The Mountain and the Gate

How did a single strategic choice upon arrival in the Horn of Africa create a millennium-long power struggle between the land-integrating Makhzumids and the lineage-focused Alids?

The history of Islamic polities in the Horn of Africa was defined by a fundamental divergence in strategy between two clans from Mecca: the Makhzumids and the Alids. The Makhzumids, pragmatic merchant princes, chose the “mountains,” integrating deeply with local highland societies through marriage alliances and hybrid governance to establish the Sultanate of Shewa. Their power was rooted in the soil, controlling the production of gold, ivory, and agriculture. In stark cont...