Battle of Shimbra Kure

The Battle of Shimbra Kure ("chickpea swamp") was fought on 9 March 1529[4][5] between the forces of Adal led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, and the Abyssinian army, under Dawit II (Lebna Dengel).

Battle of Shimbra Kure
Part of the Ethiopian–Adal War
Date9 March 1529 (9 March 1529)
Location
Dawaro, Ethiopian Empire
Result Adal victory
Belligerents
Adal Sultanate Ethiopian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi Dawit II
Strength
12,000 men
(per Arab Faqīh)[1]		 ~200,000+ men
(per Arab Faqīh)[2]
(exaggerated)[3]

Arab Faqīh states numerous Somalis on the left flank deserted excluding their leader Matan ibn Uthman while the Abyssinians pursued killing a large number of their men, but the Harla on the right flank held their ground.[6] According to Merid Wolde Aregay, the Harari cavalry or the Malassay in the center with support from the Arab cuirassiers (a type of armoured, pistol-carrying cavalry) shifted the momentum in favor of the Adalites.[7][8] The army of Imam Ahmad prevailed, and were in control of the field at the end of the battle. Abyssinians suffered heavy casualties.[9]

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.[10] 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.[11]

Some academics, such as Richard Pankhurst, attributes Imam Ahmad's success to the presence amongst his followers of an elite company of matchlockmen. If this is the case, then this battle was the first time Ethiopian forces had to fight against a force equipped with firearms.[12]

References
  1. Hassan, Mohammed. Oromo of Ethiopia 1500 (PDF). University of London. p. 35.
  2. 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
  3. Aregay, Merid W. (1980). "A REAPPRAISAL OF THE IMPACT OF FIREARMS IN THE HISTORY OF WARFARE IN ETHIOPIA (C. 1500-1800)". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 14: 102. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  4. "Battle of Shimbra Kure". HistorySack. 2022-01-11. Archived from the original on 2021-05-12.
  5. "Battle of Shimbra Kure". frontend. Retrieved 2022-01-11. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  6. 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. p. 81-82. ISBN 0972317252.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Marcus, Harold (22 February 2002). A history of Ethiopia. University of California Press. p. 32. ISBN 9780520224797.
  10. 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
  11. Cerulli, Enrico. Islam Yesterday and Today translated by Emran Waber. pp. 376–381.
  12. Pankhurst, Borderlands, p. 168

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