Wikipedia

Malassay

AMalassay(Harari:መለሳይMäläsay,Somali:Maalasay) was a member of the elitecavalryunits that formed theAdal Sultanate'shousehold troops.[1][2]According to Manfred Kropp, Malassay were theHarariarmed forces.[3]

Malassay
A depiction of the soldiers ofImam Ahmedarmed with a musket and a cannon
Active1100–1600
AllegianceAdal Sultanate
TypeInfantry,Cavalry
RoleStanding professional military
GarrisonsHarar
EngagementsBattle of Ansata,Battle of Shimbra Kure,Battle of Fatagar,Battle of Hazalo,Battle of Endagabatan,Battle of Hadiya
Commanders
CommanderGarad

Etymology

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Malassay appears to refer to a military rank or warrior inAfarandHararilanguages.[4]According to Dr.Duri Mohammed,Malassay in ancient times referred to Harari soldiers, however in the present day it refers to a brotherhood or member of a fraternity.[5][6][7]According to Harari scholar Abdurrahman Qorram and others, Malassay derives from the root Harari terms"mälä"(idea/solution) and"say"(wealth/prosperity).”[8][9][10][11]

History

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Photo of Harari warrior in 1883 taken byArthur Rimbaud

EarlyGe'ezandPortuguesetexts indicate Muslim soldiers were known as the Malassay.[12]In the thirteenth century the Malassay appear to back theAmhararebelYekuno Amlakin his conflict with theZagwe dynasty.[13]Historians have identified theGafatregiments of the Malassay played a key role in founding the ChristianSolomonic dynasty.[14]

Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghaziwas originally a Malassay serving under aGaradnamedAbun Adasheprior to becoming leader of the Adal Sultanate.[15][16] In the sixteenth century the main troops of Adal Sultanate's leader Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi were the Malassay during the invasion of Abyssinia.[17]A few notable Malassay were Amir Husain bin Abubaker theGaturiand Alus theHegano.[18][19]According to sixteenth century Adal writerArab Faqīh,the Malassay participated in the conquest of Abyssinia at the decisiveBattle of Shimbra Kure.[20]EmperorLebna Dengelchronicles states the Malassay alongsideQecchinwere the Muslim enemy that invaded.[21][22] According toMohammed Hassenthe Malassay under Ahmed consisted of theHarlaandHarariethnic groups.[23]Ethiopian historianMerid Wolde Aregayassociated the Malassay with Semitic speakers.[24]

In the reign of EmperorSarsa Dengel,theHadiyaKingdom was supported by 500 Malassay donningcuirasswho had arrived fromHararterritory to battle Ethiopia.[25][26]Sarsa Dengel chronicles mentions Malassay rebels of Elmag (an unidentified group) and theSomaliunder theirHararimonikerTumurhad deserted thus Manfred Kropp argues the Malassay were of diverse ethnic backgrounds.[27]

Under the seventeenth centuryEmirate of Harar,the entire army was commanded by aGaradwho had several militias under him labeled the Malassay.[28]In the contemporary era, the term Malassay survives as a subgroup of the Harari people.[29]According to Umar, Malga-Gello the forefather of theSiltʼe people's clan Ulbareg was a captain of the Malassay.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Wion, Anaïs (2023).Amélie Chekroun, La conquête de l'Ethiopie. Un jihad au xvie siècle(PDF).Paris, CNRS Èditions. p. 109.
  2. ^Northeast African Studies.African Studies Center, Michigan State University. 1984. p. 64.
  3. ^Abstracts in German Anthropology.Edition Herodot. 1989. p. 83.ISBN9783927636064.
  4. ^Morin, Didier (1997).Poésie traditionelle des Afars.Peeters Publishers. p. 12.ISBN9789068319897.
  5. ^Mohammed, Duri (4 December 1955).The Mugads of Harar(PDF).University College of Addis Abeba Ethnological Bulletin. p. 1. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2021-07-10.Retrieved10 July2021.
  6. ^Aregay, Merid.Southern Ethiopia and the Christian kingdom 1508 - 1708, with special reference to the Galla migrations and their consequences.University of London. p. 135.
  7. ^Abubaker, Abdulmalik (2016).The relevancy of Harari values in self regulation and as a mechanism of behavioral control: Historical aspects(PDF)(PhD dissertation). University of Alabama. pp. 229–230.
  8. ^Kropp, Manfred (1990)."Mäläsay: Selbstbezeichnung Eines Harariner Offizierskorps und Ihr Gebrauch in Äthiopischen und Arabischen Chroniken".Paideuma.36.Frobenius Institute: 111.JSTOR40732663.
  9. ^Garad, Abdurahman (1990).Harar Wirtschaftsgeschichte eines Emirats im Horn von Afrika (1825-75).P. Lang. p. 69.
  10. ^Malasay.Encyclopedia Aethiopica.
  11. ^History of Harar and Hararis(PDF).Harar tourism bureau. p. 22.
  12. ^Journal of Ethiopian Studies.Haile Selassie I University. 1997. p. 52.
  13. ^Tamrat, Tadesse (1988)."Ethnic Interaction and Integration In Ethiopian History: The Case of the Gafat".Journal of Ethiopian Studies.21.Institute of Ethiopian Studies: 125.JSTOR41965965.
  14. ^Pankhurst, Richard (1997).The Ethiopian Borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century.Red Sea Press. p. 89.ISBN9780932415196.
  15. ^Aregay, Merid (1980)."A Reappraisal of the Impact of Firearms in the History of Warfare in Ethiopia (C. 1500-1800)".Journal of Ethiopian Studies.14:109.JSTOR41965889.
  16. ^The Imperial and Asiatic Quarterly Review and Oriental and Colonial Record.Oriental Institute. 1905.
  17. ^Muth, Franz-Christoph.Allahs Netze: ʽArabfaqīhs Futūḥ al-Ḥabaša als Quelle für Netzwerkanalysen.Annales d'Éthiopie. p. 114.
  18. ^Chekroun, Amélie.Le "Futuh al-Habasa": écriture de l'histoire, guerre et société dans le Bar Sa'ad ad-din.Université Panthéon-Sorbonne. p. 422.
  19. ^History of Harar(PDF).Harar Tourism Bureau. p. 57.
  20. ^History of Harar(PDF).Harari people regional state. p. 57.
  21. ^Molvaer, Reidulf (1998)."The Tragedy of Emperor Libne-Dingil of Ethiopia (1508-1540)".Northeast African Studies.5(2). Michigan State University Press: 31.doi:10.1353/nas.1998.0011.JSTOR41931161.S2CID143584847.
  22. ^Haile, Getachew.Reviewed Work: Tānāsee 106: Eine Chronik der Herrscher Äthiopiens. Äthiopistische Forschungen, Band 12 by Franz Amadeus Dombrowski.Northeast African Studies. p. 181.JSTOR43661193.
  23. ^Hassan, Mohammed.Reviewed Work: Ethiopia and the Red Sea: The Rise and Decline of the Solomonic Dynasty and Muslim-European Rivalry in the Region by M. Abir.Michigan State University Press. p. 64.JSTOR43660165.
  24. ^Aregay, Merid.Southern Ethiopia and the Christian kingdom 1508-1708 with special reference to the Galla migrations and their consequences.University of London. p. 135.
  25. ^Aze.Encyclopedia Aethiopica.
  26. ^Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia: Collected Essays.LIT Verlag Münster. 2002. p. 59.ISBN9783825856717.
  27. ^Kropp, Manfred (1990)."Mäläsay: Selbstbezeichnung Eines Harariner Offizierskorps und Ihr Gebrauch in Äthiopischen und Arabischen Chroniken".Paideuma.36.Frobenius Institute: 108.JSTOR40732663.
  28. ^Kropp, Manfred (1990)."Mäläsay: Selbstbezeichnung Eines Harariner Offizierskorps und Ihr Gebrauch in Äthiopischen und Arabischen Chroniken".Paideuma.36.Frobenius Institute: 111.JSTOR40732663.
  29. ^Ethiopianist Notes Volumes 1-2.African Studies Center, Michigan State University. p. 37.
  30. ^Musa, Hussein.Silt'e as a Medium of Instruction(PDF).Addis Ababa University. p. 31. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on December 8, 2023.
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