|
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi
Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On February 21, 1543 AD, Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, attained martyrdom at the age of 36 in the Battle of Wayna Daga east of Lake Tana in Ethiopia, when he was treacherously shot by Portuguese mercenaries in the service of the Abyssinian ruler. Of Arab origin and known as "the Conqueror", he was Amir of the Sultanate of Adal and led Somali forces in the liberation of large parts of Ethiopia from 1529 to 1543.
In 1531, he broke Emperor Lebna Dengel's ability to resist in the Battle of Amba. Ten years later in 1541, with the arrival of the Portuguese to assist Emperor Gelawdewos, he sought the aid of the Ottoman Turks and inflicted a resounding defeat on Cristovao da Gama and his 400 musketeers, capturing the Portuguese commander and executing him for refusal to give up animosity towards Islam.
Ahmad al-Ghazi is remembered to this day in the Horn of Africa as a national hero, and his liberation is described in detail in the “Futuh al-Habasha” (The Conquest of Abyssinia), written in Arabic by Shehab od-Din ibn Abdul-Qader. His nephew (sister’s son), Nour ibn Mujahid ibn Ali, known as “Saheb al-Fath ath-Thani”, or "Master of the Second Conquest", avenged his death in 1559 by defeating and killing Emperor Gelawdawos in battle.
|
