Dahlak Sultanate | |||||||||
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960–1557 | |||||||||
Capital | Dahlak Kebir | ||||||||
Common languages | Arabic, Dahalik | ||||||||
Religion | Islam | ||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
Sultan | |||||||||
• ?-1093 | Mubarak | ||||||||
• ?-14?? | Ismail | ||||||||
• ?-1540 | Ahmad (last known sultan) | ||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Established | 960 | ||||||||
• Tributary of the Ethiopian Empire | 1464/65 | ||||||||
• Annexed by the Ottomans | 1557 | ||||||||
Currency | Dinar | ||||||||
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Today part of | Eritrea |
The Sultanate of Dahlak was a small medieval kingdom covering the Dahlak Archipelago and parts of the Eritrean coast. First attested in 1093, it quickly profited from its strategic trading location, gaining heavily from being near to Yemen as well as Egypt and India. After the mid 13th century Dahlak lost its trade monopoly and subsequently started to decline. Both the Ethiopian empire and Yemen tried to enforce their authority over the sultanate. It was eventually annexed by the Ottomans in 1557, who made it part of the Habesh Eyalet.