Have you come across this book?

[Bari🐍]

I accidentally stumbled on this online, it's an English book about Africa written in the 1600s. I post it here because it includes some descriptions of states from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Item Information | Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, South

This first description of an Island called Barbora in the Red Sea inhabited by black people. Not sure what island and who the black people are.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Ajan, described as being in a constant warfare with Abyssinia.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

It includes descriptions of some Somali states. This one is Brava.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Xamar aka Madagaxo

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Adal

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Adea. What is Adea, I'm trying to figure this one out. It says Mogadishu is to the south of it and Adal is to the North of it. And it has a city called Barraboa.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

 

[nicki minaj]

I'd bet my ENTIRE savings it was written in the 19th century lol. Hoteps love quoting John Ogilbys "maps" to justify African-Americans being native to the Americas.

 

[Garaad diinle]

Great find. It's a fairly good description albeit a simple one. What i find most interesting is the bit about mogadishu ruling the whole coast which is in line with what we know about the ajuraan who had a dominion over the coast from beyond mogadishu to the north, all the way to south in gobweyn or al-jub and beyond.

 

[Bari🐍]

Adea is Hadiya I've come to find out.

 

[Garaad diinle]

Adea is Hadiya I've come to find out.

Correct. It was called both adea and hadeya/hadya.

 

[Somali_patriotic]

I accidentally stumbled on this online, it's an English book about Africa written in the 1600s. I post it here because it includes some descriptions of states from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Item Information | Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, South

This first description of an Island called Barbora in the Red Sea inhabited by black people. Not sure what island and who the black people are.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Ajan, described as being in a constant warfare with Abyssinia.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

It includes descriptions of some Somali states. This one is Brava.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Xamar aka Madagaxo

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Adal

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Adea. What is Adea, I'm trying to figure this one out. It says Mogadishu is to the south of it and Adal is to the North of it. And it has a city called Barraboa.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

What's ajan? First time hearing that

 

[Garaad diinle]

What's ajan? First time hearing that

Often time in old maps european divide somalia into adel and ajan. Adel being north somalia and ajan being south somalia. The word itself is derived from ajam meaning foreigners in arabic and is usually used by yemenis addressing the somali coast. When somalis pronounce ajam they exchange them "m" for "n" hence ajam turns into ajan much like how a somali called adam is pronounced in somali adan.

 

[killerxsmoke]

I accidentally stumbled on this online, it's an English book about Africa written in the 1600s. I post it here because it includes some descriptions of states from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Item Information | Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, South

This first description of an Island called Barbora in the Red Sea inhabited by black people. Not sure what island and who the black people are.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Ajan, described as being in a constant warfare with Abyssinia.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

It includes descriptions of some Somali states. This one is Brava.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Xamar aka Madagaxo

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Adal

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

This one is Adea. What is Adea, I'm trying to figure this one out. It says Mogadishu is to the south of it and Adal is to the North of it. And it has a city called Barraboa.

Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea

Yh I have seen this

 

[ibrahym]

Great find. It's a fairly good description albeit a simple one. What i find most interesting is the bit about mogadishu ruling the whole coast which is in line with what we know about the ajuraan who had a dominion over the coast from beyond mogadishu to the north, all the way to south in gobweyn or al-jub and beyond.

@Garaad diinle Do you mean only the Swahili coast or the entire eastern coast of the Indian Ocean?

 

[Garaad diinle]

@Garaad diinle Do you mean only the Swahili coast or the entire eastern coast of the Indian Ocean?

No i meant the somali coast. Here is a text about the oral tradition explaining their approximate sphere of rule on the coast.

 

[ibrahym]

No i meant the somali coast. Here is a text about the oral tradition explaining their approximate sphere of rule on the coast.

@Garaad diinle I also heard in Arabic books that Mogadishu ruled the entire coast for 70 years, but does this mean that it is from Puntland to northern Mozambique?

 

[Garaad diinle]

@Garaad diinle I also heard in Arabic books that Mogadishu ruled the entire coast for 70 years, but does this mean that it is from Puntland to northern Mozambique?

I don't think so, highly unlikely. No power ever ruled that much of the eastern coast of africa. Not the omanis nor the western colonial powers who instead split the coast between them.

 

[ibrahym]

I don't think so, highly unlikely. No power ever ruled that much of the eastern coast of africa. Not the omanis nor the western colonial powers who instead split the coast between them.

@Garaad diinle If you mean the nomds or the nature of those lands, I do not think that they will affect the Sultanate of Mogadishu, which controls the south of Somalia, which is no different from its north.

 

[Garaad diinle]

@Garaad diinle If you mean the nomds or the nature of those lands, I do not think that they will affect the Sultanate of Mogadishu, which controls the south of Somalia, which is no different from its north.

Admittedly we still don't know much about southern somalia. Much of it's history is shrouded in mystery. We're currently dependent on oral story that can change with time. There are few writing source on the history of southern somalia one that comes to mind is a manuscript found in baardere that date's back at least to the 19th century if not more. If we got our hands on it we might learn more about the ajuraan and their sultanate.

 

[ibrahym]

Admittedly we still don't know much about southern somalia. Much of it's history is shrouded in mystery. We're currently dependent on oral story that can change with time. There are few writing source on the history of southern somalia one that comes to mind is a manuscript found in baardere that date's back at least to the 19th century if not more. If we got our hands on it we might learn more about the ajuraan and their sultanate.

@Garaad diinle
Manuscripts talking about the history of the region

 

[killerxsmoke]

Admittedly we still don't know much about southern somalia. Much of it's history is shrouded in mystery. We're currently dependent on oral story that can change with time. There are few writing source on the history of southern somalia one that comes to mind is a manuscript found in baardere that date's back at least to the 19th century if not more. If we got our hands on it we might learn more about the ajuraan and their sultanate.

This as well

 

[ibrahym]

Do you know Arab sources about the history of southern Somalia without banadir ? @Garaad diinle

 

[Garaad diinle]

Do you know Arab sources about the history of southern Somalia without banadir ? @Garaad diinle

Sadly not, although i remember reading about an anthologist claiming that a persian writer named abd el-moal wrote about mogadishu being founded by the abbasid. I don't know if it's true though.

 

[Step a side]

Often time in old maps european divide somalia into adel and ajan. Adel being north somalia and ajan being south somalia. The word itself is derived from ajam meaning foreigners in arabic and is usually used by yemenis addressing the somali coast. When somalis pronounce ajam they exchange them "m" for "n" hence ajam turns into ajan much like how a somali called adam is pronounced in somali adan.

There are 3 theories on Ajan

1. Ajan = cajam (non arabic speaker). This is the weakest theory, not only was arabic a lingua franca in mogadishu in several sources and mogadishu was more "Arab" than Zeila in customs and presence, ajam (عجم) is spelt differently to (اجان). Also, the Arabs since antiquity described East Africa as split between Habasha, Berbers and Zinjis. All traditionally non Arab entities. Unless the whole region was called Cajam, it makes no sense why only a portion of Berber land between Xamar to Bari in this context would be called Cajam.

For map evidence here is how Ajan is spelt in Arabic. Both states read as Caadil and Ajaan which shows they are both not Arabic terms but Arabised, Caadil is really Awdal here.

In the same era, here is what Arabs called the lands of the Persians (the traditional rival of the Arabs who were the first to be called Cajam)

2. The second theory is that Ajan comes from the word Azania. This is more plausible than the first theory as quite a few historians have held this view. The only problem with this is that Azania was used during the era of Greeks and Persians to mean Black People (Azania - Zanj) and at the same time the Barbars described wild foreigners. Historians of that era did not do a good job differentiating the lands or people or terms. Many Greek and Persian writers overlap on this. So sometimes Ethiopia would be considered Azania and Berberia and this could extend all the way to South Africa. Perhaps this was the known World to Persians like North Africa was known to the later Romans and took the name Africa to apply to the whole continent. In this era Somalis most likely did not exist as this was way prior to the Bronze Age. Their ev32 ancestors would have gone by a different identity.

3. The last theory which is the least studied but in my opinion is the strongest theory, is that Ajan is a corrupted meaning for Hawiye. The root of the word Ajan is Accannæ, a Latin word not a greek or persian word and means fire. It came about during the late Roman era which definitely coincides with a Somali presence in the Horn. The latin writers as late as 1590 were confirming the modern name for their reference to Ajan is Hawiye. By this time the Romans picked up on the differences of Berbers, Zenjis and Habesha like the Arabs had done and you will find several collated maps they title "Adea (Hadya), Adel, Ajan e Zanguebar" much like the Arabs grouping East Africa as "Habesha, Berber and Zanj". It is likely they took Arabic bearings of the Coast (Idrisi and ibn Said mention the country of Hawiye, Dimashqi goes a bit further and calls the south the coast of Hawiya named for its heat - he believed Hawiye is a misreading for Haawiyah and thought its named the area due to its hot hell bound surface). It's really unfortunate that those Somalis in their era did not have their own maps or provide input to correct the bearings on their lands by foreigners. 2 or 3 successive linguistic errors almost hid crucial history for centuriea. Ajan is more Hawiye than Awdal/Adal is being a Somali word. Awdal may have only been used after Ifat in official records but Awdal is said linguistically by authors to come from Adulis which was a Greek era town in modern Afar country while Azania is a Persian term having nothing to do with the Latin Fire (Ajan) but to donate the general Negro people that at times included all Black people of modern Africa or the specific Negroid population under their suzeiranity.

@killerxsmoke @convincation

 

[MarcusAbdul]

@Step a side "Perhaps this was the known World to Persians like North Africa was known to the later Romans and took the name Africa to apply to the whole continent. In this era Somalis most likely did not exist as this was way prior to the Bronze Age. Their ev32 ancestors would have gone by a different identity."

Apologies abti i'm a bit curious, how long have Somalis existed for? and what area were our Ev32 ancestors during that time? If i'm not wrong it's around Eastern Sudan/Eriteria? It's quite intriguing that Egypt for example is older than the split between various Cushitic groups