The Ajuraan- a view from the oral tradition

[James Dahl]

The Mogadishu Ajuuraan are a very specific clan of Ajuuraan, the Moorshe

Cali "Morshe"
Aadan
Yaarow
Cabdalle
Imaam Dayle
Adke "Gareen"
Kasaanle
Udke
Kunle
Waalmuge
Ajuuraan

 

[Factz]

The Mogadishu Ajuuraan are a very specific clan of Ajuuraan, the Moorshe

Cali "Morshe"
Aadan
Yaarow
Cabdalle
Imaam Dayle
Adke "Gareen"
Kasaanle
Udke
Kunle
Waalmuge
Ajuuraan

Do you think the Muzzaffar was a Morshe dynasty that ruled over the Mogadishu province of Ajuran? According to most sources, Muzzaffar was a sub-dynasty of Garen?

 

[James Dahl]

Do you think the Muzzaffar was a Morshe dynasty that ruled over the Mogadishu province of Ajuran? According to most sources, Muzzaffar was a sub-dynasty of Garen?

??

Muzaffar is explicitly referred to as having come from Yemen and brought cannons with him, he brought the first cannons to Mogadishu

Muzaffar in the Hiraab story of taking Mogdishu calls him "friend of Ajuuraan"

 

[Factz]

??

Muzaffar is explicitly referred to as having come from Yemen and brought cannons with him, he brought the first cannons to Mogadishu

Only relation I heard about Cannons with Mogadishu is when Ajuran bought advanced weapons from the Ottomans.

In the early Ajuran period, the army's weapons consisted of traditional Somali weapons such as swords, daggers, spears, battle axe, and bows. The Sultanate received assistance from its close ally the Ottoman Empire, and with the import of firearms through the port of Mogadishu, the army began acquiring muskets and cannons. The Ottomans would also remain a key ally during the Ajuran-Portuguese wars. Horses used for military purposes were also raised in the interior, and numerous stone fortifications were erected to provide shelter for the army in the coastal districts.[53] In each province, the soldiers were under the supervision of a military commander known as an emir,[50] and the coastal areas and the Indian oceantrade were protected by a navy.[54]

I don't know man. I even read one source saying Mogadishu was Ajuran capital. What you think?

 

[Grant]

Ajuuraan
Aqiil
Aadan
Ibrahiim "Balcadde"
Calaama "Baqoon"
Balcad
Edimoole
Kaaley
Faas
Siroole
Xarmalle
Samaale

Ok. That differs substantially from what I have seen. Are any of those the saint? The usual story is that the father of Ajuraan came from outside the area and that Bal'ad came from Berbera. (????)

 

[James Dahl]

The Ajuuraan was not a unitary authority, they had many vassals. Following their conquest of the south they established themselves as overlords and had the following vassals (not a complete list just the ones I know of)

• Mogadishu City-State (Sultanate after 1270) encompassing the cities of Shingani and Xamar
• Baraawe City-State (conquered by Portugal in 1506)
• Marka City-State
• Gorgaate Hawiye (led by the Silcis Gorgaate of Afgoye)
• Garsogude Geledi of Luuq

This list is not exhaustive and includes many smaller clans in the south.

The Ajuuraan themselves ruled directly over a smaller area, their main towns were Mareeg, Qalaafo and Hobyo. They had a presence in Mogadishu but most Ajuuraan in the Banadir region lived north of the city in Balcad.

Mogadishu submitted to Ajuuraan hegemony until the Ajuuraan fell from power after which they accepted Portuguese hegemony (but were never conquered) until the Ottomans defeated the Portuguese and Mogadishu came to be ruled by Muzaffar, until he was captured by subterfuge by Hiraab.

Dir refugees fleeing the Habesha invasion of their northern homelands settled in the south and eventually took over Marka.

Baraawe would remain under Portuguese domination until the early 18th century.

Following their defeat at the hands of the Hiraab, the Ajuuraan migrated south and settled on the east bank of the Juba valley, though they managed to hold on to Qalaafo and that was the stronghold of Olol Diinle. The Geledi would defeat them in the south in the middle of the 17th century. Another subclan of Geledi would defeat the Silcis Gorgaate and take over Afgoye in the 18th century.

 

[Darawalka]

Waan kuu jeedaa waxaad tahay nin taariikhdiisu hal dhinac uraran tahay.
Oo waxa kaa dhaadhacsan Somalida waligood karti iyo awood meysan laheyn, taana qalad kuma lihid oo waxa garashadaada iyo fahankaaga shaki ku beeraya, markaad eegto dhibaatooyinkii aanu soo madhnay qarnigii lasoo dhaafay.
Oo tabar daradii aanu ku sugneyn ila kala fiirdhankii baa kalsoni daro baahsan garowshaaga ku beertay taana waa wax dadyowgoo dhami ama sidey ubadan yihiin shaki ku beeri karta.
Ee walaalo waxa kugu odhan lahaa sooyaalka Somalida kan ree miyiga un ha badhane ee kan ree magaalkana u kuura gal baadhitaana ku samee hadaad weydo waa intaayo wax ku shaki bixiyaa ood ku qanacdo heshaaye.

I agree, much respect, you speak Somali very well too. Thought you were a diaspora teen, but maybe you grew up back home and just moved abroad before your teens.

Anyway, sorry about calling you a kid, im way out of my depth at this point to be honest. My family is from the galbeed parts so I know more about the Adal sultanates and the Ahmad Gurey wars. Even studied the Sayid Mohamed Abdilahi Hasan bc of my mother's strong pride. Dad's a sambusa (brown on the outside, who knows what on the inside depending on the day lol).

I will try to listen more from the two of you @Nasiib Gaashaan Cade @Factz

 

[James Dahl]

Ok. That differs substantially from what I have seen. Are any of those the saint? The usual story is that the father of Ajuraan came from outside the area and that Bal'ad came from Berbera. (????)

Yes that's the oral history of the Ajuuraan. Balcad is the sainted ancestor

 

[Grant]

Yes that's the oral history of the Ajuuraan. Balcad is the sainted ancestor

What about the story that he came from outside the area? At least one author has suggested he was an Arab who came through rather than from Berbera.. Why was Balcad a saint if he wasn't an Arab?

 

[Puffin Stuff]

Those two still at it man...

 

[James Dahl]

What about the story that he came from outside the area? At least one author has suggested he was an Arab who came through rather than from Berbera.. Why was Balcad a saint if he wasn't an Arab?

Arab claim is via the spurious genealogy of Samaale to Abu Talib that all Somalis traditionally claimed.

 

[Factz]

The Ajuuraan was not a unitary authority, they had many vassals. Following their conquest of the south they established themselves as overlords and had the following vassals (not a complete list just the ones I know of)

• Mogadishu City-State (Sultanate after 1270) encompassing the cities of Shingani and Xamar
• Baraawe City-State (conquered by Portugal in 1506)
• Marka City-State
• Gorgaate Hawiye (led by the Silcis Gorgaate of Afgoye)
• Garsogude Geledi of Luuq

This list is not exhaustive and includes many smaller clans in the south.

The Ajuuraan themselves ruled directly over a smaller area, their main towns were Mareeg, Qalaafo and Hobyo. They had a presence in Mogadishu but most Ajuuraan in the Banadir region lived north of the city in Balcad.

Mogadishu submitted to Ajuuraan hegemony until the Ajuuraan fell from power after which they accepted Portuguese hegemony (but were never conquered) until the Ottomans defeated the Portuguese and Mogadishu came to be ruled by Muzaffar, until he was captured by subterfuge by Hiraab.

Dir refugees fleeing the Habesha invasion of their northern homelands settled in the south and eventually took over Marka.

Baraawe would remain under Portuguese domination until the early 18th century.

Following their defeat at the hands of the Hiraab, the Ajuuraan migrated south and settled on the east bank of the Juba valley, though they managed to hold on to Qalaafo and that was the stronghold of Olol Diinle. The Geledi would defeat them in the south in the middle of the 17th century. Another subclan of Geledi would defeat the Silcis Gorgaate and take over Afgoye in the 18th century.

Sir what crap are you spewing? Portuguese invaded Barawa and Mogadishu but Ajuran successfully repelled them. Somebody is abusing Wikipedia and I will fix that but read these authentic soruces below. Portuguese never controlled any Somali coast. Ajuran was well known for resisting them.

Portuguese Empire did not control any Somali coast, Ajurans successfully repelled them. Both Barawa and Mogadishu were major Ajuran ports.

The European Age of discovery brought Europe's then superpower the Portuguese empire to the coast of East Africa, which at the time enjoyed a flourishing trade with foreign nations. The wealthy southeastern city-states of Kilwa, Mombasa, Malindi, Pate and Lamu were all systematically sacked and plundered by the Portuguese. Tristão da Cunha then set his eyes on Ajuran Empire territory, where the Battle of Barawa was fought. After a long period of engagement, the Portuguese soldiers burned the city and looted it. However, fierce resistance by the local population and soldiers resulted in the failure of the Portuguese to permanently occupy the city and eventually the Portuguese would be decisively defeated by the powerful Somalis from Ajuran Empire, and the inhabitants who had fled to the interior would eventually return and rebuild the city. Tristão da Cunha was later severely wounded and sought refuge in Socotra islands after losing his men and ships. After losing the war with the Ajuran Empire over the fail attempt to capture Barawa. After the battle the city of Barawa quickly recovered from the attack.[58]

More source below. Ajuran won in Barawa war.

Here is the source where Portuguese failed with Mogadishu conquest against Ajuran.

Here is where Ajuran successfully resisted all Portuguese raids when it raided its coast.

Responding to your second claim. Ajuran directly ruled from Hobyo in the north, to Qelafo in the west, to Kismayo in the south.

Definition of domain: an area of territory owned or controlled by a particular ruler or government.

"The Ajuran Sultanate covered much of southern and central Somalia and eastern Ethiopia, with its domain extending from Hobyo in the north, to Qelafo in the west, to Kismayo in the south."

The map is factual and it shows you the ports Ajuran controlled/governed. Please do not deny this map.

Here is the link of the source of the source if you don't trust me: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=X1dDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA59&dq=Ajuran+Imamate+the+largest+multi-clan&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjhzIv5xuzbAhWTXsAKHfZlCXEQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=Ajuran Imamate the largest multi-clan&f=false

 

[James Dahl]

All of those sources are factually incorrect man, check their references. Don't get taken in by fanciful historians with overly simplistic explanations

 

[James Dahl]

For a good book on Ajuuraan please read "Identities on the Move: Clanship and Pastoralism in Northern Kenya" by Günther Schlee. There is a lot of nonsense out there about the Ajuuraan.

 

[Factz]

All of those sources are factually incorrect man, check their references. Don't get taken in by fanciful historians with overly simplistic explanations

Just don't lie about Mogadishu and Barawa. Everyone knows Ajuran won those wars and successfully resisted all of the Portuguese raids. Ajuran Empire is extremely famous for defeating Portuguese, it's not the other away around my friend.

 

[James Dahl]

Just don't lie about Mogadishu and Barawa. Everyone knows Ajuran won those wars and successfully resisted all of the Portuguese raids. Ajuran Empire is extremely famous for defeating Portuguese, it's not the other away around my friend.

I'm not lying I'm saying check the sources referenced, they don't say what the authors say that they say. The Portuguese occupied Baraawe for many centuries this is not a disputed fact. Many famous Baraawe landmarks were built by the Portuguese such as the old lighthouse.

 

[Factz]

I'm not lying I'm saying check the sources referenced, they don't say what the authors say that they say. The Portuguese occupied Baraawe for many centuries this is not a disputed fact. Many famous Baraawe landmarks were built by the Portuguese such as the old lighthouse.

Holy crap. Yes, Portuguese did invade and loot Barawa. However, they couldn't occupy it much longer as fierce resistance by the local population and soldiers resulted in the failure of the Portuguese to permanently occupy the city and eventually the inhabitants who escaped to the interior return and re-built Barawa. Tristão da Cunha was severely injured and lost the battle so he asked for the Brazil colony to bring ships but one of his advisers refused as Ajuran was fully ready. This is a historical fact.

 

[James Dahl]

That is not historical fact at all. Baraawe was taken by the Portuguese in 1506, who renamed it Brava, and it was not liberated until 1758. For 252 years it was ruled by the Portuguese.

There is a decaying Portuguese castle and the old lighthouse all built in clearly Iberian style.

 

[Factz]

That is not historical fact at all. Baraawe was taken by the Portuguese in 1506, who renamed it Brava, and it was not liberated until 1758. For 252 years it was ruled by the Portuguese.

There is a decaying Portuguese castle and the old lighthouse all built in clearly Iberian style.

What is this false history? Ajuran Empire won the battle of Barawa and the castle and lighthouse is also found in other Somali coast. It was built by Ajuran engineers. After Ajuran successfully resisted all Portuguese raids. They then decided to get rid of their colonies in Southeast Africa with their Ottoman ally.

Ottoman-Somali cooperation against the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean reached a high point in the 1580s when the Ajuran began to sympathize with the Arabs and Swahilis under Portuguese rule and sent an envoy to the Turkish corsair Mir Ali Bey for a joint expedition against the Portuguese. He agreed and was joined by a large Somali fleet, which began attacking Portuguese colonies in Southeast Africa.[54]

The Somali-Ottoman offensive managed to drive out the Portuguese from several important cities such as Pate, Mombasa and Kilwa. However, the Portuguese governor sent envoys to Portuguese India requesting a large Portuguese fleet. This request was answered and it reversed the previous offensive of the Muslims into one of defense. The Portuguese armada managed to re-take most of the lost cities and began punishing their leaders, but they refrained from attacking Mogadishu and other coastal provinces that belong to the Ajuran Empire.[2]

If Portuguese really did take over Barawa then why did Ajuran go all the way to Mombasa? Because you're speaking out of your ass. There are no Ottoman or Ajuran traditions of Portuguese controlling any of their coastal provinces. Ajuran is known to resisting all their raids and that is a historical fact.

 

[Grant]

For a good book on Ajuuraan please read "Identities on the Move: Clanship and Pastoralism in Northern Kenya" by Günther Schlee. There is a lot of nonsense out there about the Ajuuraan.

I don't understand why you took this down:

https://www.academia.edu/30695544/T..._TO_THE_MEDIEVAL_ISLAMIC_PERIOD?auto=download

It's an e-book.

He says Scott Reece and Ali Abdirahman Hersi (which I have posted to much derision) are both good authors. He also says Ajuraan arose in the 14th century, which is consitent with a later rise to power, say 1500.. He also says they ruled from Merka. They are credited with defending against Portuguese raids, not with building or having ships. Nothing about ruling from Mog.