Futuh al-Habasha: Somalis As Bedouins

[Idilinaa]

how do you explain kitab Al Farayid and the other Harari texts from the remote period marka? Are you going to say the Harari language predated the Harari people, and there was Harari language without Harari people
View attachment 321714
Have you researched about the other names for the Harari people like Adare before dismissing their identity?


There is a difference between the "earliest visitor" and the "the earliest person to write about a city"

Explain what? All i am saying it does not prove anything. No mentions of the city of Harar, Harari people or their history. Nor any mention of Adare which some linguists are certain is a Somali name.

Only thing it shows is that a language pre-cursor to the one spoken by the Harari was used i writing an Islamic treaty. Harari being pretty much an extension speech of East-Gurage who are mentioned to be non-actors in Futuh and non-Muslim.

Mentioning Somali Ajami was not written until the 19th century is meaningless, because it says 1 of two things either they never felt the need to use arabic to transcribe the Somali language much (hence liturgical) or just examples of it haven't survived.

Somalis would document islamic/quranic treaties/grammar books like that in Arabic and sign it with their Family/clan names. Like this example

The Surviving Manuscript Written By A Somali From 1692​

 

[Laser]

I don’t have the book but you can see here some screenshots from the original manuscript
View attachment 321717View attachment 321718

Hmm sounds vague, Harari written in 16th century even though that's when the identity was formed? Probably another one of these fake manuscripts like futuh madinat harar.

 

[Maakhri from dhahar]

This is partially incorrect . Soomaal does not mean ''go milk'' . It's a compound word of Soof (Herding) and Maal (Mode of Life).

I have no problem sharing information, but sources must be mentioned.

This is your source :
The final say on the origin of the word Somali ,
Thread starter : Maakhri from dhahar ,
Start date : Dec 15, 2023 .
↓
Now we will return to the word ( soo maal ),
In the Qur’an we find in the verse:
( Quran16:10 ) He it is Who sends down water for you from the sky out of which you drink and out of which grow the plants on which you pasture your cattle.
هُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً ۖ لَّكُم مِّنْهُ شَرَابٌ وَمِنْهُ شَجَرٌ فِيهِ تُسِيمُونَ (10سورة النحل)
The Arabic word ( تسيمون Tasimoon ) has a linguistic root ( سوم soom ) which means to send livestock to pasture.

The Somali word ( سوف soof / foof فوف) means sending ( livestock ) to graze .
{ foofi فوفِ/ soofi سوفِ (-iyay, -isay) Xoolo daaq geyn . }

Therefore, ( سوم soom ) = ( سوف soof / foof فوف) .

You will also notice that there is a phonetic change from phoneme / f / to phoneme / m / ,

In Somali language ( gaal / geel ) means camel ( جمل jamal in Arabic language / גָמָל gamal in Hebrew language ) .

Linguistic note : If we read the word ( ga-mal ) in reverse, we have : ( maal-ga ) or ( maal-ka ) .
You will also notice that there is a phonetic change from phoneme / ee , aa / to phoneme / m / ,
maal + ka = maal-ka → gaal + ka / geel + ka = gaal-ka / geel + ka → gamal → jamal

Therefore, soof / foof which means sending ( livestock ) to graze .
soofi gaal / foofi gaal = ( soo maal ) which means sending ( camels / livestock ) to graze .

In the end, the word ( Soo maal ) came from the word ( soof gaal / soof geel ) , which means those who send camels to graze, or in other words camel herders.
Or ( Soo maal / Soo maa-sha ) came from the word ( Soo Maartu ) / ( Soo Guurtu ) , which means ( kuwa guura ), which means traveling Bedouins .​

 

[Maakhri from dhahar]

I have no problem sharing information, but sources must be mentioned.

This is your source :
The final say on the origin of the word Somali ,
Thread starter : Maakhri from dhahar ,
Start date : Dec 15, 2023 .
↓
Now we will return to the word ( soo maal ),
In the Qur’an we find in the verse:
( Quran16:10 ) He it is Who sends down water for you from the sky out of which you drink and out of which grow the plants on which you pasture your cattle.
هُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً ۖ لَّكُم مِّنْهُ شَرَابٌ وَمِنْهُ شَجَرٌ فِيهِ تُسِيمُونَ (10سورة النحل)
The Arabic word ( تسيمون Tasimoon ) has a linguistic root ( سوم soom ) which means to send livestock to pasture.

The Somali word ( سوف soof / foof فوف) means sending ( livestock ) to graze .
{ foofi فوفِ/ soofi سوفِ (-iyay, -isay) Xoolo daaq geyn . }

Therefore, ( سوم soom ) = ( سوف soof / foof فوف) .

You will also notice that there is a phonetic change from phoneme / f / to phoneme / m / ,

In Somali language ( gaal / geel ) means camel ( جمل jamal in Arabic language / גָמָל gamal in Hebrew language ) .

Linguistic note : If we read the word ( ga-mal ) in reverse, we have : ( maal-ga ) or ( maal-ka ) .
You will also notice that there is a phonetic change from phoneme / ee , aa / to phoneme / m / ,
maal + ka = maal-ka → gaal + ka / geel + ka = gaal-ka / geel + ka → gamal → jamal

Therefore, soof / foof which means sending ( livestock ) to graze .
soofi gaal / foofi gaal = ( soo maal ) which means sending ( camels / livestock ) to graze .

In the end, the word ( Soo maal ) came from the word ( soof gaal / soof geel ) , which means those who send camels to graze, or in other words camel herders.
Or ( Soo maal / Soo maa-sha ) came from the word ( Soo Maartu ) / ( Soo Guurtu ) , which means ( kuwa guura ), which means traveling Bedouins .​

Idilinaa​

Sorry, I was wrong .

I had never read this before, it must be telepathy, I mean I came to this conclusion without reading Ali Rashid (never heard of him before).

↓
​

 

[The alchemist]

@Shimbiris

Cerulli in 1936 through his writing in Studi etiopici. Vol. I: La lingua e la storia di Harar, referenced al-Umari, stated that Ifat clothing customs were like Somalis of the north, in what the Hawiye in the south calls lamagoodle:

Il costume solito degli abitanti dell’Ifat è composto, secondo al-Umarî, di due fute: una avvolta intorno alla cintura ed una appoggiata sulla spalla a bandoliera. È questo oggi il costume dei Somali del Nord, che sono perciò denominati dai Somali Hawiyya (più meridionali) lamma godlà “ quelli dei due pezzi. (di stoffa)’.

Translated through DeepL:

The usual costume of the Ifat people consists, according to al-Umarî, of two fute: one wrapped around the belt and one resting on the bandolier shoulder. This is today the costume of the northern Somalis, who are therefore called by the Somali Hawiyya (more southern) lamma godlà "those of the two pieces. (of cloth)'.

Here it is stated that the army of the Imam was used to "bedouin" warfare strategy:

Questo atteggiamento dell’esercito hararino, il quale si era ormai assuefatto alla guerra beduina di razzie e controrazzie, prova anche l’abilità dell’opera di Ahmed ibn Ibrahim il quale, due anni dopo, nel 1531, riuscì a riprendere la guerra con l’Abissinia, imponendo il suo concetto di invasione ed occupazione stabile.

Translation:

This attitude of the Hararin army, which had become accustomed to the Bedouin warfare of raids and counter-raids, also proves the the skill of the work of Ahmed ibn Ibrahim who, two years later, in 1531, succeeded in resuming the war with Abyssinia, imposing his concept of invasion and stable occupation.

 

[Idilinaa]

I have no problem sharing information, but sources must be mentioned.

This is your source :
​

This is the source for the information. It's more about history and how the occupational/Ethnic name ties into that.

The author could have gone deeper with the examples of names with the component ''maal'' in them, but he is not a language expert.

Mahmud a Somali language and cultural expert and the mod over at LearnSomali reddit further elaborated on it.

Muruq-Maal(Laborer)
Xa-Maal (Porter)
Rasa-Maal(Real Estate Investor)
Dhis-Maal(Contstruction worker)
Xog-Maal ( Data Analyst)
Af-Maal (Speaker, one who gains life by speaking)
Qoo-Maal
Maskax-Maal
See-Maal
Istic-Maal
Hee-Maal
Aqoon-Maal
Dhi-Maal
etc etc etc


There is no need to spam some linguistic jargon to explain it. It's just a simple observation seeing how it relates to other words/names in the language ending with Maal. No brainer really.

 

[Maakhri from dhahar]

This is the source for the information. It's more about history and how the occupational/Ethnic name ties into that.

The author could have gone deeper with the examples of names with the component ''maal'' in them, but he is not a language expert.

Mahmud a Somali language and cultural expert and the mod over at LearnSomali reddit further elaborated on it.

Muruq-Maal(Laborer)
Xa-Maal (Porter)
Rasa-Maal(Real Estate Investor)
Dhis-Maal(Contstruction worker)
Xog-Maal ( Data Analyst)
Af-Maal (Speaker, one who gains life by speaking)
Qoo-Maal
Maskax-Maal
See-Maal
Istic-Maal
Hee-Maal
Aqoon-Maal
Dhi-Maal
etc etc etc


There is no need to spam some linguistic jargon to explain it. It's just a simple observation seeing how it relates to other words/names in the language ending with Maal. No brainer really.

Read post #204 above

 

[Idilinaa]

@Shimbiris

Cerulli in 1936 through his writing in Studi etiopici. Vol. I: La lingua e la storia di Harar, referenced al-Umari, stated that Ifat clothing customs were like Somalis of the north, in what the Hawiye in the south calls lamagoodle:

Il costume solito degli abitanti dell’Ifat è composto, secondo al-Umarî, di due fute: una avvolta intorno alla cintura ed una appoggiata sulla spalla a bandoliera. È questo oggi il costume dei Somali del Nord, che sono perciò denominati dai Somali Hawiyya (più meridionali) lamma godlà “ quelli dei due pezzi. (di stoffa)’.

Translated through DeepL:

The usual costume of the Ifat people consists, according to al-Umarî, of two fute: one wrapped around the belt and one resting on the bandolier shoulder. This is today the costume of the northern Somalis, who are therefore called by the Somali Hawiyya (more southern) lamma godlà "those of the two pieces. (of cloth)'.

Here it is stated that the army of the Imam was used to "bedouin" warfare strategy:

Questo atteggiamento dell’esercito hararino, il quale si era ormai assuefatto alla guerra beduina di razzie e controrazzie, prova anche l’abilità dell’opera di Ahmed ibn Ibrahim il quale, due anni dopo, nel 1531, riuscì a riprendere la guerra con l’Abissinia, imponendo il suo concetto di invasione ed occupazione stabile.

Translation:

This attitude of the Hararin army, which had become accustomed to the Bedouin warfare of raids and counter-raids, also proves the the skill of the work of Ahmed ibn Ibrahim who, two years later, in 1531, succeeded in resuming the war with Abyssinia, imposing his concept of invasion and stable occupation.

They need to publish a full translation of al-Umari's work soon.

 

[Laser]

@Shimbiris

Cerulli in 1936 through his writing in Studi etiopici. Vol. I: La lingua e la storia di Harar, referenced al-Umari, stated that Ifat clothing customs were like Somalis of the north, in what the Hawiye in the south calls lamagoodle:

Il costume solito degli abitanti dell’Ifat è composto, secondo al-Umarî, di due fute: una avvolta intorno alla cintura ed una appoggiata sulla spalla a bandoliera. È questo oggi il costume dei Somali del Nord, che sono perciò denominati dai Somali Hawiyya (più meridionali) lamma godlà “ quelli dei due pezzi. (di stoffa)’.

Translated through DeepL:

The usual costume of the Ifat people consists, according to al-Umarî, of two fute: one wrapped around the belt and one resting on the bandolier shoulder. This is today the costume of the northern Somalis, who are therefore called by the Somali Hawiyya (more southern) lamma godlà "those of the two pieces. (of cloth)'.

Here it is stated that the army of the Imam was used to "bedouin" warfare strategy:

Questo atteggiamento dell’esercito hararino, il quale si era ormai assuefatto alla guerra beduina di razzie e controrazzie, prova anche l’abilità dell’opera di Ahmed ibn Ibrahim il quale, due anni dopo, nel 1531, riuscì a riprendere la guerra con l’Abissinia, imponendo il suo concetto di invasione ed occupazione stabile.

Translation:

This attitude of the Hararin army, which had become accustomed to the Bedouin warfare of raids and counter-raids, also proves the the skill of the work of Ahmed ibn Ibrahim who, two years later, in 1531, succeeded in resuming the war with Abyssinia, imposing his concept of invasion and stable occupation.

Another thing al umari mentioned was that the swordsmen (or warriors collectively) wore Pants (?)

وتلبس طائفة أرباب السيوف منهم سراويلات

And the swordmen among them, wear pants/trousers

I'm not entirely sure what he meant, but he may have been referring to this maro worn by some Somali warriors:

 

[Idilinaa]

Another thing al umari mentioned was that the swordsmen (or warriors collectively) wore Pants (?)

View attachment 321820

وتلبس طائفة أرباب السيوف منهم سراويلات

And the swordmen among them, wear pants/trousers

I'm not entirely sure what he meant, but he may have been referring to this maro worn by some Somali warriors:
View attachment 321821

Sounds consistent, because i read a passage by the a Portuguese traveler describing the same thing that only military men in Zayla and Awdal in general wore garments and trousers/pants.

You can see examples of military Somalis wearing pants during the 1900s like the Darawish Soldiers on this poster are wearing (see the guy on the right).

A live photo example Darawish Leader Sultan Nuur Aman wearing the same pants

I asked someone about this one time and they said it's called Targaal.

Prolly indicates clothing styles that Somalis wore varied depending on the functionality, context and wealth/status expressions.

The elites of Awdal/Awfat wore turbans, thobes and jackets with elaborate designs and colours and their shorts swords decorated with gems.

 

[daljirkadahsoon]

Sounds consistent, because i read a passage by the a Portuguese traveler describing the same thing that only military men in Zayla and Awdal in general wore garments and trousers/pants.

You saw examples of military Somalis wearing pants during the 1900s like the Darawish Soldiers on this poster are wearing (see the guy on the right).

A live photo example Darawish Leader Sultan Nuur Aman wearing the same pants

I asked someone about this one time and they said it's called Targaal.

The Adal soldiers probably did wear some sort of pants under a short gundhate like in that photo.

In Cerulli's Islam di ieri e di oggi (Islam, Yesterday and Today) he comments that the Somali clans maintain the tradition of the royal head-cloth/wrap of the Walashma.

I have a theory this head wrap is a very old custom inherited from ancient times.

 

[Idilinaa]

Ethiopian depictions of the war against the Imam seem to have the Adal soldiers wearing a sort of trouser- it looks almost like a sort of shalwar kameez like they're wearing a macawis/gundhate that stops at the knee that is easy to move around in and trousers under it. See the turbaned soldier on the right

I don't think thats an ethiopian depiction of the war.

But there are Ethiopian Christian descriptions of Awdal elites and how they dressed:

Other than this you have an Ethiopian description of Awdal soldiers wearing armour a century before Futuh

 

[daljirkadahsoon]

I don't think thats an ethiopian depiction of the war.

But there are Ethiopian Christian descriptions of Awdal elites and how they dressed:

I wonder if the parasols came with the serpents painted on it or if the Adalites did this themselves. It would be very interesting if they did it because snakes seem to have a very long history as a symbol in the Horn dating probably right back to pre dynastic Egypt.

Even the Puntite sculptures they found seem to have snake like things on the heads - i.e a uraeus and you also have many folklore relating to snakes in the Horn.

 

[Idilinaa]

The Adal soldiers probably did wear some sort of pants under a short gundhate like in that photo.

In Cerulli's Islam di ieri e di oggi (Islam, Yesterday and Today) he comments that the Somali clans maintain the tradition of the royal head-cloth/wrap of the Walashma.

I have a theory this head wrap is a very old custom inherited from ancient times.

The Adal soldiers probably did wear some sort of pants under a short gundhate like in that photo.

In Cerulli's Islam di ieri e di oggi (Islam, Yesterday and Today) he comments that the Somali clans maintain the tradition of the royal head-cloth/wrap of the Walashma.

I have a theory this head wrap is a very old custom inherited from ancient times.

What is particular about this description is the mention of precious stones and silk which is a reflection of wealth expression.

Colourful fabric or Head wrap is a reflection of status expression.

 

[daljirkadahsoon]

What is particular about this description is the mention of precious stones and silk which is a reflection of wealth expression.

Colourful fabric or Head wrap is a reflection of status expression.

Yes the quality of material and gems reflects status yet I believe this particular form of wrap is a very old custom it is not the first time I have seen this

 

[Idilinaa]

Yes the quality of material and gems reflects status yet I believe this particular form of wrap is a very old custom it is not the first time I have seen this

They acquired precious gems, gold, silver and silk , to the point they could lavishly adorn themselves with it. It reflects wealth of the elites during that period.

Nothing to do with customs. But the head wrap has do with a costume to separate the leaders/kings from the common folk hence a status expression.

 

[Daadhi Tarree]

By ethiopian chronicles i mean the christian ones written in Geez.

Aside from Futuh, there are a few short chronicles that survived. Tarikh Al-Walashma, and the Tarikh-Mulikh and Tarikh Al-Mujahidiin. All in Arabic and two of them (Tarikh Al-Walashma and Tarikh Al-Mulikh) are not from Harar. Tarikh Al-Mulikh are from Issa clan and the Mujahidiin is copied from a Somali scholar in Harar.

Those texts are regarded as credible because they follow a date and chronology and are written with the same narrative style and language of that time period.

Other texts are fraudulent so much you can tell they are written in the 19th century at the earliest and jumbled info that contradict other sources.

You can also tell there were probably other equivalent chronicles prior to Futuh not only Tarikh Al-Walashma because the information given to Egyptian Historians detailing the Muslim side between Adal v Abssyinia was copied from Zayla Qadis. And the information includes stuff not mention in the Ethiopian ones.

What does taarikh Al mujahidin talk about

 

[Idilinaa]

.

What does taarikh Al mujahidin talk about

Tarikh Al-Mujahidin is a chronicle that is centered around Harar after Futuh in year 1569 it relates to events of the Oromo invasion into the town, The Slave of the Emir taking over whilst messing up the leadership and revolts led against him by the various Garaads , Garaad Jibril and Garaad Magan.

 

[Daadhi Tarree]

.


Tarikh Al-Mujahidin is a chronicle that is centered around Harar after Futuh in 1569 relates to events of the Oromo invasion into the town, The Slave of the Emir taking over messing up the leadership and revolts led against him by the various Garaads , Garaad Jibril and Garaad Magan.

Where can I read that

 

[Idilinaa]

Where can I read that

"Documenti Arabi per la storia dell'Etiopia" by Cerulli