Ifat (historical region)

[6] In the fourteenth century Al Umari mentioned seven cities or domains within Ifat: Biqulzar, Adal, Shewa, Kwelgora, Shimi, Jamme and Laboo.

[7] Ifat designated the Muslim dominated portion of Shewa in Abyssinia according to post seventeenth century Harari texts, its territory extended from the Shewan uplands east, towards the Awash River.

[12][13] In 1328 during Emperor Amda Seyon of Ethiopia's crusades, the territory of Ifat was invaded and incorporated into his empire after defeating its sultan Haqq ad-Din I's forces in battle.

[20] According to Ayele Tariku, in the mid-1400s emperor Zara Yaqob assigned a military battalion in Ifat region following his successful defence of the frontier from the attacks of Adal Sultanate.

[29] French writer Élisée Reclus in 1890 describes the fate of the initial inhabitants and dwellings of Ifat:[30] As in Abyssinia properly so-called, the Shoa Mahommedans have been forcibly converted.

They were formerly very numerous, and the name of Jiberti, by which they are known throughout Abyssinia, is a reminiscence of their holy city of Jabarta in Ifat, which has since disappeared.In 1896 rebel leader of Ifat, Talha Jafar led a revolt with the support of local Afar, Oromo, Argobba, Warjih and Amhara Muslims in the region, he had also made attempts to reach out to the ruler of Sudan known as the "Khalifah al-Mahdi", this forced Menelik now emperor of Ethiopia to send an army to confront the insurgents.

In Asbari and Nora most of the housing were grouped around two large stone mosques, their access was enclosed by walls and a hydrographic system, marked by slight depressions sloping into a thalweg.

[43] Medieval Arabic texts indicate Ethiopian Semitic languages were spoken by the people of Ifat however Cerulli states these speakers were soon replaced by Afar and Somali.