Zeila (historical region)

This article is about the ancient region in the Horn of Africa. For the town, see Zeila.

Zeila, also known as Zaila or Zayla, was a historical Muslim region in the Horn of Africa. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} The region was named after the port city of Zeila in modern-day Somalia. ^{[5] [6]}

Geography

Map of the Zeila region from around 1744, also referred to as the Kingdom of Adal, is situated adjacent to the Oromo (Galla), and Kingdom of Bale to its immediate west, while Mogadishu is positioned to the south.

In the medieval Arab world the Muslim inhabited domains in the Horn of Africa were often referred to as Zeila to differentiate them from the Christian territories designated Habasha. ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]} According to Ibn Battuta, a journey through the whole of Zeila and the Mogadishu region would take eight weeks to complete. ^[11]

Fourteenth century Arab historian Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari recounted on the usage of the term and its origin being the city of Zeila, a vital port in the region. ^[12]

this is the region which is called in Egypt and Syria the land of Zaila. This however is only one of their coastal towns and one of their islands, whose name has been extended to the whole

—  Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari, Masālik al-abṣār fī Mamālik al-amṣār

The Muslim inhabited territories during this period spanned from the commercial port city of Zeila to a place further inland called Walalah. ^[13] Ethiopian scholar Taddesse Tamrat noted that according to the Arab historian Al-Maqrizi, Jabarta was also considered part of the region of Zeila. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

History

The term Zeila in the thirteenth century was often interchangeable with the Ifat Sultanate which ruled over the entire region and later in the fourteenth century onwards used to denote its successor state the Adal Sultanate as well as Adal region. ^{[17] [18] [19]} Throughout this period the attribution "al-Zayla'i" frequently signified an individual from this region however it was not made consistently clear whether it referred to the denizens of city specifically or the Muslims further inland. ^[20]

Emerging amid the bustling trade networks linking the region to Yemen, Egypt, and beyond, Islamic scholars who often bore the nisba "al-Zayla'i" traveled as diplomats, students, and teachers, fostering connections in centers like Cairo and Damascus. Key figures like Abdallah al-Zayla'i, a Hanafi jurist who led an embassy to the Mamluk court, ^[21] and Fakhr al-Din al-Zayla'i, the author of the authoritative four-volume Tabyīn al-Ḥaqāʾiq, advanced the Hanafi and Shafiʿi schools of Islamic jurisprudence. ^{[22] [23]}

In the fourteenth century Egyptian historian al-Maqrizi mentions the inhabitants of Zeila country were fond of the stimulant khat leaf grown in the region. ^[24] One of the earliest accounts of coffee in text is by the sixteenth century Islamic scholar Ibn Hajar al-Haytami who writes about its development from a tree in the Zeila region. ^[25]

According to Rasulid-Yemen records, Zeila was the most prominent coastal city, with its sailors transporting goods to Aden using local vessels and its port serving as one of the primary hubs for mainland trade. The Rasulid sultan at one point sought to assert control over Zeila by building a mosque and having Friday prayers conducted in his name, but the city's residents rejected his authority, discarding his construction materials into the sea. In response, the Rasulids imposed a one-year embargo between Aden and Zeila. ^[26]

However, Islamic scholars from Zeila were instrumental in the establishment and spread of different schools of interpretation and application of Islamic law in the country of Yemen, such as the Ḥanafi schools and the Qadariyya Sufi order. The Qadari order was so popular in Yemen that one of its scholars; Sharaf al-din Isma'il al-Jabarti (d. 1403), became a close confidant of the Rasulid ruler Al Ashraf Ismail and an administrator in the city of Zabid. ^[27]

Fei Xin, a chronicler documenting Zheng He's voyages, highlights Zeila as a key destination during the Ming dynasty's expeditions, with visits occurring between 1413–1415 and 1417–1419. The Ming History notes that in 1416, Zeila dispatched envoys with tribute, prompting Zheng He to send reciprocal gifts. The account describes Zeila as a coastal city reachable from Calicut in twenty days, with residents building stone walls and houses of three and four storeys, living in desert conditions, and trading goods like frankincense. He mentions the women of Zeila, who like those of Hormuz, cover their hair with hijab. ^{[28] [29]}

The fifteenth-century empress Eleni of Ethiopia was styled as "queen of Zeila" due to her Muslim upbringing and her connection to the Hadiya Sultanate. ^[30] The leaders of Adal were also often referred to as Kings of Zeila in texts, most notably Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, the conqueror of Abyssinia. ^{[31] [32]}

An early 16th-century account by the Ethiopian Brother Antonio of Urvuar (Lalibela) describes Zeila as an "excellent port" visited by Moorish fleets from Cambay in India which brought many articles, including cloth of gold and silk. Another early 16th-century account by the Florentine trader Andrea Corsali reported that it was visited by many ships laden with much merchandise. ^[33] The 1516 account of Duarte Barbosa describes Zeila’s “houses of stone and white-wash, and good streets, the houses are covered with terraces, the dwellers in them are black.” ^[34]

The port of Zeila was a key trading zone, notably during the sixteenth century, functioning as one of the principal ports of the Muslim sultanate of Adal. Historical accounts, such as those by João de Barros, highlight its role in the weapons trade, including an instance in the 1510s when a Catalan ship sold arms there, underscoring the city’s importance in regional commerce during that period. ^[35]

In 1510, Italian merchant Ludovico di Varthema described Zeila as a bustling trade hub, particularly for gold and ivory. He noted that the people were living extremely well, and that it was governed by a Muslim king who administered justice effectively. The region boasted abundant grain, livestock, oil, honey, and wax, much of which was exported. Varthema also mentioned that many captives from the Ethiopian Empire, referred to as the lands of 'Prester John' passed through Zeila destined for slavery, suggesting ongoing conflicts with the Solomonic dynasty. ^[36]

Medieval Portuguese missionary Manuel de Almeida recorded the sixteenth century Oromo Invasions into the Zeila region, which he described as a form of divine retribution directed at Abyssinia and the Adal Sultanate: ^{[37] [38]}

Thence first came this plague and scourge of God in the days of the Emperor David, who was at first called by his baptismal name, Lebena Danguil, and was also called Onag Cagued afterwards. They emerged at the same time as the Moor Granh of Adel had invaded and already conquered a large part of the empire. They invaded the Kingdom of Baly, with which they had a common frontier, or of which they were close neighbours. They also invaded the Kingdom of Adel which we call Zeila, bordering on Baly, for the Gallas were the scourge, not only of the Abyssinians, but also of the Moors of Adel. This was either so that they should not be proud about their victories over the Abyssinians, or else so that the Abyssinians should understand that, through Granh and the Moors of Adel, God was punishing them as a loving father, to make them ask for help from the King of Portugal, promise to obey the Roman Pontiff, accept the true faith and abominate the heresies of Eutches and Dioscurus.

The seventeenth century saw the decline of Adal, described as being divided into smaller separate states due to the “long and bloody” wars waged on Abyssinia. ^[39] According to Samuel Augustus Mitchell, the neighbouring port of Berbera was flourishing in trade stretching through depths of Ethiopia from the Emirate of Harar whose Sultan ruled over the Somalis. ^[40] However during this period, British government official James Henson noted that Berbera was controlled by the local merchant Sharmarke Ali Saleh. ^[41]

Inhabitants

Coastline of Zeila (c. 19th century) its strategic location and proximity to the Red Sea was of great importance to the rulers of the region.

According to John Fage and I.M. Lewis, the main inhabitants of Zeila were ancestral to the Somali tribes who historically resided in the region. ^{[42] [43]} According to British explorer Richard Burton, al-Maqrizi mentions the "Kingdom of Zayla" using the Harari moniker. ^[44] The Somalis were among the earliest converts to the Islamic religion. Often presented as evidence for this conversion is the Masjid al-Qiblatayn built in Zeila during the first Migration to Abyssinia. ^{[45] [46]}

With the spread of Islam into Africa in the seventh century, the Somali language, especially certain northern dialects were influenced immensely by Arabic ^[47] as well as the Harari language with traditional titles such as Garad, Malaq, and Aw adopted by various Somali clans. ^{[48] [49]} The Zeila region itself positioned at the crossroads of two continents has often been included under the sphere of the South Semitic languages. ^{[50] [51]}

In the nineteenth century the inhabitants of Zeila narrated to one British commissioner that the ruined town of Amud (in the Zeila region) was built by the ancient Harla people. The British commissioner attested to the similarities between the ruins of Amud and that of the walled city of Harar. ^[52]

References

1. Østebø, Terje (October 2020). Islam, Ethnicity, and Conflict in Ethiopia The Bale Insurgency, 1963–1970. Cambridge University Press. p. 52. ISBN   978-1-108-83968-6.
2. Levtzion, Nehemia (31 March 2000). The History of Islam in Africa. Ohio University Press. p. 228. ISBN   978-0-8214-4461-0.
3. Alpers, Edward (1997). "The African Diaspora in the Northwestern Indian Ocean: Reconsideration of an Old Problem, New Directions for Research" . Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 17 (2): 71. doi:10.1215/1089201X-17-2-62.
4. Adal. Encyclopedia Aethiopica.
5. Trimingham, J. Spencer (13 September 2013). Islam in Ethiopia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-136-97029-0.
6. Kluijver, Robert. The State in Somalia : between self-governance and international order. Paris Institute of Political Studies. p. 81.
7. Pierrepont, Zacharie (July 2023). "The Abyssinian connection? Abyssinian-related scholars in the Yemeni and Medieval Red Sea environment (6th–9th/12th-15th centuries)". Revue des Mondes Musulmans et de la Méditerranée (153). Marseille Université: 153–178. doi: 10.4000/remmm.19536 .
8. Mukhtar, Mohamed (25 February 2003). Historical Dictionary of Somalia. Scarecrow Press. p. 268. ISBN   978-0-8108-6604-1.
9. Erlikh, Ḥagai (2002). The Cross and the River Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Nile. L. Rienner. p. 39. ISBN   978-1-55587-970-9.
10. Meri, Josef (31 October 2005). Medieval Islamic Civilization An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 12. ISBN   978-1-135-45596-5.
11. Burton, Richard (April 2011). First Footsteps in East Africa. B & R Samizdat Express.
12. Trimingham, J. Spencer (13 September 2013). Islam in Ethiopia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-136-97029-0.
13. Syed, Muzaffar Husain; Akhtar, Syed Saud; Usmani, B. D. (2011-09-14). Concise History of Islam. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. p. 164. ISBN   978-93-82573-47-0.
14. Tamrat, Taddesse (1972). Church and State in Ethiopia, 1270-1527. Clarendon Press. p. 124. ISBN   978-0-19-821671-1.
15. ʼAli), Maqrīzī (Aḥmad ibn (1790). Macrizi Historia regum Islamiticorum in Abyssinia. Interpretatus est et vna cum Abulfedae descriptione regionum nigritarum e codd. Biblioth. Leidensis Arabice edidit Fridericus Theodorus Rinck ... (in Arabic). apud Sam. et Joh. Luchtmans. p. 11.
16. Ahmed, Hussein (2021-10-01). Islam in Nineteenth-Century Wallo, Ethiopia: Revival, Reform and Reaction. BRILL. p. 60. ISBN   978-90-04-49228-8.
17. Ogilby, John (7 October 1670). AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA. p. 620.
18. Cerulli, Enrico. Islam yesterday and today. p. 344.
19. Brill, E. J. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913–1936. A – Bābā Beg · Volume 1. Brill. p. 126. ISBN   978-90-04-09787-2.
20. Hirsch, Bertrand (2011). Fauvelle-Aymar, François-Xavier; Hirsch, Bertrand (eds.). The port of Zeyla and its hinterland in the Middle Ages. French Center for Ethiopian Studies. doi:10.4000/books.cfee.698. ISBN   978-2-7018-0299-2.
21. al-ʻUmarī, Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá Ibn Faḍl Allāh; يحيى, ابن فضل الله العمري، أحمد بن (1992). التعريف بالمصطلح الشريف. جامعة مؤتة، عمادة البحث العلمي والدراسات العليا،. p. 50.
22. Shaham, Ron (2010). The Expert Witness in Islamic Courts: Medicine and Crafts in the Service of Law. University of Chicago Press. p. 102. ISBN   978-0-226-74935-8.
23. Leaman, Oliver (2022). Routledge Handbook of Islamic Ritual and Practice. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-000-58390-8.
24. Radt, Charlotte (1969). "Contribution à l'histoire ethnobotanique d'une plante stimulante : le Kat. Le Kat au Yemen (Note Préliminaire)". Journal d'Agriculture Tropicale et de Botanique Appliquée. 16 (2). Journal d'agriculture traditionnelle et de botanique appliquée: 232. doi:10.3406/jatba.1969.3026.
25. Waines, David (November 2010). Food Culture and Health in Pre-Modern Muslim Societies. BRILL. p. 144. ISBN   978-90-04-21662-4.
26. Smith, G. Rex (2016). "Eric Vallet, L'Arabie Marchande. Etat et Commerce sous les Sultans Rasūlides du Yémen". Journal of Semitic Studies. 61 (2): 553–557. ISSN   0022-4480.
27. Knysh, Alexander D. (1999-01-01). Ibn 'Arabi in the Later Islamic Tradition: The Making of a Polemical Image in Medieval Islam. SUNY Press. pp. 241–269. ISBN   978-0-7914-3967-8.
28. Sun, Yuqin; Chang, Xu (2024). General History Of China's Foreign Trade, A (Volume 1). World Scientific. p. 336. ISBN   978-981-12-5644-8.
29. Wyatt, Don J. (2012-02-28). The Blacks of Premodern China. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 108. ISBN   978-0-8122-0358-5.
30. Braukämper, Ulrich (2002). Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia Collected Essays. Lit. p. 61. ISBN   978-3-8258-5671-7.
31. The Portuguese expedition to Abyssinia in 1541–1543 as narrated by Castanhoso (PDF). p. 79.
32. S.C., Munro-Hay (2002). Ethiopia, the unknown land : a cultural and historical guide. I.B. Tauris. p. 28. ISBN   978-1-86064-744-4.
33. Pankhurst, Richard (1992). A Social History of Ethiopia: The Northern and Central Highlands from Early Medieval Times to the Rise of Emperor Téwodros II. Red Sea Press. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-932415-86-8.
34. Barbosa, Duarte (1866). A Description of the Coasts of East Africa and Malabar: In the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century. Hakluyt Society. p. 17.
35. Smith, Stefan C. A. Halikowski (2011). Reinterpreting Indian Ocean Worlds: Essays in Honour of Kirti N. Chaudhuri. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 10. ISBN   978-1-4438-3044-7.
36. Varthema, Lodovico de; Jones, John Winter; Badger, George Percy (1863). The Travels of Ludovico Di Varthema in Egypt, Syria, Arabia Deserta and Arabia Felix, in Persia, India, and Ethiopia, A.D. 1503 to 1508. Hakluyt Society. pp. 85–87. ISBN   978-1-5484-9905-1.
37. Huntingford, G.W.B. (15 May 2017). Some Records of Ethiopia, 1593-1646 Being Extracts from The History of High Ethiopia Or Abassia by Manoel de Almeida Together with Bahrey's History of the Galla. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-317-05271-5.
38. Hersi, Ali (1985). The Arab factor in Somali history: the origins and the development of Arab enterprise and cultural influences in the Somali Peninsula. UCLA. p. 228.
39. Mitchell, Samuel Augustus (1842). A General View of the World: Comprising a Physical, Political, and Statistical Account of Its Grand Divisions ... with Their Empires, Kingdoms, Republics, Principalities, &c: Exhibiting the History of Geographical Science and the Progress of Discovery to the Present Time. Illustrated by Upwards of Nine Hundred Engravings. David M. Jewett.
40. Mitchell, Samuel Augustus (1842). A General View of the World: Comprising a Physical, Political, and Statistical Account of Its Grand Divisions ... with Their Empires, Kingdoms, Republics, Principalities, &c: Exhibiting the History of Geographical Science and the Progress of Discovery to the Present Time. Illustrated by Upwards of Nine Hundred Engravings. David M. Jewett. p. 563.
41. "'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [138] (247/496)". Qatar Digital Library. 2019-10-08. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
42. Fage, John. Cambridge History of Africa (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 139.
43. Lewis, I.M. (1955). Peoples of the Horn of Africa: Somali, Afar and Saho. International African Institute. p. 140.
44. Burton, Richard (1894). The Memorial Edition of the Works of Captain Sir Richard F. Burton. Tylston and Edwards. p. 31.
45. Ylönen, Aleksi (2024-01-25). The Horn Engaging the Gulf: Economic Diplomacy and Statecraft in Regional Relations. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 112. ISBN   978-0-7556-3515-3.
46. Martin, E.G. (1974). "Mahdism and Holy Wars in Ethiopia Before 1600". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 4: 106–117. ISSN   0308-8421. JSTOR   41223140.
47. Metz, Helen Chapin, ed. (1993). Somalia: a country study (4th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. pp. 97–98. ISBN   0-8444-0775-5. OCLC   27642849.
48. Banti, Giorgio. Loanwords from Arabic and other Semitic Languages in Northern Somali (PDF). Oriental University of Naples. p. 7.
49. Central Intelligence Agency, (gov) (23 February 2007). INTELLIGENCE HANDBOOK FOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS SOMALI REPUBLIC (PDF) (CIA-RDP80-01444R000100060001-2 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency (gov). pp. 4–5.
50. Banti, Giorgio. Loanwords from Arabic and other Semitic Languages in Northern Somali (PDF). Oriental University of Naples. p. 7.
51. Lipiński, Edward (2001). Semitic Languages: Outline of a Comparative Grammar. Peeters Publishers. ISBN   978-90-429-0815-4.
52. Rayne, Henry (October 1938). "QUEEN ARAWEILO". Blackwood's Magazine. 238: 568–578. Archived from the original on 27 June 2001. Retrieved 20 June 2017.