The Medieval site of Dameraqad (Somaliland)

The site of Dameraqad is located at Somaliland (at its

western border, abutting Ethiopia), scattered along

12 hectares of a still used pass, following up the river Abasa to the southeast and, less than 50 kilometres

away from the better-known site with the same name

(González-Ruibal et al. 2015-2016; González-Ruibal

et al. 2017; de Torres et al. 2018b: 69) (Figure 1). The

site is located in what was once the core area of the

political control of the Sultanate of Adal. The chronology proposed for the site (based on the archaeological materials found) is between the thirteenth and the

sixteenth centuries, coinciding with the chronology of

this sultanate (de Torres et al. 2018b: 72). The historical development of this sultanate has been the subject

of many studies, but it is generally believed to be an

‘heir’ of the Sultanate of Ifat when it fell in 1415 AD.

Adal collapsed around 1573 AD due to several factors,

including Oromo migrations, military defeats against

the Ethiopian Empire and Portuguese colonisers, and

the death of Ahmed Gran, leader of the jihad against

Ethiopian Christian forces (Braukämper 1977: 31-38).

Medieval. Horn of Africa. Mosque. Islam.