Isaaq Sultanate


The Isaaq Sultanate was a Muslim sultanate that ruled parts of the Horn of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The kingdom spanned the territories of the Isaaq clan in modern-day Somaliland and Ethiopia. It was governed by the Rer Guled Eidagale branch of the Garhajis clan and is the pre-colonial predecessor to the Republic of Somaliland.

History

Origins

Somali genealogical tradition places the origin of the Isaaq tribe in the 12th or 13th century with the arrival of Sheikh Ishaaq Bin Ahmed was one of the scholars who crossed the sea from Arabia to the Horn of Africa. Sheikh Ishaaq settled in the coastal town of Maydh in modern-day northeastern Somaliland. Hence, Sheikh Ishaaq married two local women in Somaliland that left him eight sons.
By the 1300s the Isaaq clans united to defend their inhabited territories and resources during clan conflicts against migrating clans, and by the 1600s, after the fall of the Adal Sultanate, the Somali lands split into numerous clan states, among them the Isaaq.
The earliest documented traditional leader of the Isaaq clan mentioned in Somali historical literature appears in Futuh al-Habasha by the historian Shihab al-Din Ahmad al-Jizani. The book records two Garaads from the Habar Magaadle sub-clan who played significant roles during the wars of Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, Ahmad Gerri Xuseen and Garaad Daawad. The first Garaad participated in the early stages of the jihad, while the second Garaad was involved in the later battles.
I. M. Lewis states:
The Marrehan and the Habr Magadle also play a very prominent role The text refers to two Ahmads's with the nickname 'Left-handed'. One is regularly presented as 'Ahmad Guray, the Somali' identified as Ahmad Guray Xuseyn, chief of the Habr Magadle.
According to oral tradition, prior to the Guled Dynasty the Isaaq clan-family were ruled by a dynasty of the Tolje'lo branch starting from, descendants of Ahmed nicknamed Tol Je'lo, the eldest son of Sheikh Ishaaq. There were eight Tolje'lo rulers in total who ruled for centuries starting from the 13th century. The last Tolje'lo ruler Boqor Harun, nicknamed Dhuh Barar was overthrown by a coalition of Isaaq clans. The once strong Tolje'lo clan were scattered and took refuge amongst the Habr Awal with whom they still mostly live. However, the names and lineages of the rulers before Dhuh remain uncertain, and it is unknown whether they all belonged to the same Tol Je'lo lineage.
It is likely that the Isaaq leadership structure evolved over time, shifting from the title of Garaad to Boqor before eventually adopting the title of Sultan, particularly among the Tol Je'lo lineage, reflecting broader changes in Somali governance, influenced by historical, political, and external factors.

Establishment

The modern Guled Dynasty of the Isaaq Sultanate was established in the middle of the 18th century by Sultan Guled of the Eidagale clan of Isaaq clan family. His coronation took place after the victorious battle of Lafaruug, in which Guled’s father, Abdi Eissa successfully led the Isaaq, After witnessing his leadership and courage, the Isaaq chiefs recognized his father Abdi who refused the position instead relegating the title to his underage son Guled while the father acted as the regent until the son came of age. Guled was crowned the as the first Sultan of the Isaaq clan in July 1750. Sultan Guled thus ruled the Isaaq up until his death in 1808.

Succession dispute

Sultan Guled ruled over the Isaaq for over 50 years. When he ascended to the throne, he was still a young man. As he grew old and fell ill, a struggle for succession emerged among his 12 sons, who belonged to eight different uterine lineages. The term "Ba" encompasses all the sons born by one specific wife, and precedes the name of the mother’s tribe or subtribe. The eldest was Roble, while the youngest was Deria. The breakdown of Guled’s sons and their respective factions was as follows:
  1. Roble – The eldest
  2. Duale "Aftaag", Farah, Ali, and Abdi
  3. Jama, Yusuf, and Egal
  4. Warfa
  5. Magan "Gaabo"
  6. Gatah
  7. Deria
As soon as Sultan Guled's health declined, disputes arose over who would inherit the throne. Duale "Aftaag", a senior member of the Ba-Canbaro, quickly pushed for his faction’s control over the sultanate. Duale, a well-known elder, was the father of notable figures such as Qawdhan Duale, Nur Duale “Dhagacun”, and Mohamud Duale “Candho-eeg”.
Since Roble Guled from the Ba-Cawrala was the eldest son, he was the rightful heir. Duale from the Ba-Canbaro approached Rooble and advised his half-brother to raid and capture livestock belonging to the Ogaden so as to serve the Isaaq sultans and dignitaries who would attend his upcoming coronation, as part of a plot to discredit the would-be sultan and usurp the throne. Roble, unaware of the plot and without objection, agreed to the raid and carried it out. After the dignitaries were made aware of this fact by Duale they removed Roble from the line of succession and offered to crown Jama from the Ba-Saleban, his half brother. Magan, who was close in age to Jama, strongly pushed Jama to take the throne and prevent the powerful Ba-Canbaro from gaining too much power, however Jama promptly declined the offer and suggested that Farah from the Ba-Canbaro, Duale's full brother and son of Guled's fourth wife Ambaro Me'ad Gadid be crowned. The Isaaq subsequently crowned Farah. Feeling betrayed, Magan left in anger.

Sultan Farah's death

After Farah’s coronation, Magan attacked Duale from the Ba-Canbaro, stabbing him with a spear and leaving him wounded. Angered by the betrayal, Magan left his clan and sought refuge among the Ishaq 'Arre, a subclan of the Habr Yunis. He and his followers settled near the Hamas well, along with four descendants of the Ishaq 'Arre.
Years later, Sultan Farah remained on the throne. During this time, he married an Ogaden woman, who later gave birth to Hure Suldan and Warfaa Suldaan—future leaders of the Ba-Ogaadeen subclan. While traveling with an Ogaden caravan near Berbera, Sultan Farah was spotted by Magan, who still held a grudge. Magan alerted the Ishaq 'Arre warriors and urged them to attack the caravan. During the raid, the Ishaq 'Arre fighters discovered that Sultan Fatah was among the travelers. Initially, they hesitated, but Magan taunted their leader Dul-Guduud, accusing him of cowardice. Enraged, Dul-Guduud threw a spear that fatally struck Sultan Farah, killing him on the spot, with his grave remaining in Hamas to this day.

Early European Conflict

With the new European incursion into the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa contact between Somalis and Europeans on African soil would happen again for the first time since the Ethiopian–Adal war. When a British vessel named the Mary Anne attempted to dock in Berbera's port in 1825 it was attacked and multiple members of the crew were massacred by the Garhajis. In response the Royal Navy enforced a blockade and some accounts narrate a bombardment of the city. In 1827 two years later the British arrived and extended an offer to relieve the blockade which had halted Berbera's lucrative trade in exchange for indemnity. Following this initial suggestion the Battle of Berbera 1827 would break out. After the Isaaq defeat, 15,000 Spanish dollars was to be paid by the Isaaq Sultanate leaders for the destruction of the ship and loss of life. In the 1820s Sultan Farah Sultan Guled of the Isaaq Sultanate penned a letter to Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah requesting military assistance and joint religious war against the British. This would not materialize as Sultan Saqr was incapacitated by prior Persian Gulf campaign of 1819 and was unable to send aid to Berbera. Alongside their stronghold in the Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman the Qasimi were very active both militarily and economically in the Gulf of Aden and were given to plunder and attack ships as far west as the Mocha on the Red Sea. They had numerous commercial ties with the Somalis, leading vessels from Ras Al Khaimah and the Persian Gulf to regularly attend trade fairs in the large ports of Berbera and Zeila and were very familiar with the Isaaq Sultanate respectively.
Atack on Lieutenant Richard Burton and The Blockade of Berbera
In April 1855, explorer Lieutenant Richard Burton had set out on his search for the source of the Nile and was encamped near Berbera. On 19 April, his camp was attacked and plundered. In response, British forces blockaded the port city of Berbera in the Isaaq Sultanate from 1855 to 1856. It was the second British military action against the city after the 1827 attack on Berbera.
The blockade ceased on 9 November 1856 following a treaty that was signed between the British East India Company and the Sheikhs of the Habr Awal, Ishaaq. This was signed in the presence of Captain H. L. Playfair, the assistant political resident in Aden. This treaty's six articles secured the economic and commercial interests of both parties. However, it debarred the 'Isa Musa clan family and their goods from Aden due to their refusal to hand over the main assailant of the attack, Ou Ali. The 'Isa Musa did not engage in the treaty themselves.

Berbera Civil War

One of the most important settlements of the Sultanate was the city of Berbera which was one of the key ports of the Gulf of Aden. Caravans would pass through Hargeisa and the Sultan would collect tribute and taxes from traders before they would be allowed to continue onwards to the coast. Following a massive conflict between the Ayal Ahmed and Ayal Yunis branches of the Habr Awal over who would control Berbera in the mid-1840s, Sultan Hassan brought both subclans before a holy relic from the tomb of Aw Barkhadle. An item that is said to have belonged to Bilal Ibn Rabah.
When any grave question arises affecting the interests of the Isaakh tribe in general. On a paper yet carefully preserved in the tomb, and bearing the sign-manual of Belat , the slave of one the early khaleefehs, fresh oaths of lasting friendship and lasting alliances are made...In the season of 1846 this relic was brought to Berbera in charge of the Haber Gerhajis, and on it the rival tribes of Aial Ahmed and Aial Yunus swore to bury all animosity and live as brethren.
Despite this resolution, control of Berbera later passed to the ambitious Isaaq merchant and politician Sharmarke Ali Saleh, who would eventually become governor and emir of Zeila and berbera on behalf of Sultan Hassan Sultan Farah.