New archeological research done on the Ifat sultanate

[jomamamama22]

In Search of Gendabelo, the Ethiopian “Market of the World”of the 1...

Oral traditions collected in 1993 and 2002 in the Ifāt region in Ethiopia by Ahmed Hassen Omer refer to Gendabelo as a big international market during medieval times. The informants explained that ...

journals.openedition.org

 

[Cartan Boos]

What does it say, can u summarize it for us sxb

 

[Riftvalley]

16This space also appears in an itinerary handed down by the Venetian scholar Alessandro Zorzi, who, in the early 16th century, collected geographical information from Ethiopian monks and pilgrims visiting Venice, and described routes to, from and within Ethiopia. In 1523 in Venice, Zorzi interviewed an Ethiopian monk, named Anṭonyos, originally from Bugna (“Urvuar”), on his way to Portugal after a journey to India. Among all the itineraries collected by A. Zorzi, this is the only one detailing an oriental route (east-west) from the port of Zaylaꜥ to the royal camp of the Christian king Lebna Dengel, at Barārā in South Shawā:

He says that the fleets of the Moors from Combaia bring much merchandise – spices and cloth of gold and silk – to the Red Sea, to the port of Zelo, and thence on camels through the province of Adel, that is of a Moor of Adel, to the city of Genasere of a Moor, which is 25 days; and the region is desert and pasture for animals. And from Genasere one goes to the city of Gendevelu through cultivated country, crossing more provinces, and it takes 40 days. This Gendevelu is a great mercantile city, and it is of the Presta Davit, where the said caravans of camels unload their merchandise in warehouses; and it is the merchant ships (“forcio mercatanti”) of Combaia that bring all the spices except ginger, which is found in this land of the Presta. Then that merchandise is obtained by purchase or barter by the merchants of the Presta, and the currency is Hungarian and Venetian ducats, and the silver coins of the Moors, and by that route various things are brought from the whole of India; and so too on the return journey these of the Presta go to the said city of Zelo, that is an excellent port in the Red Sea, on the Aden route, that is in Arabia Felix. And the said city of Zelo, that is in Aphrica, is of the Moorish king of the province of Adel. And also, he is king of Genasere city, and of the cape of Guardafumi and of Barbara. […] From Zelo one goes westwards to Genedevelu city, and from there southwards to Barara. (Zorzi, Itineraries: 172-175)

17This “itinerary has been added later at the bottom of the page and continued in the left margin” (Crawford, 1958: 172 note 1):

And from Gendevelu to Tobia city, 1 day

From Tobia to Zarma, 2 days

From Zarma to Gogo, 1 day

From Gogo to Debrebraan, 1 day

From Debrebraan to Zancar, 2 days

From Zancar to Barara, 1 ½ days (Zorzi, Itineraries: 172-173)

18This itinerary gives precious information on Gendabelo (“Gendevelu”); this city appears as the great trading city, the breakbulk port for the caravans of the trade between the Muslim lowlands and the Christian highlands (“by this road, various things are brought from all over India”). Anṭonyos thus specifies that the goods (spices, precious fabrics) came from Cambay (“Combaia”), in Gujarat, India, transported by boat by Indian Muslim merchants, to the port of Zaylaꜥ(“Zelo”). These goods were then loaded onto camels and followed the caravan route through the sultanate of Barr Saꜥd al-Dīn. On this itinerary, the sultanate is named “Adal,” as was then customary among Ethiopian Christians (Chekroun, 2020: 132-133). But there is no doubt that it was the sultanate which controlled, as Anṭonyos explains, the port of Zaylaꜥ and the port of Berbera, as well as the large city at a 25 days’ walking distance inland that he calls “Genasere”. This city is not identified today, but it probably stood at the eastern end of the eastern high plateau of the Rift, in the vicinity of the present-day city of Harar. The area is indeed “desert and pasture for animals.” The second segment, from Genasere to Gendabelo, the longest part of the journey (40 days) probably went through the Tchertcher (“cultivated country”) to Ifāt.

 

[Riftvalley]

Does anyone have an idea if the Genesare mentioned in the above quote comes up in Harla or Somali mythologies/history?

 

[Emir of Zayla]

16This space also appears in an itinerary handed down by the Venetian scholar Alessandro Zorzi, who, in the early 16th century, collected geographical information from Ethiopian monks and pilgrims visiting Venice, and described routes to, from and within Ethiopia. In 1523 in Venice, Zorzi interviewed an Ethiopian monk, named Anṭonyos, originally from Bugna (“Urvuar”), on his way to Portugal after a journey to India. Among all the itineraries collected by A. Zorzi, this is the only one detailing an oriental route (east-west) from the port of Zaylaꜥ to the royal camp of the Christian king Lebna Dengel, at Barārā in South Shawā:


17This “itinerary has been added later at the bottom of the page and continued in the left margin” (Crawford, 1958: 172 note 1):







18This itinerary gives precious information on Gendabelo (“Gendevelu”); this city appears as the great trading city, the breakbulk port for the caravans of the trade between the Muslim lowlands and the Christian highlands (“by this road, various things are brought from all over India”). Anṭonyos thus specifies that the goods (spices, precious fabrics) came from Cambay (“Combaia”), in Gujarat, India, transported by boat by Indian Muslim merchants, to the port of Zaylaꜥ(“Zelo”). These goods were then loaded onto camels and followed the caravan route through the sultanate of Barr Saꜥd al-Dīn. On this itinerary, the sultanate is named “Adal,” as was then customary among Ethiopian Christians (Chekroun, 2020: 132-133). But there is no doubt that it was the sultanate which controlled, as Anṭonyos explains, the port of Zaylaꜥ and the port of Berbera, as well as the large city at a 25 days’ walking distance inland that he calls “Genasere”. This city is not identified today, but it probably stood at the eastern end of the eastern high plateau of the Rift, in the vicinity of the present-day city of Harar. The area is indeed “desert and pasture for animals.” The second segment, from Genasere to Gendabelo, the longest part of the journey (40 days) probably went through the Tchertcher (“cultivated country”) to Ifāt.

The silver coin of the Moors? The Muslim Sultanates of the Horn most likely minted their own currency. However I’m confused about him saying they also trade in Hungarian and Venetian ducats

 

[daljirkadahsoon]

The silver coin of the Moors? The Muslim Sultanates of the Horn most likely minted their own currency. However I’m confused about him saying they also trade in Hungarian and Venetian ducats

This is an extract from that article:

He says that the fleets of the Moors from Combaia bring much merchandise – spices and cloth of gold and silk – to the Red Sea, to the port of Zelo, and thence on camels through the province of Adel, that is of a Moor of Adel, to the city of Genasere of a Moor, which is 25 days; and the region is desert and pasture for animals. And from Genasere one goes to the city of Gendevelu through cultivated country, crossing more provinces, and it takes 40 days. This Gendevelu is a great mercantile city, and it is of the Presta Davit, where the said caravans of camels unload their merchandise in warehouses; and it is the merchant ships (“forcio mercatanti”) of Combaia that bring all the spices except ginger, which is found in this land of the Presta. Then that merchandise is obtained by purchase or barter by the merchants of the Presta, and the currency is Hungarian and Venetian ducats, and the silver coins of the Moors, and by that route various things are brought from the whole of India; and so too on the return journey these of the Presta go to the said city of Zelo, that is an excellent port in the Red Sea, on the Aden route, that is in Arabia Felix. And the said city of Zelo, that is in Aphrica, is of the Moorish king of the province of Adel. And also, he is king of Genasere city, and of the cape of Guardafumi and of Barbara. […] From Zelo one goes westwards to Genedevelu city, and from there southwards to Barara. (Zorzi, Itineraries: 172-175)

I think it's the Ethiopians using that currency not people from Adal.

'Combaia' is probably Cambay we had a lot of trade with them it is preserved in the Saylici.

It's probably talking about the trade route through the Guban out of Saylac into the region of Harar and beyond. The cultivated country you go through to get to 'Gendevelu' is probably through some of the highlands. It would explain the time it takes as well taking loaded caravans through difficult terrain.

'Barara' is supposed to have been next to modern Addis so this 'Gendevelu' must have been north of it.

'The merchants of the Presta' i.e a Christian Ethiopian use the currency according to this monk. It isn't impossible the Adalites used some too there were European merchants selling them weapons but I doubt it.

Interestingly they say one Moorish king is king of Genasere, and Cape Guardafui (Puntland) and Berbera.

I wonder if this Genesere isn't Jaldeesa or somewhere near it it would fit the description pretty well.

 

[jomamamama22]

This is an extract from that article:

He says that the fleets of the Moors from Combaia bring much merchandise – spices and cloth of gold and silk – to the Red Sea, to the port of Zelo, and thence on camels through the province of Adel, that is of a Moor of Adel, to the city of Genasere of a Moor, which is 25 days; and the region is desert and pasture for animals. And from Genasere one goes to the city of Gendevelu through cultivated country, crossing more provinces, and it takes 40 days. This Gendevelu is a great mercantile city, and it is of the Presta Davit, where the said caravans of camels unload their merchandise in warehouses; and it is the merchant ships (“forcio mercatanti”) of Combaia that bring all the spices except ginger, which is found in this land of the Presta. Then that merchandise is obtained by purchase or barter by the merchants of the Presta, and the currency is Hungarian and Venetian ducats, and the silver coins of the Moors, and by that route various things are brought from the whole of India; and so too on the return journey these of the Presta go to the said city of Zelo, that is an excellent port in the Red Sea, on the Aden route, that is in Arabia Felix. And the said city of Zelo, that is in Aphrica, is of the Moorish king of the province of Adel. And also, he is king of Genasere city, and of the cape of Guardafumi and of Barbara. […] From Zelo one goes westwards to Genedevelu city, and from there southwards to Barara. (Zorzi, Itineraries: 172-175)

I think it's the Ethiopians using that currency not people from Adal.

'Combaia' is probably Cambay we had a lot of trade with them it is preserved in the Saylici.

It's probably talking about the trade route through the Guban out of Saylac into the region of Harar and beyond. The cultivated country you go through to get to 'Gendevelu' is probably through some of the highlands. It would explain the time it takes as well taking loaded caravans through difficult terrain.

'Barara' is supposed to have been next to modern Addis so this 'Gendevelu' must have been north of it.

'The merchants of the Presta' i.e a Christian Ethiopian use the currency according to this monk. It isn't impossible the Adalites used some too there were European merchants selling them weapons but I doubt it.

Interestingly they say one Moorish king is king of Genasere, and Cape Guardafui (Puntland) and Berbera.

I wonder if this Genesere isn't Jaldeesa or somewhere near it it would fit the description pretty well.

I looked up Genasere on google and came across this pdf.

"Assuming a day's journey to be around 16 km these distances would be about 255 and 425 km and place Genasere near Lake Abbé, then part of Adal."

It seems like Genasere was in close proximity to Lake Abbe, which means it was either in Djibouti, the Afar region or the Sitti zone.

 

[Idilinaa]

Interestingly they say one Moorish king is king of Genasere, and Cape Guardafui (Puntland) and Berbera.

I wonder if this Genesere isn't Jaldeesa or somewhere near it it would fit the description pretty well.

Another thing to notice is that he calls Awdal a province where Zeila exists as the principal city. I'm guessing it was the leading province that act as a central headquarter for all other principalities.

Zelo, that is an excellent port in the Red Sea, on the Aden route, that is in Arabia Felix. And the said city of Zelo, that is in Aphrica, is of the Moorish king of the province of Adel. And also, he is king of Genasere city, and of the cape of Guardafumi and of Barbara. […] From Zelo one goes westwards to Genedevelu city, and from there southwards to Barara. (Zorzi, Itineraries: 172-175)

And also describes camel caravans into the far west where this city is located

This Gendevelu is a great mercantile city, and it is of the Presta Davit, where the said caravans of camels unload their merchandise in warehouses;

It supports what i said a while ago in another thread:

The Camel is central to the the the proliferation of Muslim polities/provinces and also the main advantage Somalis had as the core Muslim group in the region which was not only our inhabited geography which featured plains and plateus that facilitated in smooth movement of goods, people and ideas and a coastline that allowed for over sea trade to red sea/indian ocean networks, but also more importantly the use of camel to transportion/distribution of goods into different region and provinces and this camel use is what later led to formation of towns and cities and economic growth.

This also reflected in Medieval Archeology with caravan stations seen across

The Archaeology of the medieval trade networks in Western Somaliland




Their avoidance of the use of camel hindered them in many respects in my opinion because throughout the North Africa, Near East and Arabia with the introduction of the camel they abandoned the ox and donkey cart which became a more effecient way for transport and even in central asia such as the Bactarian camel breed to be more suited to a colder climate. Early on people throughout the region understood the economic importance of the camel as a vehicle for economic development

Lack of it led to limiting transportation efficiency, reducing access to distant markets, increasing isolation from broader trade networks, and restricting their economic adaptability for the Highlands.

A short article i read a while back on why camel was pereffered over the wheel:

The Best Invention Since The Wheel​

The Best Invention Since The Wheel

www.notechmagazine.com