Battle of Gomit

The Battle of Gomit[1] was fought in 1445 between the Ethiopian Empire and a powerful Muslim army under the Adal Sultanate. The Ethiopians were led by Emperor Zara Yaqob, while the forces of Adal were led by Sultan Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din. The Ethiopian army was victorious, and Badlay was slain.[2] After dismembering the Adal sultan's body and plundering his treasures, the Emperor of Ethiopia decided not to conquer the Adalites, believing they were outside of the Christian boundary and shouldn't be included in his kingdom. However historian Hassan states Adal's powerful counter attacks persuaded Ethiopian monarch from attempting to occupy the state.[3]

Battle of Gomit
Date25 December 1445
(577 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Dawaro, Ethiopian Empire
Result Ethiopian victory
Belligerents
Ethiopian Empire Adal Sultanate
Commanders and leaders
Zara Yaqob Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din †
Strength
1,500 men 20,000 men
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

Battle

Badlay first invaded the Ethiopian province of Dawaro in 1443, and again in 1445, but while in Dago, the Emperor Zara Yaqob received news that the Sultan Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din had embarked on a war against him. He then marched south with the army of his vassal Hassab Bawassan.[4]

Garad Mohammed, the governor of Hadiya Province and the emperor's father in-law, offered his help to both the sultan and the emperor. The emperor, who suspected the Garad of desertion due to his Muslim faith, ordered him to camp near Ayfars while the trusting sultan was deceived.[5]

Early in the battle, an Abyssinian soldier shot an arrow at the face of Sultan Badlay, who caught it in his hand, and then rushed up to the Sultan intending to seize him. As he came on the Sultan, he then drove his sword through his neck and cut his throat, and Badlay fell dead. When the Muslims saw that Badlay was dead, they took to flight, but were pursued by the Abyssinians who speared them and cut them down as they ran. Among the dead was also the Sultan's brother who's head was sent to the Emperor.[6]

References
  1. http://www.kruk.ayz.pl/cesarstwo/Historia1.html (Polish)
  2. J. Spencer Trimingham, Islam in Ethiopia (Oxford: Geoffrey Cumberlege for the University Press, 1952), p. 75. https://zelalemkibret.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/islam-in-ethiopia-j-spencer-trimingham.pdf
  3. Hassen, Mohammed. Oromo of Ethiopia with special emphasis on the Gibe region (PDF). University of London. p. 22.
  4. E.A Wallis Budge, A history of Ethiopia, pp.307 https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.499166/page/n392/mode/1up
  5. E.A Wallis Budge, A history of Ethiopia, pp.308 https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.499166/page/n393/mode/1up
  6. E.A Wallis Budge, A history of Ethiopia, pp.307 https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.499166/page/n392/mode/1up

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