words which mean horse and town horse town but maybe these words are in the Harari language. Nevertheless great post!
Captain Jack Obliterates Box Office {Cinematical}
Jul 9th 2006 7:22PM bgdc, are you retarded? How can you say that the movie sucked, it was awesome. I think you should seriously get your brain checked out or something like that.
Review: The Lake House {Cinematical}
Jun 21st 2006 10:38PM myfriend and i just got done watching the lake house while i agree with lisa that keanu is SUPER HOT!! i didnt really get the movie hellooo what is with the time thing really did anyone catch the whole 2 years thing did time just stand still for kate while alex waited patiently for 2 years whould it of been 2008 then for sandra ??? i know im not that great with math but helloooo can anyone expalin this ? and not just say its just a movie enjoy it ....it dosent make sense???????????
