Battle of Shimbra Kure

Battle of Shimbra Kure
Part of the Ethiopian–Adal War
Date9 March 1529 (9 March 1529)
Location
Dawaro, Ethiopian Empire
Result Adalite victory
Belligerents
Adal Sultanate Ethiopian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim
Matan ibn Uthman
Abubaker Qecchin
Ahmed Girri
Garad Hirabu		 Dawit II
Za Wengēl †
Robēl  †
Aqbā
Mikā’īl †
Jūhar  †
Mendel  †
Jān Balaw Rās  †
Zamanjān  †
‘Amdu  †
Wajāmū  † [1]
Strength
12,560 men
(per Arab Faqīh)[2]		 216,000+ men
(per Arab Faqīh)[3]
Casualties and losses
5,000 men 10,000 archers, 600 Horses, 114 Patricians and an uncountable amount of infantry.[4]

The Battle of Shimbra Kure was fought on 9 March 1529[5][6] between the forces of Adal led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, and the Abyssinian army, under Dawit II (Lebna Dengel). It was the first major battle of the Ethiopian–Adal War.

Arab Faqīh states numerous Somalis on the left flank fled while the Abyssinians pursued killing a large number of their men, but the Harla on the right flank held their ground.[7] According to Merid Wolde Aregay, the Harari cavalry or the Malassay in the center with support from the Arab mounted troops shifted the momentum in favor of the Adalites.[8][9] The army of Imam Ahmad prevailed, and were in control of the field at the end of the battle. Abyssinians suffered heavy casualties.[10]

Despite this success, and despite his desire to capture and hold the Emperor's palace at Badeqe, Imam Ahmad, in part also to appease his restive men, withdrew from the highlands and did not return to directly engage the Ethiopian army for two years.[11] Enrico Cerulli asserts that following the battle, the Harari troops refused to carry out Imam Ahmad's orders to subjugate Abyssinia, stating that doing so would defy the tradition of their ancestors. According to Cerulli, the Harari aristocracy dreaded the potential consequences of the Muslim base relocating to Abyssinia.[12]

  1. ^ Cited in Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia, translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), p. 84
  2. ^ Hassan, Mohammed. Oromo of Ethiopia 1500 (PDF). University of London. p. 35.
  3. ^ Cited in Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia, translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), p. 78
  4. ^ Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia, translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003),p. 85
  5. ^ "Battle of Shimbra Kure". HistorySack. 2022-01-11. Archived from the original on 2021-05-12.
  6. ^ "Battle of Shimbra Kure". frontend. Retrieved 2022-01-11. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)[dead link‍]
  7. ^ bin 'Abd al-Qader arabfaqīh, Sihab ad-Din (30 January 2005). Futuh al-Habasha: The conquest of Ethiopia translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse. Tsehai Pub and Distributors. pp. 81–82. ISBN 0972317252.
  8. ^ Aregay, Merid (1980). "A Reappraisal of the Impact of Firearms in the History of Warfare in Ethiopia (C. 1500-1800)". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 14: 109. JSTOR 41965889.
  9. ^ Hassen, Mohammed. Reviewed Work: Futuh Al-Habaša: The Conquest of Abyssinia [16th Century] by Šihab ad-Din Ahmad bin Abd al-Qader bin Salem bin Utman. Tsehai Publishers. p. 188. JSTOR 27828848.
  10. ^ Marcus, Harold (22 February 2002). A history of Ethiopia. University of California Press. p. 32. ISBN 9780520224797.
  11. ^ Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia, translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003),p. 86
  12. ^ Cerulli, Enrico. Islam Yesterday and Today translated by Emran Waber. pp. 376–381.