Kingdom of Ennarea

Origins

Ennarea emerged by the 14th century among the Gonga-speaking peoples of the Gibe region, related to the people of the Kingdom of Kaffa. Ethiopian chronicles record it as a tributary land from the 15th century, valued as the main source of the gold and civet that reached the highlands and the Red Sea.

Rule and society

Ennarea was ruled by a sacred king who traded gold, ivory, slaves and coffee northward. Its rulers paid tribute in gold to the Ethiopian Empire, and in the late 16th century, under Emperor Sarsa Dengel, its king and court were baptised. Portuguese Jesuits passed through in the early 17th century, describing it as a major market.

Decline and legacy

Cut off from the highlands by the Oromo migrations, Ennarea was gradually overrun, and in the early 18th century its old dynasty fled south to Kaffa. Oromo rulers later founded Limmu-Ennarea on its former territory.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.