Emir of Zayla
𝕹𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖔𝖋 𝕻𝖔𝖊𝖙𝖘
Adal had control of the coastline of Northeast Africa from Suakin all the way to Mogadishu between the periods of Badlay’s rule until after the traditional Sultanate of Adal fell and its successor polities rose. Even before that the Walashma’s had alliances with Mogadishu against Abyssinia and later the Portuguese.The government in Zayla never had control over Suakin or Mogadishu. Zero evidences, sources or indications that they ever did. Mogadishu certainly had influence/connections around its own adjacent southern coastlline and its immediate hinterland.
What I think @Three Moons was trying to get at was the surprising rate of urbanization of Somalis across the peninsula both on the coast and the hinterlands during this time period. I do agree however that the Somali peninsula didn’t just lose all of its urbanization after the wars against the Portuguese as it still survived and grew under the Sufi orders who encouraged people to settle down and build farms and cities.Urbanization is something that occurs in multiple parts of the world and happened in multiple places inside Africa , it's a result of growth of trade and commerce.
Not all settlements/towns/villages/centers were made of stone either or were trade based. They varied in function, scope and building material depending on the location and the economic activity. Just by the nature of our geography Somalis leaned towards more commercial orientation than say compared to someone who inhabited an isolated mountain area.
So yeah there is nothing unique or special about it. Urbanism is only particular in so far as it traces evidence of economic development and interactions between people and how those locations also became political and adminstrative centers for the adjacent rural areas.
Interesting, I didn’t know this, thanks saxiib.A boom in grain exports also happened as well albeit with capitalist labour alterions. This was when Somalia was called ''The grain coast of Yemen''
Growth in scholarship also this was at the time of formation of ''Sufi Tariqas'' and also same diasporic migrations and presence happened as well during this period.
What Historian Abdurahman Badiyow says about the development in this period focusing on Sufi orders: THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT IN SOMALIA
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