Part I of History of Zeila/Adel Empire and Ahmed Gurey Series

Ahmed Gurey was a Somalilander,a Native Zeilite and many of the later see him as one of them as a (Gadaboursi, and not an outsider)

Quotes

“people who fail to write and preserve their history will fall into decay and eventually extinction.” Suleiman

“Ahmed Gurey Mabuu Dhiman, Magoblamin Darwiishkii Geenyadu Madaalana” Hadrawi’s master piece by Shankaroon

I would like to take the opportunity to condemn the Rayaale regime, in the most strongest terms regarding the deportation of prominent Awdal/Selel/Gabiley leaders from their ancient land of Zeila. The leaders were deported when they boldly confronted Rayaale administration sale of a part of their ancient land, the historical island’s of “Saadin and Ceebat” to foreigners. let me congratulate them for their courage to uncover the ongoing conspiracy to sell their land. in this moment I would also decided to post a excerpts of my extensive research on the history of Zeila and the Adel Empire. The struggle to liberate ourselves from Rayaale will continue.

Introduction
 

The major objective of these investigative piece is, to put the glorious history of the Adel Empire into its proper perspective. This piece will also link one of their native legendary leaders, to the true descendants and preservers of that history. So many of Ahmed Gurey’s detractors led by the Abyssinians and their friendly colonial powers, have been twisting, distorting, and misplacing Adel Empire’s illustrious history and glory. For hundreds of years those who extensively wrote about Zeila are either Portuguese, British, Abyssinian or Arab. Anytime somebody else and especially one who has an agenda or an ax to grind writes about your history, It will be susceptible to distortions and lies.That is exactly what had happened to the history of the Zeila.That history was subjected to an endless molestation, mutilation, assassination and plunder. The history buried in Zeila, its hinterland and so many other parts of Somaliland  is limitless, rich and astronomical in size. It is this history which was crying for centuries to be discovered. As the slogan goes, “it for you to discover, ” in the same token the decedents of that history are supposed to uncover that history. The discovery of that history is not awaiting anybody else but you.    

 For the last four centuries and especially since the 19th century when the western colonial powers came to our land, they started distorting and destroying our history, heritage, culture, and historical foot prints. In those writings they flagrantly distorted the indigenous history of our land. They have looked down upon and cheapened our heroes, system of governance, education system and everything else indigenous. What they did, the tactics they used and their relentless propaganda and rewriting of history continued until today. What they did and still doing to some extent is nothing new. Look what they wrote about the Egyptian civilization, their twisted portrayal of that unprecedented history, and their relentless attempts to reduce the phenomenal Egyptian civilization as a foreign phenomena is not an accident. They wrote so many books about Napoleon Bonaparte very short conquest of Egypt. They have excessively wrote about the Romans, and their corrupt kings and queens such as Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, the so-called Alexander the great of Macedonia.One may ask why so many European colonial powers and conquerors attacked Egypt? the complete answer to this difficult question can not be answered here, but I would just touch a little bit about it. To try to answer the question, several factors has to noted: 1. Egypt is a strategically located place. It is a country which is lies where Africa, Middle East and Asia meet. 2. The Suez canal that connects the red sea to the Mediterranean sea is also located in Egypt 3. Egypt has a very rich history and civilization. If you read those books and do not know the illustrious Egyptian history you may succumb to their propaganda. Therefore, the distortion of Imam Ahmed Gurey’s superb history and achievement is no different. All this boils down to one one thing. If you don’t write your history somebody else will, in such away you will not even recognize yourself, history and land.   

Imam Ahmad was born near Zeila, a port city located in Somaliland ( capital of the Adel Empire). Ahmed Ibrahim has married Bati del Wambara, the daughter of Mahfouz, governor of Zeila. He was an iconic religious scholar, a leader and a legendary military commander. He was a beloved leader who set up a just society, build cities, founded a superb educational system, unified the indigenous clans and spread Islam through out the Horn of of Africa. During his reign he presided over seven Emirates that have been unified under the confederation of the Adel Empire. Zeila was known in the Muslim world and especially in Shaam (the levent) as Bilaad Al-Zeila or Dara-Sata-Al-Islam. The detailed account of all the different Emirates that comprise the Adel empire will come in another piece. He established a permanent peace in the area. The clans have enjoyed a lot of peace, justice, tranquility and prosperity. He was a devote Muslim, a religious scholar, a shrewd military commander, a problem solver and a just leader. He established cordial relations with-the Ottoman Turks who at time ruled a far flanged Empire that extends from North Africa, the Middle East, to the gates of Vienna, Austria. The Adel Empire under his rule was a flourishing trade, educational center and a military power.Those conditions have attracted so many nationalities from the middle East, India and other places. It is that civilization that has attracted the European colonial powers to the Horn of Africa. It is also Zeila’s strategic location that has attracted holy men of the early Islam when it was still in its infancy in Mecca to come to Zeila. Zeila’s civilization was also what has attracted the lowly spy of the British navy Richard Burton to come to Zeila. The same phenomena has also brought his French rival Arthur Renault to Zeila and Harrar who was also a spy of the French Imperial power.           
 
The following is not a mere empty clannish boasting, self-serving account but a well-researched body of work, destined to put some of the facts of Zeila’s  glorious history into perspective. This is a story that has been crying to be told for a very long time, and for that reason, this investigative piece will be the first of a series of an on going rebuttals, to all the false attempts and the pretensions to Adel Empire’s illustrious history. This research is the culmination of work that was going for many years and still on going. These reports are an attempt of making the record straight after hundred’s of years of lies, distortions, attempts to rewrite history by outsiders who have no relationship to Zeila, Adel and its people. There is a fact which nobody can deny, that hundred years from now, had modern Somalilanders did not write their own history, it will be susceptible to lies, distortions and efforts  to rewrite it.Therefore, writing one’s history, culture and religion is extremely important. That is exactly what had happened to Zeila.The rewriting and distortion of history is not only confined to Zeila, Zeilites, Adel, Somalilanders, and Somalis. This is across the board phenomena which usually happens when Empires and colonizers took over foreign countries. As soon as they land on foreign lands they try to change their history and culture. Is this some thing that only happened to Zeila? No on the contrary, it happens to all the victims of colonization and hegemony. This has happened to native Americans, African-American, the original inhabitants of Europe the Roma (so-called Gypsies), the Hmong of China, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, the Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina, it happened to the former natives of North Africa, the Incas of Peru, Aztecs of Mexico and many other people.
   
The legendary Imam and military commander was a native Zeilite, Adelian,  a Somalilander and Somali. He was not a foreigner, not alien or any other stranger. Most of those who wrote about him were Abyssinian, Portuguese, Arabs and Turks. They all either called him a stranger or unknown. Some of them them-and particularly some of the Arab authors claimed him, but that assertion do not stand on any solid legs. They have no concrete proof to affirm their lies. if he was an Arab, How come there are no Arabs in modern Zeila. Zeila never has large Arab community.  My research is still on going but let me say also the 33 rulers in the long history of Zeila were native people and many of them were of Gadaboursi decent. it is the Gadaboursi and to some extent the Issas who preserved the Zeila culture, history, the folklore (the legendary Zeili) and cuisine through out the centuries. The Isaaks also contributed to the history and commerce of Djibouti. There were other Somalis who used to visit Zeila for scholarship and trade. The constant claims of outsiders who have no relationship with the area or its history, usually angers and pains the descendants of that glorious history. The legendary leader was once the king of Zeila (Ifat kingdom).

Many books were written about Zeila’s civilization and history, but they were mostly written by colonial powers or his enemies. So far the people who wrote about Ahmed gurey were primarily outsiders who have a festive interest in distorting the rise, conquests, rule, objectives, achievements and the drive that made him a legendary leader who paralleled,  or even exceeded the warriorship, bravery, battle tactics and his over all leadership qualities, than the so-called of Alexander the great of Macedonia, Hannibal, and Ghengaz Khan and others we often hear about. What had happened here is the people of zeila, the Ifet Empire which eventually transformed into the much larger Adel Empire said very little about their native leader. The people of Zeila and its ancient twin city of  Harrar said very little about their leaders. they just get used to outsiders perspective on this legendary leader. It is extremely important to find out the history that is buried in Zeila and Harrar. It is time to dig out the history buried in the ruins of the other Adel cities in Abarrso, Darbiyada, Awbarre, old Amoud, Jarahorato, Bulhaaar, Berbera, Maidh, Heis and Las Qoray. Why most ancient cities of the Adel Empire are in Somaliland and especially in the Awdal/Salel regions is not a coincidence. I would like you  to check out these observations yourself. You also need advice the Somaliland office of tourism to identify these historical sites and put them in a brochure. Another local resource will be the local universities such as Amoud, Eelo, Hargeisa, Burao, Berbera, Las Anod and others. A joint teams between the local universities may help uncover the wealth of information, and history just buried here in Somaliland. The Ethiopians called him Ahmed Guran and they usually distort his history and ethnicity and for good reason, Arabs call him Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Qhazi, the people of Somali descend call him Ahmed gurey. The people of old Hafutu Al-Abrayn in Zeila called him the Abrayn man and they own him as their man. The Gadaboursi in general own him and become angry when outsiders who have neither affiliation nor regional proximity to the area, or history in Zeila and its hinterland claim him.
 
The people of Zeila in particular and Somalilanders and Somalis in general are angry, and resentful of the distortions and counter distortions of Ahmed Gurey’s history, ethnicity and where he came from. Ahmed Gurey was not an imperialist who came from outside, he was an indigenous warrior, a military commander and leader who came from the area. The Ethiopian propaganda and to some extent some Arab propaganda, and the European spies masquerading as explorers such as the vulgar racist, the spy of the British navy Richard Burton, who disguised as a holy Muslim man and came to Zeila,  all distort Zeila’s history. Again Ahmed Gurrey was a native son of Zeila and his not Arab or anybody else. He was a person of Somali decent, a Somalilader and belongs to the “Abrayn” subsub clan of the Mahad Asse sub clan of the Gadaboursi. 
 
Ahmed Gurey’s rise to prominence was a response to the Ethiopian violation of hundreds years old unwritten treaty between Abyssinia and the Emirate of Zeila. According to the treaty no Muslim government or entity has to wage a holy war against the kingdom of Abyssinia. The treaty was written along the lines that Muslims should never attack Christian Abyssinia under the banner of jihad. Practically that treaty was in force until an Ethiopian king attacked Zeila without any warning and killed its king Sa’da Diin, one of the islands just off the Zeila coast, still  bears his name today.     
 
 
Short rebuttal to the Futuh Al-Hash perspective on Imam Ahmed Gurey

In English translation Futuh Al-Habash means the conquest of Abyssinia. Ahmed Gureys armies has handily defeated the armies of Abyssinian king  Lebna Dengel. This one volume has covered Ahmed Gurey’s battles until 1537. What had happened between the period between 537 and 1543 when his army was repulsed is missing. The book is one volume of an  incomplete two volumes book, which was written by an Arab author who has his own bias. Futah Al-Habash said so many things about Zeila and Ahmed Gurrey, but he refrained from mentioning or putting a major icon of the Adel Empire, a native born leader into the proper prospective. Information passed through the word of mouth within the Gadaboursi clan from generation to generation, traced Ahmed Gurrey as one of their own. Awdal phenomena by the famed writer Bashir Goth has called the Adel civilization and its most famous leader an indigenous civilization, whereby the Gadaboursi has played a significant role. Sheikh Abdulrahman Sh. Nuur, an accomplished Islamic scholar and historian also put Ahmed Gurrey as a native Gadaboursi who was born in Galdaisa a town near Zeila. In modern times and especially the time during the reign of the now defunct irredentist Somalia, some supporters of that regime and close to the helm of the dictatorial power,  make many attempts to rewrite history by claiming Ahmed Gurey as their own, but all that failed as their lies has no strong legs to stand on. Most of those groups has no historical affiliation to Zeila or the Adel Empire. The Futuh Al-Habas author put an impossible, somewhat laughable and contradictory story about Ahmed Gurrey. On the one hand he acknowledged the fact that most of Imam Ahmed Gurey’s relatives were of Somali decent, but at the sometime depicted his lineage as mostly unknown. Though the Futuh Al-Habash never directly linked Ahmed Gurey to the people of Somali decent, the linkage was very clear in some of his writings. Things like that happen when the people at the center of a story, or some important event or events are not the writers of their history. Fortunately at the center of Ahmed Gurrey’s glorious history are primarily well-educated people decendents. With two budding universities in Borama and more than 5 other Universities in other parts of Somaliland, the time to put the real history of the Adel Empire into its proper and real prospective is now. The probability of writing that history today is much better than any other time in history.
References

Awdal Phenomena by Mr. Bashir Goth
Ilbahnimadii Adel(Awdal) by Sheikh Abdulrahman Sh. Nuur
Masalik Al-Absaar by Dr. Subhi Al-Ahsa
Futuh Al-Habash By Arab Faqih
Live interviews with Awdal/Selel elders
Portuguese expedition of Abyssinia translated by R.S. White way
Suleiman Ige is a senior science instructor and a freelance writer.

Filed Under: Report