Harla people

The Harla, also known as Harla Koombe, Harala and Arla,^[1] were an ethnic group that inhabited Ethiopia and Somalia. They spoke the now extinct Harla language, which belonged to either the Cushitic^[2] or Semitic branches of the Afroasiatic family.^[3][4] There are existing books like that called "Kitaab al-Faraa'id" meaning "The Book of Obligations" in old Harari written roughly 500 years ago, literature when Hararis were referred to as "Harla" at that time as attested to in the famous book "Conquest of Abyssinia." They are believed to be ancestors of the Harari and Somali people.^[5]

History

The Harla are credited by the present-day inhabitants of Hararghe with having constructed various historical sites found in the province. Although now mostly lying in ruins, these structures include stone necropoleis, store pits, mosques and houses. According to the scholars Azais, Chambard and Huntingford, the builders of these monumental edifices were ancestral to the Somalis ("proto-Somali"). Tradition states one of Harla's main towns was Metehara and the area between Harar and Dire Dawa is still referred to as Harla.^[6] The Harla were of Hamitic ancestral stock, and were of tall stature. They inhabited Tchertcher and various other areas in the Horn, where they erected various tumuli.^[1] Sixteenth century saw Oromo's invading regions of Somalia from the northern areas of Hargeisa to its southern portions such as Lower Juba, incorporating the Harla people.^[7] In 1893 British led expeditions, came across an ancient town in Nugaal Valley Somalia, the local Dhulbahante tribe alleged the Harla had lived in the area before the Oromo invasions.^[8]

Field research by Enrico Cerulli identified a modern group called the "Harla" living amongst the Somali in the region between the cities of Harar and Jijiga. Encyclopaedia Aethiopica suggests that this population "may be a remnant group of the old [Harla], that integrated into the Somali genealogical system, but kept a partially separate identity by developing a language of their own." Cerulli published some data on this Harla community's language, called af Harlaad, which resembled the Somali languages spoken by the Yibir and Madhiban low-caste groups.^[2] According to folklore, the Harla reportedly had a queen named Arawelo, who ruled much of the eastern parts of the Horn of Africa. In Zeila a clan called Harla claims to be related to the ancient people. Locals in Zeila also attested that the old town of Amoud was built by the Harla.^[9]

The influx of Arab immigrants such as Abadir into Harla territory would lead to the development of the town of Harar known then as Ge.^[10] Harar would become the leading center of Islam in the Horn of Africa.^[11] According to Ethiopian accounts, in the 14th century, the Harla battled against the forces of emperor Amda Seyon I in what is now North Somalia.^[12] The Harari people are considered to be the closest remaining link to the Harla people. The Harla tribe's disappearance could have been due to the Abyssinian–Adal war in the sixteenth century, destitution, or assimilation by invading Oromos and Somalis.^[13] Strong evidence suggests that during the Great Oromo Migrations, the remaining Harla retreated behind the walls of Harar and were able to survive culturally.^[14] In 2017, a Harla town that produced jewelry was discovered by archaeologists. The architecture of a mosque found, affirmed Harla had ties with Islamic centers in Tanzania and Somalia.^[15]

Religion

In terms of religious beliefs, the Harla practiced a pre-Islamic religion until around the 10th or 11th century. This marks the period during which the early leader Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti is believed to have introduced Islam into the community.^[16]

Notable Harlans

• Mahfuz, Imam and General of the Adal Sultanate

See also

• Harar
• Hargeisa
• Zeila
• Zay people
• Gurage people

References

Works cited

• Braukämper, Ulrich (2002). Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia: Collected Essays. LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 978-3-8258-5671-7. 
• Gebissa, Ezekiel (2004). Leaf of Allah: Khat & Agricultural Transformation in Harerge, Ethiopia 1875-1991. Ohio State University Press. ISBN 978-0-85255-480-7. 
• Pankhurst, Richard (1997). The Ethiopian Borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century. The Red Sea Press. ISBN 978-0-932415-19-6. 
• Uhlig, Siegbert (2003). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha. Isd. ISBN 978-3-447-05238-2. 
• Beyene, Taddese; Pankhurst, Richard; Zewde, Bahru (1994). Proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference of Ethiopian Studies: Addis Ababa, April 1-6 1991. 2. Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University.