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Ifat Sultanate

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1275–1415 Muslim state in the Horn of Africa

Key facts

Capital
Wafāt (1275–1387) Zeila (1387–1403)
Official languages
Arabic
Common languages
Harari / Harla Somali Argobba Afar
Religion
Sunni Islam ( state )
Government
Monarchy
1185 1228 first
Umar Walasma
1376 1403 last
Sa'ad ad-Din II
Total
120,000 km (46,000 sq mi)
Currency
Dinar and Dirham

via Wikipedia infobox

~22 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Today part ofDjibouti Ethiopia Somalia (de jure) ∟ Somaliland (de facto)

The Sultanate of Ifat, known as Wafāt or Awfāt in Arabic texts, or the Kingdom of Zeila was a medieval Sunni Muslim state in the eastern regions of the Horn of Africa between the late 13th century and early 15th century. It was formed in present-day Ethiopia around eastern Shewa in Ifat. Led by the Walashma dynasty, the polity stretched from Zequalla to the port city of Zeila. The kingdom ruled over parts of what are now Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somaliland, Somalia.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ifat Sultanate” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.