and his men in the thirteenth century. Islam was first introduced to the area early on from the
Arabian Peninsula, shortly after the
Hijrah. Zeila's two-
mihrab Masjid al-Qiblatayn dates to the 7th century, and is one of the oldest
mosques in the world. The earliest reference to Adal was following the collapse of the
Makhzumi dynasty in July 1288 when '
Ali Baziyu led a campaign in Adal and
Mora which was concluded by the killing of the lords of Adal and
Mora, the victorious Sultan then annexed Adal and Mora to his Kingdom. Adal is also mentioned by
Marco Polo in 1295 as a state continuously in conflict with Abyssinia. Ongoing religious tensions and occasional military clashes were a feature of the relationship between the
Muslims and their Christian neighbours. Marco Polo, recounted the story of an Ethiopian
bishop who was abducted by an Islamic leader, presumably the Sultan of Ifat at Zeila, while travelling home from
Jerusalem, and forcibly circumcised in accordance with Islamic custom before being released back to Ethiopia. According to fourteenth century
Arab historian
Al Umari, Adal was one of the founding regions of the
Ifat Sultanate alongside
Biqulzar, Shewa,
Kwelgora, Shimi, Jamme and Laboo. Its also mentioned by
al-Maqrizi as an important region in this era. In the fourteenth century Emperor
Amda Seyon of Ethiopia battled against Adal leader Imam
Salih who allied with
Jamal ad-Din I of Ifat. In the late fourteenth century rebel leaders of Ifat
Haqq ad-Din II and
Sa'ad ad-Din II relocated their base to the Harari plateau in Adal forming a new Sultanate at
Dakkar. This new
Adal Sultanate encompassed the modern city of
Harar. According to
Arabic texts Coffee was introduced into
Arabia by the
Arab brother in-law of Sa'ad ad-Din II, Ali bin Omar al-
Shadhili which he became familiar with during his brief stay in Adal. According to
Harari tradition numerous
Argobba people had fled Ifat and settled around Harar in the Aw Abdal lowlands during their conflict with Abyssinia in the fifteenth century, a gate was thus named after them called the
gate of Argobba. city erected during the reign of Emir
Nur ibn Mujahid According to
Enrico Cerulli, local discontent for the
Walasma dynasty of Ifat which occupied Adal region led to the rise of
Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi in the sixteenth century. Up until the end of the sixteenth century, the rulers of Adal were in a raging conflict with the leaders of neighboring Christian state of
Ethiopian Empire. In the ensuing
Oromo invasions, Adal split into two states, the
Aussa Sultanate of Adal and
Harar Emirate of Adal, the latter surviving up until the nineteenth century. The
French writer
Pierre d’Avity stated in the 17th century that Harar was the chief town of the region, and was located in the ninth degree of altitude; he further described the region as having a perimeter of about six hundred and seventy-two
leagues. Later in the eighteenth century
Scottish travelor
James Bruce gives a description of Adal: {{Blockquote Adal had friendly trade relations with Abyssinia during the reign of
Sahle Selassie in early 1840s which led to a delegate from Harar referred to as "Abdal Wanag" (lion of Adal) administrating the Abyssinian town of
Aliyu Amba. Nineteenth century
French trader Charles-Xavier Rochet d'Héricourt remarked that
Harar, the principal town of Adal, a region predominantly populated by
Somalis was the most significant trading route, as it connected
Ifat with the port city of
Berbera. In 1842 British traveler
Charles Johnston described
Harar as the last city of Adal. Adal state would be annexed by Ethiopia in the late 1800s during
Menelik II's invasion after the
Battle of Chelenqo. In the 1900s, the designated emperor of Ethiopia,
Lij Iyasu, entered into marriage alliances with the peoples of Adal. He married the daughter of a Somali noble, the daughter of an Afar descended from
Abubakr Ibrahim Chehem, the governor of
Ottoman Zeila, and the daughter of
Abdullahi Sadiq, a
Harari aristocrat. ==Inhabitants==