Home Region: East Africa (Africa)

Adal Sultanate

1375 CE 1543 CE

D G SC R

New EA so_adal_sultanate

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1280 CE 1375 CE Ifat Sultanate (so_ifat_sultanate) [elite replacement]

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General Description

The Adal Sultanate was one of the earliest Islamic Sultanates in the Somali region. The Adal, which was part of the Walasma Dynasty, was originally established in the late 9th or early 10th centuries based at the costal port city of Zelia on the Gulf of Aden. ^[1]
During this time the dynasty was under the confederation of a larger Ifat Sultanate. It was not until the last quarter of the 14th century that the Adal became a powerful Sultanate that controlled vast swaths of territory from the Harar reigion to the Gulf of Aden up through present-day Eritrea. ^[2]
The Adal Sultanate was frequently in conflict with the Christian kingdoms in Ethiopia, most notably from the 14th through the 16th centuries. The most powerful leader of the Adal Sultanate was Ahmād Ibrāhīm al Ghāzī also known as Ahmad Gurey (1506-1543). Gurey titled himself as imām and declared jihad on Christian Ethiopia. During his rule, he was supplied with military supplies from the Ottoman Empire which helped his army conquer over three-quarters of Ethiopia and even defeat early attacks from the Portuguese. His farthest inland campaign reached south-eastern Sudan. In 1543, imam Ahmad was mortally wounded in battle by Ethiopian and Portuguese forces at Lake Tana whom defeated the imam’s army. After the imam’s death the Adal Sultanate disintegrated and was absorbed into different kingdoms. ^[3]

[1]: (Mukhtar 2016, Encyclopedia of Empire) Mukhtar, Mohamed H. 2016. ‘Adal Sultanate.’ In J. Mackenzie Encyclopedia of Empire. Wiley. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/FM8D55XW/library

[2]: (Tamrat 2008, 149) Tamrat, Taddesse. 2008. ‘Ethiopia, the Red Sea and the Horn’ In the Cambridge History of Africa: c. 1050 – c.1600 vol. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp 98-182. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/search/Tamrat/titleCreatorYear/items/A68FCWWI/item-list

[3]: (Mukhtar 2016, Encyclopedia of Empire) Mukhtar, Mohamed H. 2016. ‘Adal Sultanate.’ In J. Mackenzie Encyclopedia of Empire. Wiley. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/FM8D55XW/library

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

3 Capital

3 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Suprapolity Relations

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

1 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

3 Language

Religion

1 Religious Tradition

1 Religion Family

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Military Officer

Bureaucracy Characteristics

Law

1 Judge

1 Formal Legal Code

1 Court

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Drinking Water Supply System

1 Communal Building

1 Utilitarian Public Building

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Port

1 Bridge

Special-purpose Sites

1 Trading Emporia

1 Special Purpose Site

1 Ceremonial Site

2 Burial Site

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 History

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Token

Information / Postal System

Information / Measurement System

1 Weight Measurement System

1 Volume Measurement System

1 Time Measurement System

1 Other Measurement System

1 Length Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

Military use of Metals

Projectiles

Handheld weapons

Animals used in warfare

Armor

Naval technology

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases Coding in Progress.

Power Transitions

19 Power Transition

Instability Events

4 Instability Event

General Variables

Identity and Location Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	39 N	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Original Name	Adal Sultanate	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Capital	Zeila	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Capital	Harar	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Capital	Aussa	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Alternative Name	Awdal Sultanate	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Alternative Name	Adel Sultanate	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Alternative Name	Adl Sultunate	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Temporal Bounds Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	[1400 CE ➜ 1543 CE]
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Duration	[1375 CE ➜ 1543 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	none	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Ajuran Sultanate	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	elite migration	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Preceding Entity 1280 CE 1375 CE	Ifat Sultanate (so_ifat_sultanate) [elite replacement]
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Degree of Centralization	confederated state	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Language Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Afro-Asiatic	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Language	Arabic	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Language	Harari	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Language	Argobba	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Religion Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religious Tradition	Islam	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Religion Family	Sunni Islam	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Hierarchical Complexity Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Military Level	[5 to 8]	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Administrative Level	[4 to 7]	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Professions Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Law Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Judge	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Court	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Communal Building	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Utilitarian Public Building	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Port	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Bridge	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Trading Emporia	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Special Purpose Site	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Ceremonial Site	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Burial Site	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Burial Site	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Information / Writing System Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Script	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Sacred Text	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Religious Literature	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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History	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Calendar	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Information / Money Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Information / Postal System Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Information / Measurement System Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Weight Measurement System	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Volume Measurement System	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Time Measurement System	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Other Measurement System	Present Inferred	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Length Measurement System	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Military use of Metals Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Projectiles Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Handheld weapons Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Animals used in warfare Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Armor Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Naval technology Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Present	1375 CE 1543 CE
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Human Sacrifice Adal Sultanate (so_adal_sultanate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More