the ajuran sultanate is a somali empire that ruled the horn of africa for 400 years
between the 13th and 17th century
they were known to be the only hydraulic empire or water dynasty in africa apart from ancient
egypt in that their authority came from the control they exercised on the water supply
of the region they governed during their reign the ajuran rulers built large limestone wells
throughout the horn of africa which served the nomadic oromo and somali populations
under their rule the wells were regulated by the central ajuran authority which settled disputes
between nomads which in turn maintain stability and prosperity in the region the ajuran dynasty
also extensively developed agriculture and farming through hydraulic engineering
they built large and complex irrigation systems taking their source in the chebele and juba rivers
which brought water to inland plantations through a system of irrigation ditches known as Kelliyo
the irrigation system was composed by an elaborate network of dams dikes and levees that controlled
the water flow during the various seasons of the year agriculture was supported by a specific land
measurement system that determined the appropriate size of a farm and it followed the complex
dual solar/lunar somali calendar Gu spring and Xagaa summer being the main seasons to grow crops
centralized state farms in afgoye bardere and kismayo cities provided the empire with
an abundance of food and trading goods Vasco Da Gama the portuguese explorer and the first
european to reach india passed by Mogadishu in the 15th century and wrote the following
it was a large city with houses of four or five storeys high and big palaces in its center and
many mosques Duarte Barbosa who was on the first expedition to circumnavigate the world
led by his brother-in-law Ferdinand Magellan also said the following many ships from the kingdom
of kambaya in india sailed to Mogadishu with clothes and spices for which they in
return received gold wax and ivory Barbosa also highlighted the abundance of meat wheat barley
horses and fruit on the coastal markets which generated enormous wealth for the merchants
the ajuran empire established trading and diplomatic ties across the old world
particularly in asia with the ottoman empire and the Ming dynasty the ruler of the somali
ajuran empire sent ambassadors to china the most notable one being Sa'id of Mogadishu who became
the first african man to set foot in china in recorded history Sa'id of Mogadishu established
a small somali community in china where he studied the mandarin language and created
the first dictionary to translate mandarin to a native african language like somali
in return emperor Yongle the third emperor of the Ming dynasty dispatched one of the largest fleets
in history to trade with the somali nation the fleet under the leadership of the famed Hui Muslim
Zheng He arrived in Mogadishu while the city was at its peak in economic and social vibrancy
along with gold frankincense and fabrics Zheng brought back the first ever african
wildlife to china which included hippos giraffes and gazelles Sa'id is said to
have afterwards traveled across the muslim world and visited Bengal during his stay at a mosque
on the west coast of india he encountered the most renowned traveler of the old world Ibn
Battuta according to scholar peter jackson Sa'id might have during his occasion shared with Battuta
accounts of his travels in china and detailed the political landscapes and succession of the
dynasty information which Battuta would eventually add in his famous chronicles
the ajuran empire attracted many immigrants from arabia persia yemen india and even spanish muslims
and jews which were fleeing the religious persecution of the inquisition in spain
those new communities were well integrated in the empire with many of them enjoying economic
opportunities and a high social status the ajuran empire was also a military power in the region
that built many castles and fortresses along the coast to protect itself against invaders
it successfully resisted an oromo invasion from the west and a portuguese incursion from the east
during the Gaal Madow and the Ajuran-Portuguese wars. in the 16th century the portuguese led
by Tristão da Cunha attacked the Ajuran capital city of Barawa with an armada of
16 ships Barawa resisted the attack thanks to its fortress and its battalion of four thousand men
comprised of archers with fire arrows but the portuguese eventually breached the fortress
wall through a weak point and then sacked and put the city to the torch after After Barawa,
Tristão set sail for Mogadishu which was the richest city on the east african coast but word
had spread of what happened in barawa and a large troop mobilization had taken place many horsemen
soldiers and battleships in defense positions were now guarding the city the portuguese fleet
encountering the show of force opted to retreat and sail for the island of socotra instead of
attacking Mogadishu it is not clear if Tristão da Cunha perished in a haphazard storm attack on
Mogadishu despite the advice of his officers or if he managed to flee with the rest of his men
the ajuran portuguese wars continued over the next several decades and with help from their ally the
ottoman empire the somalis managed to defy the portuguese economic monopoly of the indian ocean
and even managed to drive them out from several important cities such as pate mombasa and kilwa
the ajuran army began acquiring muskets and cannons that would transit through the port
of Mogadishu. horses used for military purposes were also bred in the inlands
and numerous stone fortifications were erected to provide shelter for the army in the coastal
districts in each province the soldiers were under the supervision of a military commander
known as an emir and the coastal areas in the indian ocean trade were protected by somali navy
the ajuran empire slowly declined in power at the end of the 17th century which paved the way
for the ascendance of new somali powers like the Hiraab Imamate also known as the Yacquubi dynasty
the catalyst for the rebellion against the ajuran empire was the heavy tax system they
imposed on their subjects and the economic and social pressure they
exercised on the other somali vassal clans and their nobility
the somali ajuran empire had a central influence on the world trade for more than 400 years with an
influence and a heritage that extended outside of the horn of africa the empire established its own
colony in mozambique to mine gold and funded one of the oldest harbors documented in southern africa
Sofala literally meaning "Go Dig" in somali today known as the city of nova sofa in mozambique
the empire is also reputed to have founded the first ruling dynasty of the maldives
the Hilaalee dynasty as well as a somali colony on the Male' atoll of the Maldive islands.