Early
Ge'ez and
Portuguese texts indicate Muslim soldiers were known as the Malassay. In the thirteenth century the Malassay appear to back the
Amhara rebel
Yekuno Amlak in his conflict with the
Zagwe dynasty. Historians have identified the
Gafat regiments of the Malassay played a key role in founding the Christian
Solomonic dynasty.
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi was originally a Malassay serving under a
Garad named
Abun Adashe prior to becoming leader of the Adal Sultanate. In the sixteenth century the main troops of Adal Sultanate's leader Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi were the Malassay during the
Ethiopian-Adal war. According to
Mohammed Hassen the Malassay under Ahmed consisted of the
Harla and
Harari ethnic groups. Emperor
Lebna Dengel chronicles states the Malassay alongside
Qecchin were the Muslim enemy that invaded. A few notable Malassay were Amir Husain bin Abubaker the
Gaturi and Alus the
Hegano of
Sim during Adal's conflict with the
Abyssinians. According to sixteenth century Adal writer
Arab Faqīh, the Malassay participated in the conquest of
Abyssinia at the decisive
Battle of Shimbra Kure. Ethiopian historian
Merid Wolde Aregay has connected the Harari people, who are Semitic speakers of the Harar region, to the Malassay Adalite mounted troops that played a key role in the battle at Shimbre Kure. In the reign of Emperor
Sarsa Dengel, the
Hadiya Kingdom was supported by 500 Malassay donning
cuirass who had arrived from
Harar territory to battle Ethiopia. Sarsa Dengel chronicles mentions Malassay rebels of Elmag (an unidentified group) and the
Somali under their
Harari moniker
Tumur had deserted thus Manfred Kropp argues the Malassay were of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Under the seventeenth century
Emirate of Harar, the entire army was commanded by a
Garad who had several militias under him labeled the Malassay. In the contemporary era, the term Malassay survives as a subgroup of the Harari people. According to Umar, Malga-Gello the forefather of the
Siltʼe people's clan Ulbareg was a captain of the Malassay. ==Places==