Gidaya
Historic state in modern Ethiopia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gidaya (Harari: ጊዳየ Gidāyä; Somali: Gidaaya), also known as Gedaya or Jidaya was a historical Muslim state located around present-day eastern Ethiopia.[1][2][3][4] The state was positioned on the Harar plateau and a district of Adal region alongside Hargaya and Hubat polities.[5][6][7][8] It neighbored other states in the medieval era including Ifat, Mora, Hadiya, Fatagar, Biqulzar, Fedis and Kwelgora.[9][10]
History
According to Dr. Lapiso Gedelebo, Gidaya was one of the Islamic states that had developed in the Horn of Africa from the ninth to fourteenth centuries.[11] The people of Gidaya were reportedly a sub clan of the Harla people.[12] The earliest mention of Gidaya state is during its conflict with the Makhzumi dynasty in 1266.[13] In the thirteenth century the Arab writer al-Mufaḍḍal mentions the king of Gidaya was named Yûsuf ibn Arsamâyah.[14]
In 1285 Walasma dynasty crushed a rebellion led by Gidaya which allied with Shewa to revive the Makhzumi state.[15] In the fourteenth century it was under the Ifat Sultanate and later the Adal Sultanate with its leader known as the Garad.[16]
According to sixteenth century Adal writer Arab Faqīh, the people of Gidaya were part of the army of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi during the Ethiopian-Adal war.[17][18] Ulrich Braukamper suggests that Gidaya may be linked to the Giri clan, which comprises a diverse population of Somali and Oromo descent referenced in the Futuh al-Habasha. This group currently resides in the vicinity of Jigjiga, which is believed to be the historical site of the Gidaya state.[19] Historian Amelie Chekroun however states Gidaya people in the Futuh al-Habasha text were presented as an independent group not associated with Somalis.[20]
Towns within Gidaya and other states such as Sim were reportedly surrounded by ramparts by the late sixteenth century.[21] The name Gidaya still exists as a surname in Harar, and according to researcher Mahdi Gadid, Gidaya state was primarily inhabited by Harari people before being assimilated by the Oromo and Somali people.[22][23] Historian Merid Wolde Aregay deduced that the Gidaya state language was Harari.[24] According to Harari records Gidaya state collapsed due to the Oromo migrations and famine.[25]