kingdom · Horn and East Africa

Kingdom of Gomma

1800 CE – 1886 CE (approx.)

One of the five Oromo kingdoms of the Gibe region in south-western Ethiopia, noted as an early centre of Islam among the Oromo.

Origins

Gomma emerged around 1800 in the upper Didessa and Gibe valleys, one of the monarchies formed as Oromo settlers of the region replaced the egalitarian gadaa system with hereditary kingship. It bordered the Kingdom of Jimma, Limmu-Ennarea, the Kingdom of Gumma and the Kingdom of Gera.

Rule and society

Its kings ruled through officials and governors in the manner of the other Gibe states, and its people farmed and grew coffee in the fertile valleys. Gomma was among the first Gibe states to adopt Islam, and Muslim scholars and traders from the north were active there. It took part in the trade in coffee, ivory and slaves.

Decline and legacy

Weakened by wars with its neighbours, Gomma was conquered by the forces of Menelik II and annexed to the Ethiopian Empire in 1886.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

More states of Horn and East Africa →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Gomma. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-gomma
MLA
“Kingdom of Gomma.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-gomma. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Gomma.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-gomma.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Gomma’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-gomma (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻