The Mudaito dynasty ( Modaytó dynasty) is the ruling dynasty of the Sultanate of Aussa (Sultanate of Awsa) in Ethiopia. It was founded by the Asaihemara Modaito clan of the Afars who came from the La'o and Doobi areas.
History
The Sultanate of Aussa (Afar Sultanate) succeeded the earlier Imamate of Aussa. The latter polity had come into existence in 1577, when
Muhammad Gasa moved his capital from
Harar to Aussa (
Asaita) with the split of the
Adal Sultanate into the Imamate of Aussa and Emirate of Harar. At some point after 1672, Aussa declined and temporarily came to an end in conjunction with Imam Umar Din bin Adam's recorded ascension to the throne.
[Mordechai Abir, The era of the princes: the challenge of Islam and the re-unification of the Christian empire, 1769–1855 (London: Longmans, 1968) p. 23 n. 1.] On 26 September 1725, the Mudaito Afars and their
Harla allies invaded Aussa from the North-east Eli Da'ar and central-west of Andhar Kalu and burnt the state of Awsa.
[Almanhal p. 447 ስለ ሞዳይቶ] They began Modaito expansion through Dobi and Kalo by ransacking Adali settlements. The following month they defeated Imam Salman's soldiers, killing 200 Imamate soldiers.
[AlManhal ስለ ሞዳይቶ p. 447] By 1734, Kedafo prevailed as Amoyta over the imamate and established the Mudaito dynasty. The primary symbol of the
sultan was a silver baton, which was considered to have magical properties.
[J. Spencer Trimingham, Islam in Ethiopia (Oxford: Geoffrey Cumberlege for the University Press, 1952), p. 262.]
In June 1764, the Mudaito extended their area of control by overpowering Imamate tribes in and around Awsa.[Almanhal p. 450] In July 1809, Amir Mahammad bin A'as Ali confronted the Mudaito to avenge his father's killing in Awsa but failed.[Almanhal p. 450] In the following years, The Mudaito unleashed heavy blows against the pro-Imamate warriors of Adali Debne We'ima when the powerful Adals tried to halt Mudaito advance.[Almanhal Dr Hashim p. 451] In 1814, the Mudaito invaded Tadjourah, the capital of Adali Dardars, killing Adali rulers and destroying homes. This shaped the power struggle in Afar history in favour of Mudaito's rule which allowed the expansion of Mudaito's Awsa Sultanate lasting up until the colonial reorganisation in 1936.[AlManhal Taarikh AL Afar pp. 446 – 458]
Rulers
The following is a list of Mudaito dynasty rulers (
Amoyta).
See also
Notes
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Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 1, article on Afar literature
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Didier Morin, Dictionnaire historique des Afar, 2003
