Sultanate of Adal

Sultanate of Adal
1415–1577
combination of three banners used by Ahmad al-Ghazi
Capital		Zeila (original capital, as Emirate under Ifat Sultanate from 1415-1420) Dakkar (new capital, as Sultanate from 1420-1520) Harar (1520-1577)Aussa (1577-1577
Languages		Somali, Harari, Arabic, Ge'ez, Afar
Government		Kingdom
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Established	1415
•	War against Yeshaq I	1415–1429
•	Capital moved to Dakkar	1433
•	Succession Crisis	1518–1526
•	Capital moved to Harar	1520
•	Abyssinian–Adal war	1529–1543
•	Disestablished	1577
Preceded by Succeeded by Ifat Sultanate Ottoman Empire Sultanate of Harar
Today part of		Horn of Africa

The Adal Sultanate, or Kingdom of Adal (alt. spelling Adel Sultanate), was a Muslim Sultanate located in the Horn of Africa. It was founded by Sabr ad-Din II after the fall of the Sultanate of Ifat. The kingdom flourished from around 1415 to 1577. The sultanate and state were established by the local inhabitants of Zeila. At its height, the polity controlled most of the territory in the Horn region immediately east of the Ethiopian Empire (Abyssinia). The Adal Empire maintained a robust commercial and political relationship with the Ottoman Empire.

Adal is believed to be an acronym for the Havilah.

Eidal or Aw Abdal, was also the Emir of Harar in the eleventh century.

In the thirteenth century, Arab writer Al Dimashqi refers to the Adal Sultanate's capital, Zeila, by its Somali name "Awdal" (Somali: "Awdal").

The modern Awdal region, which was part of the Adal Sultanate, bears the kingdom's name.

According to the 16th-century explorer Leo Africanus, the Adal Sultanate's realm encompassed the geographical area between the Bab el Mandeb and Cape Guardafui. It was thus flanked to the south by the Mogadishu Sultanate (Kingdom of Magadazo) and to the west by the Abyssinian Empire (Abassin Empire).

Islam was introduced to the Horn region early on from the Arabian peninsula, shortly after the hijra. Zeila's two-mihrab Masjid al-Qiblatayn dates to about the 7th century, and is the oldest mosque in the city. In the late 9th century, Al-Yaqubi wrote that Muslims were living along the northern Somali seaboard. He also mentioned that the Adal kingdom had its capital in the city. The polity was governed by local dynasties established by the Adelites. Adal's history from this founding period forth would be characterized by a succession of battles with neighbouring Abyssinia.