Zeila under Christian rule

[Zak12]

Came across this source from Al-Masudi who claims Zeila during the 9th century was ruled by Habasha (Aksum). How truthful is this because Al-Yaqubi from the same century explicitly states Zeila was an Islamic city. I also recalled a source that I can't find atm that also stated Zayla was Christian majority and that the mosques were converted from churches.

 

[Emir of Zayla]

Came across this source from Al-Masudi who claims Zeila during the 9th century was ruled by Habasha (Aksum). How truthful is this because Al-Yaqubi from the same century explicitly states Zeila was an Islamic city. I also recalled a source that I can't find atm that also stated Zayla was Christian majority and that the mosques were converted from churches.
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Al-Masudi and other medieval geographers never mention any Christian presence/domination in Zeila.

 

[Idilinaa]

Al-Masudi and other medieval geographers never mention any Christian presence/domination in Zeila.

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It becomes even more obvious when you have Arab writers literally mention Somali names and terms like Al-Omari and Ibn Arabi when applying the term Habash. For example Arab medieval writer mentions the name of God in the language of Habash as ''Waaq'' in year 1240. Which is the name of a Somali Pagan God we share with Oromo's and Somalis use that name in their Arabic Quran translations.

The controversial Ibn Arabi (d. 1240) writes:
In respect of the fact that the Truth (Al-Haqq) is the Speaker. He mentions Himself by names … These names themselves have names with us in the language of every speaker. In the Arabic language, the name by which He named Himself in respect of being the speaker is “Allaah”, in persian “Khuday,” in Habashi “Waaq” in the tongue of the Franks “Creator” and so on in every language…. (al-Futuhat al-Makiyya II 683.29)

وتركيب حروفها بحسب اللسان والمعنى الموجب للإسم معقول عند المخلوقين فيقول العربي يا الله للذي يقول له الفارسي أي خداي
ويقول له الرومي أيشا ويقول له الأرمني أي أصفاج ويناديه التركي أي تنكري ويناديه الأفرنجي أي كريطور ويقول له الحبشي واق (al-Futuhat al-Makiyya II 683.29)

They are literally just referring to Somalis at times and using Habash as a regional name for which the greater North-Western territory is apart of. It does not mean they were Abyssinian or Amhara or even Christians.

I went through this in greater detail: Examination by Spanish researchers, read through this

Here are researchers clarifying the name Xabash applied to the region and how Zayla was neither an Abyssinian or even a christian port. They are also calling out contemporary historians biased readings.

Conclusion:

Whats ironic is that if you look at the Awdal chronicles, it's clear that they did not see themselves or called themselves Xabash, but called the opposing Christians that name even the Futuh chronicle, in a lot of instances that name Xabash came to be a by-word for a slave amongst them as well and you see it used that way in the arabic documents.

It's reminiscent to how the name slave cames from Slavic people in the english language.

 

[Emir of Zayla]

They are literally just referring to Somalis at times and using Habash as a regional name for which the greater North-Western territory is apart of. It does not mean Abyssinian or even Christians.

Yup, sometimes the regional term Abyssinia even stretched as far as Egypt and Sudan. Arab geographers most likely thought of it as its own cultural region much like other parts of the world like Al-Hind because we all carried similarities in the view of outsiders may that be culturally, genetically, lifestyles etc.

 

[Idilinaa]

Yup, sometimes the regional term Abyssinia even stretched as far as Egypt and Sudan. Arab geographers most likely thought of it as its own cultural region much like other parts of the world like Al-Hind because we all carried similarities in the view of outsiders may that be culturally, genetically, lifestyles etc.


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NorthEast Africa was really inter-connected very interesting ways , you saw it even in politics and diasporic movements during the medieval period.