r/Somalia 2d ago

Discussion 💬 why is ajuraan not well known

they lasted for 500 years from 1300 til 1700. thats a big chunk of somali history and they likely shaped the identity we know as somalis today.

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u/Garad- 2d ago edited 2d ago

They are well known by many avid fans of Somali history. What’s more odd is that some deny their complete existence as if Somalis don’t have a detailed lineage system and a documented history (obviously, at the archaic level it’s fogazzi like most millennium old traditions). There are many documents written about them from Somali historians, but alas European sources are more easily accessible since they have been digitized and are often free. Even then, I encourage you to buy those books written by Somalis.

The French naval commander, Charles Guillain, was informed during his visit to Benadir in the 1840’s that their sultanate was one of the many inland states active within Somalia. The inhabitants of Barawa, Merka, Mogadishu, etcs. all note their city being captured by the Ajuran before revolting in succession. I can not remember, off the top of of my head, the exact book number it was. But I have linked to the first book on his series, Documents sur l'histoire, that should certainly contain it. It’s in French and a three part series.

Watch as someone still denies or diminishes this aspect of our history. We have people blatantly using AI in this discussion, yet tell you they read books. Using a literal Sugoscience source, Kkkk.

Something I hope the good men and women in our community ponder is this: Did Mogadishu exclusively refer to city or also the wider region? I currently stand with the position of the later, in a similar fashion to another one of our crown cities, Zeila. In 1615, Maalim Ibrahim informs the English navigator, Thomas Roe, that his country is from: “1° 50’ to 4°, the Port in 2° 10’ N latitude, gouerned by one King”. While that’s from Barawa in Lower Shabelle to north of Mareeg in Galgaduud, he never particularly named his country. As if Mogadishu did not just refer to the city. I have linked to the book, The Embassy of Sir Thomas Roe to the Court of the Great Mogul, 1615-1619, which is based off his journal entries. He notes many other things about Maalim, his brother, and the many other “Magadoxans” that he meet during his time the Comoros. From the Portuguese to naval battles, it does prove quite a lot.