Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin Abd al-Qader's account of the early sixteenth century jihad, or holy war, in Ethiopia, of Imam Ahmad bin Ibrahim, better known as Ahmad Gran or the Left Handed, is a historical classic. The Yamani author was an eyewitness of several of the battles he describes and is an invaluable source. His book, which is full of human, and at times tragic drama, makes a major contribution to our knowledge of a crucially important period in the history of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.

Futuh al-Habasa, or 'Conquest of Abyssinia' undoubtedly reflects the situation as it seemed to its Yamani author at the time of its composition. The forces of Imam Ahmad bin Ibrahim had occupied the greater part of Ethiopia. The resistance of Emperor Lebna Dengel had virtually come to an end, and many Christians had chosen to convert to Islam. The victorious Imam's regime seemed there to stay.

This was, however, far from the end of the story. The Imam was killed in battle on February 21, 1543, whereupon his army almost immediately disintegrated. Those of his soldiers who could do so made their way back to the East. Not a few Muslim converts reverted to their former faith.

The Futuh thus refers to a relatively short, though crucially important, period in Ethiopia's long history. The book is nevertheless valuable, in that its author was an eyewitness of many of the events he describes, and writes with a degree of objectivity rare for his time.

Formato	Tapa suave
Número de Páginas	444
Lenguaje	Inglés
Editorial	Tsehai Publishers
Fecha de Publicación	2005-01-25
Dimensiones	8.9" x 5.9" x 1.1" pulgadas
Letra Grande	No
Con Ilustraciones	No
Temas	Africano

Stenhouse, Paul Lester

Paul Lester Stenhouse is a Catholic priest and a member of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Issoudun, France. He has spent all his priestly life as a journalist. A foundation member of the Council of the Societe d'Etudes Samaritaines, he has translated into English the Kitab al-Tarik of the 14th Century Samaritan Priest Abu l-Fath and is the author of a number of monographs on Middle Arabic Grammar and various aspects of Samaritan history, chronology and religion. He writes extensively on Middle Eastern politics and history. His special interest over the past twenty years has been Lebanon/Syria and the Balkans.