Introduction

Throughout the time there have been changes made in every

country like states being created or destroyed and other stuff. Ethiopia
the country in the horn of Africa is one of the best examples. Just
between wars of particular religion and society states are formed. In
this essay we are going to see the beginning and the periods of
Ethiopian western and eastern states like the leqa states in the western
and the Harar and Aussa in the eastern.

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2. Western states
2.2 The leqa states (leqa qellam and leqa naqamte)
Besides the Gibe states, there were two main centers of
monarchical power in Wallaga in the early nineteenth century. These
were the states of Leqa Naqamte and Leqa Qellem.

2.2.1 Leqa nakamte

A leader called Bakare Godana who is traditionally called as “man of
war” established the state of Leqa Naqamte. Who is said to have
unified the family around neqemte which grew even more powerful
under his successor and son Moroda bakare and his grandson Kumsa
Moroda. After his conversion to Christianity, Moroda claimed over a
vast territory like west of Diddessa well beyond the traditionary of the
leqa. He was strongly opposed by the new regions he has claimed
particularly by sibu opponents across the diddessa, by other leqa
antagonist such as nole kabba, and by the bera family of the Arjo city
to the south-west. This was the situation in early 1880 s when ras
Gobena arrived in the region at the head of the contigent of well
knowen shewan forces. As it happened Gobbenas arrival presented
the leqa ruler with an opportunity to consolidate (strength) his
precarious states over new territories this he did by sitting as
between ras Gobena and other leqa ruler of the region whom he

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seems to have persuaded to submit to the advancing shewan force. In
this process, moroda’s opponents, such as the nole kabba and the arjo
people, were soon defeated with the help of Gobena’s army, while sibu
resistance was temporarily checked.

2.2.1.1 Dejazmach Kumsa Moroda (1870–1924)

Whose Christian name is Gebregziabher Moroda, was the third and
last Moti, or ruler, of the Leqa Neqamte state. His father was Moti Moroda
Bekere. Upon the conquest of Leka Neqamte by Ethiopia under Menelik II, he
submitted to Ethiopian rule, converting to Tewahedo Orthodox Christianity,
taking the name Gebregziabher (Amharic for "Servant of God"), and was
appointed the Shum, or governor, of the expanded Welega Province. He
fought at the Battle of Adwa and was later awarded the title of Dejazmach.

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Other than fighting in the battle of Adwa Dejazmach Kumsa Moroda
has a very well-known palace which is acknowledged by his name
This historic palace was constructed in Nekemte during the reign of
this king by using large proportion of
local material and labor. The beauty of
craftsmanship had seen on the
building of the palace and its long life
illustrates the knowledge and skill of
local people developed at that time.

2.2.2 Leqa qellam

Leqa Qellem was founded by one of the Qellem chiefs in the western
wallega, Tullu. His son and successor, Jote, consolidated it in the
second half of the nineteenth century. Besides agriculture, the
economy of Leqa states was based on the Ethio - Sudanese fronttier
trade. Some foreign merchants from Funj Sultanate of Sudan used to
visit these two Leqa states. Jote Tullu’s kingdom was in constant
interaction, both hostile and peaceful, with the sheikhdoms of Asosa.
Through this way small Muslim sultanates called Asosa (aqoldi)
consisting of Benishangul and Khomosha were founded. Egyptian
sultanates laid there eyes on this two sultanates because of the
presence of large amount of gold.

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Nevertheless, these two states have fallen into the hands of minilik the
second in the 1990s.

3. Eastern states
3.1 Harar
The city of Harar looms large in the cultural and political history of the
northern horn of Africa. Its labyrinthine alleys and cobbled streets
flanked by whitewashed stone houses clustered between hundreds of
saintly shrines and over 82 mosques, have earned Harar the nickname
"city of saints"; and its reputation as the “fourth holiest city of Islam”.

The metropolis of Harar was the capital of one the most powerful
empires in north-east Africa, and it later emerged as an independent
city-state that issued its own coinage, and was a major center of trade
and scholarship, linking the Indian ocean world with the kingdoms of
the Ethiopian highlands.

3.1.1 Origin of name, state and etc…

Etymologically, the term “Harla/Harala” is the most likely origin of the

name “Harar”, and is also possibly the name of the sultanate of Hā rla
whose capital Hubä t/ Hobat appears in a number of records in the
14th century when its associated with the Ifat kingdom (c. 1286–
1435/36) a rival to the Solomonid/Ethiopian empire under Amde
Ṣ iyon

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Traditions about the history of Harar distinguish two periods in the
foundation of the city; the first foundation occurred around the 10th
century but has strong legendary connotations, attributing the city's
establishment to an alliance of seven clans; while the second
foundation occurred under the reign of the 'Emir Nÿr (1552-1568) the
successor of Imam Ahmad Gran of the Adal sultanate/empire.

3.1.2 sultanates

In 1332, Ifat sultanate was defeated by the Christian kingdom and

lost its independence. As a result, some members of the ruling family
of Ifat retreated farther to Harar and established the Sultanate of Adal
around 1380. As a result, Harar served as a political center of the
Sultanate of Adal up to the sixteenth century. The Sultanate of Adal
was reduced to the walled town of Harar as the result of the Oromo
expansion. After the death of Imam Ahmed, the Muslims of Adal were
reorganised under Emir Nur Mujahid.

The Emir launched an offensive war against the Christian kingdom.

In 1559 Nur Mujahid defeated and killed Gelawdewos in the Awash
valley. However, he could not continue with his victory over the
Christian forces because the Oromo forces had already reached the
Harar area at the time. So, he returned to Adal to defend it from falling
to the Oromo. However, since most of Harar was occupied by the
Oromo, he just built a wall around the town of Harar, which is known
as the Jegol wall. The walls surrounding this city, considered “the

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fourth holy city” of Islam, were built between the 13th and 16th
centuries and served as a protective barrier. It has 5 main inlet and
outlet, it is 5 meter high and 3.5Km long.

Following the Oromo movement and expansion, the Walasma rulers

abandoned it and moved to Aussa. Then, the emirate of Harar was
established under a local Harari dynasty in the middle of the
seventeenth century. The founder of this dynasty was Emir Ali Ibn
Dawd (r. 1647-1662). Harar functioned as the capital of the Harari
emirate from 1520 to 1568 became an independent emirate in the
17th century. The Emirate of Harar continued to serve as a strong
center of Islamic culture and political power. It controlled the rich
trade routes from the Gulf of Aden and the coastal areas of the Indian
Ocean.

From the late 16th century to the 19th century, Harar was an
important trade Centre between the coast and the interior highlands

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and a location for Islamic learning. Harar has existed as a center of
Islamic studies since the fourteenth century. Harar consolidated its
power over the neighbouring communities, mainly through Islam and
marriage alliances. Starting from 1875, the Egyptians occupied Harar
for about a decade. The local Harari, Emir Abdullahi, revived the
Harari dynasty in the second half of the 19th century. Harar was
finally incorporated into Meneliks Empire in 1887 after the battle
Chelanqo.

3.2 Aussa

The Sultanate of Aussa was a kingdom that existed in the Afar

Region in eastern Ethiopia in the 18th and 20th centuries. It was
considered to be the leading monarchy of the Afar people, to whom
the other Afar rulers nominally acknowledged primacy.

The Ethiopian Empire nominally laid claim to the region but were met

with harsh resistance as is known with the Afars and their skilled
desert warfare in contrast to other areas of the empire and thus Aussa
remained independent.

3.2.1 Environment and base of food and economy

The area that the Afar inhabited was historically divided up into
sultanates and semi-independent regions governed by sultans. The
distinctive culture and traditions of each sultanate did well. Each
sultanate historically consisted of several villages. However, the kings

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of the Christian realm identified the Afar with the medieval Adal
Sultanate in the early 14th century. However, a union of sultanates
continued to exist within the "Afar Triangle." Sultanates like the
Sultanate of Aussa, Sultanate of Bidu, Sultanate of Tadjoura, Sultanate
of Rahaito, and Sultanate of Goobad were among them.

region of Awsa, name that specifically indicates the area East of the
city of Asayta, where the Awaš river ends; it is an area permanently
covered by three main lakes, the Gamarri, Abbe, and Afambo, which
also gives name to the nearby sedentary settlement. Awsa is the
richest area of ʻAfar region thanks to the permanent water supply
from the river Awaš, along which it was possible to develop sedentary
agricultural activities (especially sorghum, cotton and corn); in the
other areas people still practice the traditional seminomadic
pastoralism, especially of camels, cows and goats .

3.2.2. Sultanates

The local Afar chiefs, who held the title of Sultan, governed Aussa.
After leaving Harar in 1577, the Walasma rulers of Adal controlled
Aussa. Imam Muhammed Ga'as (r. 1573-1583), the Adal leader,
relocated his headquarters from Harar to Aussa in Afar in 1577. The
rulers of the Emirate of Harar formed their own state in 1647.

Harari Imams, on the other hand, maintained a stronghold in southern

Afar. Aussa had greater territorial limits than the other Afar
sultanates. After a century, the Aussa was diminished. The Mudaito
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sultanate was founded in 1734 by Sultan Kadafo Hanfarie Aydahis
(1733-1790) of the Mudaito clan. From Sultan Kadafo Hanfarie
Aydahis, the Mudaito clan controlled the sultanate of Aussa for 241
years. In terms of military strength, the Sultanate of Bidu was second
only to Aussa. The Sultanate of Rahaito is the regions earliest. Despite
having the smallest territorial boundaries, the Sultanate of Tadjourah
outperformed all other sultanates in Afar in terms of urban features.

Some of the sultans of the Afar’s Aussa are:

 Kandhafo 1734–1749
 Kadhafo Mahammad ibn Kadhafo 1749–1779
 Aydahis ibn Kadhafo Mahammad 1779–1801
 Aydahis ibn Mahammad ibn Aydahis 1801–1832
 Hanfadhe ibn Aydahis 1832–1862
 Mahammad "Illalta“ ibn Hanfadhe 1862–1902
 Mahammad ibn Aydahis ibn Hanfadhe 1902–1910
 Yayyo ibn Mahammad ibn Hanfadhe 1902–1927
 Mahammad Yayyo 1927–1944
 Alimirah Hanfare 1944–1975, 1991–2011
 Hanfare Alimirah 2011-2020
 Ahmed Alimirah 2020

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 Summary
 The leqa neqemte which is founded by the ruler known as bakare godana
then consolidated by his son and his grandson moroda and kumsa
moreda has fallen in the hands of milinik.

 Leaders of leqa nekemte were called moti.

 Leqa Qellem was founded by one of the Qellem chiefs in the western
wallega, Tullu. His son and successor, Jote, consolidated it in the second
half of the nineteenth century.

 The city of Harar over 82 mosques, have earned Harar the nickname
"city of saints"; and its reputation as the “fourth holiest city of Islam”.

 The origin of the name called harar is most likely to have come from the
word “Harla/Harala”, and is also possibly the name of the sultanate of
Hā rla whose capital Hubä t/ Hobat.

 . As a result, some members of the ruling family of Ifat retreated farther

to Harar and established the Sultanate of Adal around 1380. As a result,
Harar served as a political center of the Sultanate of Adal up to the
sixteenth century.

 Harar’s very well known wall of the jegoul is built by Emir Nur Mujahid
is for the protection of the Oromo expansion.

 Because of th eoromo expantion the walasma rulers abandoned the city

of harar and went to afar sultanate Aussa.

 Harar is also known for its service as the center of the Islamic studies.

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 Harar was finally incorporated into Meneliks Empire in 1887 after the
battle Chelanqo.

 The Sultanate of Aussa was a kingdom that existed in the Afar Region in

eastern Ethiopia in the 18th and 20th centuries.

 Even though the Christian kingdom identified Afar under the Adal
Muslim sultanate the union of the sultanates continued to exist in the
“Afar triangle”
 Aussa was ruled by local Afar chiefs who claimed the title of Sultan. The
Walasma kings of Adal governed Aussa after fleeing Harar in 1577. In
1577, the Adal leader, Imam Muhammed Ga'as (r. 1573-1583),
transferred his headquarters from Harar to Aussa in Afar.

 Some of the sultanates are: Sultanate of Aussa,

Sultanate of Bidu,
Sultanate of Tadjoura,
Sultanate of Rahaito,
and Sultanate of Goobad
 The aussa people were the strongest of all the afar sultanates. They were
able to grow crops like sorghum, cotton and corn by using agricultural
activities and even practice the traditional seminomadic pastoralism,
especially of camels, cows and goats .

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 References
Books

 The Southern Marches of Imperial Ethiopia: Essays in History

and Social Anthropology  

 RESEARCH ARTICLE: ‘Eating A Country’: The Dynamics of State-

Society Encounters in Qellem, Western Ethiopia, 1908–33
 Oromo Peoplehood: Hist peoplehood: Historical and Cultur
orical and Cultural Overview
 History of ethiopia and the horn for students of higher learning
institutions
 University of Copenhagen faculty of humanities: Isl hornafr 6th
Field Mission Report
 Grade 9 history text book (2005 edition)
 The new 2015 Grade 9 history text book
Websites

 www.Wikipedia.com
 www.fandom.com
 https://www.oromiatourism.gov.et/
 https://en.tripadvisor.com

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