Do you think earlier Turkish conquest of Egypt would spur the European powers to look for alternative route to India faster ITTL?
How much did the Turkish conquest increase the restrictions on trade of Indian goods with Europeans compared to how it was with egypt under Mamluk control? In OTL the Portuguese rounded cape horn even before the Ottomans took egypt, because an opportunity to stuck it to the mohammedan heathens (and get goods without paying for middlemen's markup) was appealing either way.

Speaking of boats: Since the tatars don't have a navy, how did their armies handle crossing major rivers such as the Don/Volga/Dniepr? Especially now that they have an artillery train.
 
Speaking of boats: Since the tatars don't have a navy, how did their armies handle crossing major rivers such as the Don/Volga/Dniepr? Especially now that they have an artillery train.
Tatars had bridges on several points on the road from Sarai to Gurigansarai. Since Ottomans are now in Gulistan they have captured most of them. Previous campaign with artillery was carried out by confiscation of local boats or building of rafts beyond that point( remember Yassin's slow advance?). But they are nowhere near Ottomans in terms of navy. Also remember that a lot of Tatars are actually on the Ottoman side.
How much did the Turkish conquest increase the restrictions on trade of Indian goods with Europeans compared to how it was with egypt under Mamluk control? In OTL the Portuguese rounded cape horn even before the Ottomans took egypt, because an opportunity to stuck it to the mohammedan heathens (and get goods without paying for middlemen's markup) was appealing either way.
From what I've read it said that European traders in Mediterranean were often taxed by both Mamluke and Ottomans in the same area of water. Egypt was in decline economically from this period which continued in the ottoman period and was exacerbated by Portuguese blockade of red sea. Portugal will not be dissuaded from their adventures in the high seas even if tax is decreased due to fusion of Ottoman and Egyptian bureaucracy. But since there already was an economic decline I suspect taxation to only lower so much that it will matter little to Europeans who still have to buy it from merchant republics. I thought I might have missed something so was asking you.
 
I feel like the horn of Africa isn't getting enough love in this TL
The coast of east Africa has for many generations has been run by the maritime network of Somali traders
With multiple trade links stretching from venice to Beijing
And several trading settlements all over the western indian Ocean
Having direct access to european and chinese markets through Egyptian and malacca trade routes
And at one point even the acquisition of the maldives
800px-Somali_Enterprise (1).jpeg

From the 11th century to the 20th century the gulf of aden all the way to the zanzibar strait
Even at one point reaching south Africa however no permanent settlements lasted in that region
Eventually many traders Found settlements that later become much of what we knew as the swahili coast and later east africa
Somali traders have manipulated the price of spices for generations being able to work with the arabs in the past to hide the indian spice traders away from the roman port cities in the red sea for generations
Its was some of the best kept trade secrets in history
They have been influential from riding on the Zheng he treasure fleet in China's great expeditions and fought in ottoman Latin proxy wars in south east asia
imageproxy.jpeg


Even better was the OTL warrior imam that almost ended modern day ethiopia nearpy wiping christianity from the horn of africa
Eu7Yb80XYAE2kY3.jpg

Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi known by modern somali and muslim east Africans as Mohamed gurey
But to the ethiopians he was known as Garen
He single handedly managed to take over a third of ethipia and eventually lay a successful siege on the ancient city of axum taking the mantle of ancient axum as a muslim axumite same way roman legacy was taken by ottomans

He almost dethroned the negus had the portugese not gotten involved due to ottoman backing of the adal sultanate

Im wondering if in this TL he manages to successfully take the mantle of axum and unite the horn of africa and the great east african coast and slowly colonize the inner regions as had been happening for generations with somali pastoralists slowly moving south for better grazing and coastal trade
 
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A new Epoch
Ottoman siege of Sarai
After spending the Ramadan and shawwal 868 crossing the steppes, the Ottomans under Sultan Muhammad came across Sarai. The weather was still on their side until then, when strong wind blew away 4 of their galleys carrying artillery. The exact number is known as chroniclers have put a date and time for the event. Despite this the Ottomans were poised to take Sarai and they didn’t have much time until winter came. The siege of Sarai began on 17 Shawwal 868 (23 June 1464). The Ottomans had around 25,000 troops as well as 10,000 allies while the Tatars had 12,000 troops defending the Capital. The Tatars defended fiercely as Ottomans were beaten back in 2 assaults. But with no scope of sending any messenger and a last ditch attempt at defeating the Ottomans in the battle of Akhtuba resulting in failure, Temur knew his time was limited. But the thought on fate of his family kept him in the fight.

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Image: battle of Akhtuba river( circa 1400 AH)


The Ottomans were desperate for a victory before winter settled down. Which led them to adopt unorthodox methods in breaching the city. On its north and east, there was a moat ditch or a glorified canal. Iskandar Pasha wanted to use attackers on boats to assault the walls from there. Accordingly Ottoman soldiers on small boats began sailing to the northern wall. Tatars realised it and quickly dispatched their artillery which made short work of this detachment. Though some dozen janissaries were able to climb they were quickly overwhelmed by the Tatars. Digging tunnels was nigh impossible and a detailed reconnaissance further proved the point as soils all around were found the same, muddy and fragile. Ottomans were thrown off guard when an envoy approached them with the proposition of a cease fire for 3 days. The reason was Qizil Hatun,the reason of all this mess had passed away. Temur, as a son and not as the Khan of Tatars asked Muhammad for a ceasefire so that he can properly grieve his mother's death. Muhammad at first was skeptical but he acquiesced later. But the gears in head was turning as he thought of a crazy plan. As the battlefront lay quiet, he ordered his troops to cut down every available tree nearby. It wasn’t enough so Kalik noyan was sent to grab more timber. He planned to use grease and oil on these logs and use them as wheels to move some of the war galleys to the north canal. All his commanders were baffled at this idea but not Iskandar. He understood that there was little left to do for them other than continue the siege and hope that the Tatars starve.

IMG_20220907_075244.jpg

Image: Galleys being moved through lands( circa 1100 AH)


So Muhammad carried out his plan. It was crazy but it was successful as Tatars were surprised when their northern walls were being hit by cannon fire. Seeing Ottoman ships in the narrow canal, the already disheartened Temur Khwaja sent terms for surrender if he and his family were spared. Specifically he wanted security for his son Albag who had come of age now. Sultan Muhammad agreed to this without much fuss from Aslan and on 28 Shawwal 868 ( 4th July 1464), the Allied Turko-Tatar forces entered Sarai as Temur surrendered with his retinue. Meanwhile Albag was on his way north and reached Muscovite principality. But it would not be his last stoppage. Aslan,as promised spared Temur but exiled him under the pretext of Hajj,which will be the very first and the very last for the former Khan. Thus began the reign of Khan Aslan Batyr, a true Jochid after 2 decades of usurpers . After leaving some 3000 troops including 200 Janissaries in Sarai, Sultan Muhammad hurried back to Konstantiniyye before winter fell and reached Moldavia by Muharram 869( September 1464). But here the prince Vlad III Dracul's nonchalant behaviour to his suzerain and the horror stories of his torture upon civilians would make Muhammad reconsider whether letting this man grab Moldavia was a wise choice......

Ascension on a khan throne__Избрание Хана_, 2007 г.  Художник — Равиль Загидуллин.jpg

Image: Aslan Batyr is coronated as Khan of the Golden horde


( From 'History of the Ottoman empire' by Hayat Arghiros)

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Muscovy Suzdal war of 869-870 and the return of Tatars
Following the inconclusive results of the brief Tatar campaign of 858, the Rus principalities were now independent. But as soon as the Tatar threat diminshed, so did the tenous alliance between Muscovy and Suzdal. In 862 (1458), Vasily died of poisoning and with him the fragile truce as well. The suspects were many, his rival Dmitry, the Poles and even his own son Andrei Goryai. Ivan, Vasily's successor did little to maintain the stability and openly accused Muscovites of treachery, which was swiftly denied by Dmitry. Modern historians give more emphasis on Poles as the latter saw Vasily as a uniting factor in Rus lands. Soon the Rus states were at each other's throat again with Dmitry's heir Ivan of Moscow enlisting Lithuanian support for his cause in 868 (1463) after the former’s death. But hostilities reached new heights when Muscovites under Ivan III besieged Yaroslav in 870(1465). A hastily assembled army under Ivan I of Suzdal arrived after two weeks to relieve the siege. It was here where Dmitry's light cavalry Bystrye proved effective against his Rus counterpart.

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Image: Muscovite siege of Yaroslav(circa 1200AH)

Unable to do much, Ivan I had to watch as his Muscovite namesake finally overcame the defences and sacked the second largest city in the principality. He retreated to Suzdal and anticipated a siege of the city. Entrenching themselves, Ivan awaited the reinforcements to arrive. Meanwhile Boyars from Volgoda who gathered a decent force of 10,000 under Andrei Menshoy called out to Ivan to lead them.The troop size of Suzdal after uniting with remnants of Ivan's army reached 18,000 which was still outnumbered by the 20,000 Muscovites. The two forces met near modern day Kruvav[1] after Suzdal forces crossed the volga river. In 23 Rajab 870( 11 March 1466) the battle began as Muscovites repelled an early Suzdal assault led by Andrei Bolshoy while one wing was destroyed by artillery fire. The Suzdal forces regrouped under Ivan I and quickly forced the advanced Muscovites to retreat. However the main cavalry of Suzdal which was under Andrei Menshoy( youngest sibling of Ivan and Andrei) overextended itself and soon a flank attack from one Muscovite wings saw it cut off. 3,000 Suzdal troops were killed, including Andrei Menshoy as Muscovites now Marched to Suzdal itself. Ivan I fled to Galich as Andrei Bolshoy defended the capital from Muscovites. Muscovite troops were forced to withdraw as an outbreak of plague happened which killed many of their troops.

But upon his arrival, Ivan I was denied entry to the capital as Andrei thought of him as a coward and inept leader. But the boyars who supported the deceased Andrei Menshoy now plotted against Andrei. Andrei Goryai was able to escape with his life as Ivan I remained the Grand prince of Suzdal. Meanwhile the Tatar refugee Albag was in Moscow with his few hundred followers who were granted safe passage after Temur's promise of surrender. The prince Ivan III received him cordially as a family member owing to his relation to his distant Grandfather Samiu'n. Albag however was not content with a guest status and wanted to rule. So he asked Ivan if there was any land nearby where he could settle his followers. Ivan pointed to the land of Karelians which was bordering on his and the recently Polish acquired Novgorod lands. This was in part Ivan III's strategic thinking regarding the relation between his realm, the Tatars and the possible future state of Albag. Perhaps he thought of Albag's realm as a possible ally against further Polish Lithuanian expansion. Albag would go on to establish the Karul khanate which will act as the pioneer of spreading islam during the subsequent centuries amongst various tribes such as Saami, Vespi and others in Ydre Finski [2].

IMG_20220907_173420.jpg

Image: Tatar troops in Karelia fighting Izhorians( artwork by Gregory Puskin)


Andrein Goryai ended up in the court of Khan Aslan as the latter was preparing for a campaign against the unruly Rus. To compound his cause ,Andrei told the Tatars that his brother Ivan I usurped his throne and declared himself the Tsar, a title reserved solely for the Khan. He converted to Islam and took the name Akmet Gorgay. Perhaps skeptic at his enthusiastic behavior, Aslan ordered him to remain in Kazan as he sent Gregory to Suzdal with a retinue of 10,000 troops. Tatars quickly razed the countryside as Suzdal troops were still exhausted from the war with muscovites. In Shaban 870(April 1466), the Tatars captured Suzdal. The Muscovites, sensing the changing political wind retreated to their own territory. Troops under Gregory kept advancing until they were in front of Vladimir. Tatars besieged Vladimir for a month until finally sacking it in Saffar 871 ( October 1466). The ineffectiveness of artillery frustrated the Tatars and Toqtay, now a chronicler accompanying his son in law informed the Khan about this. Ivan I survived and escaped to Lithuania in disguise.

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Image: Tatar sack of Vladimir


The Tatar retinue soon returned to Suzdal and a marriage between Anna Vasilievna, daughter of Vasily II and Hazan Kunchak, son of Gregory took place. Thus Hazan became the prince of Suzdal under Tatar protection. Akmet Gorigay was livid when he heard this but Aslan placated him by saying that he will be granted the Muscovy principality. This ascent of a muslim in Suzdal throne however, stirred up Dissatisfaction amongst boyars. However the close presence of a Tatar retinue in the capital prevented an immediate uprising. Ivan III of Muscovy declared this ascension illegal as the Prince is not an Orthodox. Polish Lithuanians received the news with glee as they began plotting their next move. Thus began the era of "Heathen Princes" in the period of Russian history.
IMG_20220829_164102.jpg

Image: Prince Hazan Kunchak of Suzdal

[1] OTL Kubrov
[2] outer Finland, a name given by the Swedes


(Piece of "From Vikings to Tsars: Early Russian history by Vadily Simkus)

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Timurid Shaybanid war
As the 9th century began it’s closing decades, the civil war in Persia still had no end in sight. Multiple sides with conflicting interests and changing alliances shaped the unpredictable nature of this conflict. This was an ideal atmosphere for Khaydar Makmut. He expanded his fortune from a being a prominent mercenary to becoming the emir of Urgunch under Abdullah Mirza. But as the battle in Fars plateau grinded to a standstill, Abdullah became desperate to break the stalemate. He contacted Yakub Shaybani who was currently in dire waters as Golden horde became stabilized after Ottoman intervention. These two made desperate allies but promise of aid against the Tatars was not enough to persuade the Shaybanid emir. For that Abdullah had to cede some territories, particularly from Garagum which was under Khaydar. This obviously didn’t sit well with the Jochid mercenary Emir who began plotting against his lord. He contacted the new Khan Aslan of Golden horde and implored with his origin to arrive and defeat the Shaybanids. Though Aslan wouldn’t immediately reply, this letter would have significant consequences later on.

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Image:Abdullah Mirza with his family going on a hunt


But Golden horde wasn’t the only option for Khaydar. The Timurid Emir Ala Ad Dawla of I'ran, his former enemy was also a possible candidate for alliance. Ala Ad Dawla was able to persuade Khaydar by promising to make him the Emir of both Garagum and Herat. Khaydar secretly sent most of his family along with his slave turned adopted son Suleiman to Isfahan both for safekeeping and as a bargaining chip. Ala Ad Dawla would invade Khurasan again in Jumada Sani 869( February 1465). The Shaybanid allies of Abdullah Mirza joined with the Timurids of Herat. Khaydar joined up at the last time when the armies of Abdullah neared Khiva and faced the enemy in 13 Rajab 869 ( 11 March 1465). The formation of Herat forces were three segments. Main forces under Abdullah Mirza was at the center followed by a small detachment of Timurid Bandukbachis, as the right flank was composed of Shaybanids and left flank under Emir of Urgunch Khaydar and Emir of Kabul Sayed Yusuf. It's not known whether Abdullah suspected anything of Khaydar but this usual breach from norm when Khaydar was single handedly put in charge of a wing indicated his growing apprehension with the mercenary. The opposing army was also formed up in a similar manner. Although Ad Dawla had a large contingent of cannons at the back and held a cavalry reserve.

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Image: Battle of Khiva ( circa 1300 AH)


The battle was started by Ad Dawla's forces who advanced with arrow volleys from horse archers. The right wing of Ad Dawla's forces crashed upon the left wing where Khaydar was staying. They were beaten back however with Khaydar still not betraying . By now Abdullah's forces started their counterattack and almost pushed back the main assault if it wasn’t for the artillery volleys. Though cannons brought by Al Ad Dawla had weak accuracy and also killed a lot of their own troops. Nevertheless Abdullah ordered his left wing to crush the cannons as Shsybanids were able to surround Ad Dawla's left wing. But it was negated as Ad Dawla sent his reserve to back his embattled right wing. It was not enough however as his center was being pushed back and many of his men fell under musket fire. As Emir Sayed Yusuf was redirecting his troops to the center for surrounding the main army of Ad Dawla, Khaydar changed sides and fell upon the unsuspecting Kabuli troops as the latter attempted to encircle the enemy. The Bandukchis, were totally crushed by an attack from the back and the center of Abdullah's army was in chaos. Soon Abdullah ordered a retreat but was killed by an arrow to the eye. The army of Herat was under fire from Ad Dawla's artillery as they scattered. Ala Ad Dawla and Khaydar marched all the way to Herat as Abdullah's Kingdom crumbled. As promised Ad Dawla made Khaydar emir of all of Khurasan. The emboldened Khaydar immediately started his campaign against Shaybanids as the latter still occupied parts of Garagum. But Shaybanids proved to be tough nut to crack for Khaydar as he was defeated in battle of Kazakdegish. This prompted Khaydar to seek aid from his overlord Ad Dawla but he refused as this time he looked east against the now vulnerable realm of Sultan Mirza after the latter's death. So Khaydar was on his own against Shaybanids. The stalemate wouldn’t last for long as Yakub got the news of Aslan's campaign to subdue the rebelious Rus principalities. Sensing his northern borders were safe for now, Yakub launched an assault on Urgunch. Khaydar quickly assembled his troops from Herat, forcing Yakub to lift his siege. Khaydar chased Yakub until they reached Beruni in Muharram 870 ( September 1465) . Here the timely flanking maneuver by his hidden reserve which pitted the Shaybanids against Amu Darya was able to secure a much needed victory for Khaydar. But he had to return to Khurasan as Abdullah Mirza died and his realm plunged into another civil war between his sons Shamsuddin Mirza and Jahanbeg.

58bb866e-16d7-4f8f-930f-976591930f4e.jpeg

Image: battle of Beruni ( circa 1200 AH)


At first Khaydar supported Jahanbeg who was based in Tehran and advanced west capturing upto Nishapur. But after Jahanbeg's defeat in battle of Qom and his subsequent flight to Irak and then to Ottoman lands threw a his plan in a big mess. Following Shamsuddin's triumphant entry into Isfahan, Khaydar quickly swore fealty to the new lord of Persia. Shamsuddin would prove to be more skeptical of the ambitious mercenary warlord than his predecessors. He was very much paranoid and alienated many close associates of his father including the famous gurgtug who were deployed in the east instead of accompanying him in the capital. To put a lid on dissent he started a military campaign against the fracturing realms of Sultan Mirza and Kara quyonlu, proving very successful. His alliance with Georgians was useful in this regard. The nazarene kingdom became a nominal vassal to Shamsuddin. His entry into Tabriz forced the Timurid prince Iliyas to flee to the Ottomans, where his cousin Jahanbeg was also staying. For the first time since it began, Persia seemed to be on the verge of being united under a single ruler once again. But Shamsuddin Mirza knew as long as his brother and cousin were in the Ottoman court he would never breathe in peace. Thus the Timurid ruler would turn west as drums of war were beaten once again....

(From 'Tarikh Ul Fars Wal Mashreq' Ul Fars Wal Mashreq' by Ali Adnani)

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Musings of anonymity

Saffar 870 (October 1465)
Gaza, Mamluke Sultanate of Masr


Sophia hummed as she checked the water boiling over a firepit in the early morning. She fondly looked over inside the tent over some small bedding where a small child lay sleeping.

As the water was boiled enough she put out the fire and went on to remove the pot from the pit after it cooled down. A pair of hairy arms soon joined her on the other side. She was startled but slowly a smile crept to her lips.

"Allow me, Sophia" Akmet said as the pair put the waterpot away from the pit.


"I'm just four months along and still going strong. You treat me as if I was made of glass, Sayyid."Sophia mused

"Pregnancy is a very difficult time for all females, we can never be too much careful dear. "Atrak replied.

"So what, look how Yasmin turned out. Honestly if I was still in my Hayiz [1] state I'd have never been able to achieve this feat, which has eluded many Sultans"
Sophia said as Akmet glanced at their sleeping daughter.

Honestly I was really confused at first when you said you need my 'help' to perform Hajj. I thought you had a hidden pain or something like that."


"Too slow thinking Sayed. And I thought your history of ruining maidens would help you in this regard." at this Akmet averted his gaze in shame. He had long abandoned that chapter in his life and thought of it at some nightmares.


"Forgive me Sayed, let's go inside and I need to- Ah!" Sophia nearly stumbled as she felt dizzy and Akmet quickly grabbed her.


"Hey, Sehzadi Gawher Khatun is married to the next caliph in line, our hajj is over and soon in less than a week we will arrive in Konstantiniyye. Don't worry, Allah will help us." Sophia gently touched Akmet's face as worry was written over his features.


A big sigh escaped Akmet's face as he helped Sophia get up and helped her carry the pot inside the tent.


After her bath was finished she woke Yasmin up and served breakfast. Akmet smiled as he saw his daughter getting excited over bread and dates. The small family sat down as they silently ate their breakfast.


Suddenly someone screamed followed by shouting of men and Sophia quickly embraced her daughter as Akmet got up.


"Bandits! This far in Sham? Curse those bedouins. Quick, bring my gun!" Akmet exclaimed as Sophia ran inside the tent and carried a musket. She was herself armed with a sword and some arrows. Akmet ran after the commotion as she placed Yasmin on a camel in front of her and urged it to stand up.


Reaching the site of the hullabaloo Akmet found a man lying dead on the ground as a knife stuck out of his chest as men surrounded him.


"Allah forgive him, this man came all the way from Qimir and performed his hajj. Some devil killed him either due to previous animosity or somebody paid him to do the dirty work."


"What's his name?"


"He said his name was Reyaz but I heard one of his servants calling him Sayed Khan."


"Most likely somebody paid to kill him. He's a mongol, not from around here." Akmet concluded as he squatted by the corpse to take a good look at him.


"Perhaps, Allah protect us. At least this man just completed his pilgrimage. He will be directly in paradise for his sins being cleansed." one man said as he began reciting his prayers.


"Any idea where the assassin went?" Akmet asked one of the bystanders.


" To the south. These are local bedouins who know the desert like the palm of their hand. If you give chase you’ll either die of thirst or will be forced to give up. At best we can notify the Emir of this town." the man replied.


Perhaps, he was right. There is no way Akmet can track him down. Besides he has his own family to worry about than a going on a wild hunt after an old man's killer. He spared one last glance at the corpse and walked away.


(From 'Kaiser I Rum' by Tariq Fakhruddin, translated by Wilhelm Jager)

[1] Menstruation, women in this time are ordered to avoid performing any kind of obligatory prayers.
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So Salam again guys. Thought I'd not return till October but rescheduling of my exams has allowed for a bit of respite. Even so, this update might be the last until November.

So here we have Ottomans finishing their campaign and installing Aslan as the Khan of Golden horde. Rus states are as usual in a mess and a muslim knyaz/ prince in throne of Suzdal would only make things more complex. But Russia won’t be Muslim majority. At best there will be a significant minority IF the current line can hold onto power for subsequent centuries, which again seems unlikely as Europe is already reacted and its not the good kind of reaction.

And I have great plans with Albag and his Karul Khanate. Islam will reach the fringes of Europe so the boundary might be even smaller if the west wants to exclude Muslim held territories.

Persia is still clusterfuck and things are no where near calming down. Khaydar seems to be thriving however.

And kudos to anyone who can identify the murdered man in 'Kaiser I Rum' piece. Sultan Muhammad has just made the Caliph's heir apparent marry his eldest daughter. So yeah, things will be getting more complex in regards to Mamluke Ottoman relationship.

So remarks and suggestions on the development of new scenarios? Until next time!



 
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Salam buddy, Allah be with you

I'll admit I didnt knew half the people you talked about, but I still loved the chapter, thank you so much for all the work you put into this, we all appreciate it
 
I feel like the horn of Africa isn't getting enough love in this TL
The coast of east Africa has for many generations has been run by the maritime network of Somali traders
With multiple trade links stretching from venice to Beijing
And several trading settlements all over the western indian Ocean
Having direct access to european and chinese markets through Egyptian and malacca trade routes
And at one point even the acquisition of the maldives
View attachment 754590
From the 11th century to the 20th century the gulf of aden all the way to the zanzibar strait
Even at one point reaching south Africa however no permanent settlements lasted in that region
Eventually many traders Found settlements that later become much of what we knew as the swahili coast and later east africa
Somali traders have manipulated the price of spices for generations being able to work with the arabs in the past to hide the indian spice traders away from the roman port cities in the red sea for generations
Its was some of the best kept trade secrets in history
They have been influential from riding on the Zheng he treasure fleet in China's great expeditions and fought in ottoman Latin proxy wars in south east asia
View attachment 754591

Even better was the OTL warrior imam that almost ended modern day ethiopia nearpy wiping christianity from the horn of africa
View attachment 754592
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi known by modern somali and muslim east Africans as Mohamed gurey
But to the ethiopians he was known as Garen
He single handedly managed to take over a third of ethipia and eventually lay a successful siege on the ancient city of axum taking the mantle of ancient axum as a muslim axumite same way roman legacy was taken by ottomans

He almost dethroned the negus had the portugese not gotten involved due to ottoman backing of the adal sultanate

Im wondering if in this TL he manages to successfully take the mantle of axum and unite the horn of africa and the great east african coast and slowly colonize the inner regions as had been happening for generations with somali pastoralists slowly moving south for better grazing and coastal trade
I must say I've ignored them for a while. But with Oman I will be delving deeper into horn of Africa on how their relationship with Somalis and other nearby states goes. As far as Somali are concerned, they are the prime competitors of Oman in Africa who lack the access to Markets in Asia.

As for Adal Sultanate, I have plans regarding them. Though they almost destroyed Ethiopia I doubt they would have been able to hold on much longer as Oromo migration was just on the horizon. And also other Muslim polities nearby wouldn’t let their growth go unchecked so I doubt whether Adal would entirely have it's way with Axumite empire.
 
So in this tl islam will be very dominant
For now But colonialism will still happen from late 17th to early 19th. Of course the big states of Tatary, Ottomans, Persians and a couple others will avoid it. Not saying the same for Muslim states in Africa, SEA or other places☺️

Colonization and rise of Europe is something inevitable unless Batu steamrolled all the way to HRE. But at least they won't be having it easy like OTL here. No reverse colonization but faster decolonization.
 
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Thanks to Albag We could get a muslim Finnish in this tl. This is the best. And yeah im really happy seeing mehmed ii able to do his iconic landship even though it is not in constantinople but still impressive. Many historian would still have wtf reading about land ship. Can't wait to see what happen to Mamluk. Is that Akmet the same brother to Aslan?
 
And also welcome back arctodus. Glad to see new update. And i though im the only have exam in the october-early november. At last that woman finally passed away. I cannot imagine if she somehow live to became a supercentenarian. It would be a nightmare if she is coherent and not suffer dementia.
 
Thanks to Albag We could get a muslim Finnish in this tl. This is the best. And yeah im really happy seeing mehmed ii able to do his iconic landship even though it is not in constantinople but still impressive. Many historian would still have wtf reading about land ship. Can't wait to see what happen to Mamluk. Is that Akmet the same brother to Aslan?
Albag at best would have, annex Karelia, the nearby Kola Peninsula and parts of OTL leningrad oblast. Sweden is still there so how long this state would last is a question. They need the help of Tatars despite everything. Also it is very hard to convert spears into guns without photoshop( look at the attached picture 😜)

Muhammad's land ship was more necessary as the entire citadel of Sarai was surrounded by wide moats, so you can guess how frustrated the Ottomans were in the siege.

Mamluke are in for a very interesting time and yes, it's the same Aslan's elder brother Akmet who didn’t have a saintly history😁. Do you recognised the murdered guy though?


also welcome back arctodus. Glad to see new update. And i though im the only have exam in the october-early november. At last that woman finally passed away. I cannot imagine if she somehow live to became a supercentenarian. It would be a nightmare if she is coherent and not suffer dementia.
Ah, Qizil's example would be shown to girls over and over saying "no matter how rich or powerful you are you still need a man to keep yourselves strong and coherent." Qizil's death is long overdue. You can guess the amount of shock she received after Samiu'n's death when she went from "leading the campaign" to "sulking in self isolation". Qizil is dissimilar yet similar to Catherine the great in many ways. Nevertheless she will be an important part of Tatar history.
 
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I must say I've ignored them for a while. But with Oman I will be delving deeper into horn of Africa on how their relationship with Somalis and other nearby states goes. As far as Somali are concerned, they are the prime competitors of Oman in Africa who lack the access to Markets in Asia.

As for Adal Sultanate, I have plans regarding them. Though they almost destroyed Ethiopia I doubt they would have been able to hold on much longer as Oromo migration was just on the horizon. And also other Muslim polities nearby wouldn’t let their growth go unchecked so I doubt whether Adal would entirely have it's way with Axumite empire.
Salam
Nice to see your back man
It's been so long that I almost forgot I wrote this comment

For the omani I'm certain they started rising around the 1690's then fell in the 19th century
It's still pretty early for the oman to be a major power as they're mostly under the hormuz emirate
But it would be nice to see both somali and omani traders rising to prominence in the region and clashing across the Arabian sea to the western indian Ocean and even the indian Ocean

Their was even a Somali sultan that ruled the maldives so it wouldnt be impossible for somali influence to reach the Malays archipelago

When it comes to adaal the empire had been one of the few states to ever come close to uniting the native peoples of the horn

The battle of shimbara kure was proof that the adaal army was much more professional than the much larger abyssinian force
They took forts one by one in rapid succession
Apart from Ethiopia and ajuraan their isn't another military force capable of fighting back against adaal on the region
This was of course stopped by portugese collusion
But since this is a islamic expansion to it would be nice to see adaal achieve their 2 main goals
First being to end oppression of the muslim minority in majority christian abyssinia as that was one of the main reasons for adaal invasion as many

The second being to unify the somali clans as been talks of marriage between the state of adaal and ajuraan however it didnt come to pass

Finally as for the oromo migrations
This happens between the late 16th and early 17th century
Much later than the adaal abyssian war
I expect their to be alot of time spent in military reforms and technological expansion in the region since nomadic invasions were dying out in this era
And the oromo migration took place in during a a.time of disunity in the horn
With a unified state in the region with expansionist policies i wouldnt even be surprised if oromo migrations was butterflied
 
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the omani I'm certain they started rising around the 1690's then fell in the 19th century
It's still pretty early for the oman to be a major power as they're mostly under the hormuz emirate
But it would be nice to see both somali and omani traders rising to prominence in the region and clashing across the Arabian sea to the western indian Ocean and even the indian Ocean
Walikum Assalam. If you read my previous updates regarding Oman you’ll see that their rise was during the Timurid Golden age of Shahrukh and Ulugh beg. The lack of a navy for Persia meant they had to be reliant on armed merchant groups in Hormuz( Hormuz emirate was annexed) strait to ward off piracy. Thus began a symbiotic relationship between traders and their escorts which, in several decades fledged into 4 city states in mutual Agreement over trade of Hind ocean. Mapdate shows that they have vassalized almost all of Kilwa Sultanate and also in Sumatra and Parts of Java. Vassalized means to keep garrisons.
Their was even a Somali sultan that ruled the maldives so it wouldnt be impossible for somali influence to reach the Malays archipelago
Wow this is giving me ideas.
The battle of shimbara kure was proof that the adaal army was much more professional than the much larger abyssinian force
They took forts one by one in rapid succession
Apart from Ethiopia and ajuraan their isn't another military force capable of fighting back against adaal on the region
This was of course stopped by portugese collusion
But since this is a islamic expansion to it would be nice to see adaal achieve their 2 main goals
First being to end oppression of the muslim minority in majority christian abyssinia as that was one of the main reasons for adaal invasion as many
Adal Ethiopian war was a pretty close shave for the Axumites. Here in my TL Portugal will not have it's way in Hind ocean but will still hold onto places in East Africa. I wanted Axum to survive and maybe expand but your reasoning is making me doubt my conjecture. Since Ottomans will come south and occupy Yemen I see them prioritising a fleet in Red sea to ward off Portugal, as they will still not get Basra until in middle 16th century. Oman is supposed to be the backbone of Ottoman Hind ocean alliance that will deny Portugal of their holding in India ITTL. So if Oman and the Somali sultanates are at odds I see Ottomans as an enemy to these muslim states. The rivalry between Ottoman-Oman and Ajuran-Adal over Horn of Africa and Swahili state will erupt once Portugal has been dealt with. Though one might think Somali states are done for against 2 major powers, their strategic position in horn of Africa gives them some unlikely advantages and Ottomans being Ottomans will be periodically busy elsewhere to give a shit. It will be a mostly Omani-Somali rivalry. This, compounded by Portuguese invasion might just spur Oman to start their colonial empire.

Now onto the fate of Axum, I see things can go any of these 3 ways (spoiler alert!)

a) Axumite are absorbed and remain as a large minority dominated region in the Somali empire, occasionally bursting into violent rebellions.

b) Rivalry with Ottomans lead the Somali to keep the Axumites as a buffer state between them and Ottoman Masr so no direct land invasion route. Maybe Axum is even vassalized by Somalis.

c) Portugal, being restricted to Swahili coast after their foiled Indian bid, strengthen their alliance with Axum and aid them with weapons. But that puts the Axumites at odds with Turkish-Omani alliance which means they are screwed anyway 🙃
The second being to unify the somali clans as been talks of marriage between the state of adaal and ajuraan however it didnt come to pass
As this will most likely happen to oppose the vast array of rivals the Somalis have, they will become a great power in East Africa.
Finally as for the oromo migrations
This happens between the late 16th and early 17th century
Much later than the adaal abyssian war
I expect their to be alot of time spent in military reforms and technological expansion in the region since nomadic invasions were dying out in this era
And the oromo migration took place in during a a.time of disunity in the horn
With a unified state in the region with expansionist policies i wouldnt even be surprised if oromo migrations was butterflied
Hmm Oromo being restricted to Turkana basin eh?? Yes, Oromo might migrate but not on the scale as OTL because of a more powerful state. Though the conflict with Oromo might just save Axumites.

You seem to have a lot of knowledge regarding African East coast, hope you hang around. Because strange times will come to Africa.
 
Walikum Assalam. If you read my previous updates regarding Oman you’ll see that their rise was during the Timurid Golden age of Shahrukh and Ulugh beg. The lack of a navy for Persia meant they had to be reliant on armed merchant groups in Hormuz( Hormuz emirate was annexed) strait to ward off piracy. Thus began a symbiotic relationship between traders and their escorts which, in several decades fledged into 4 city states in mutual Agreement over trade of Hind ocean. Mapdate shows that they have vassalized almost all of Kilwa Sultanate and also in Sumatra and Parts of Java. Vassalized means to keep garrisons.
My bad, I might have to reread some chapters again, it's been a while and this tl was so good I ended up binging in one night
Adal Ethiopian war was a pretty close shave for the Axumites. Here in my TL Portugal will not have it's way in Hind ocean but will still hold onto places in East Africa. I wanted Axum to survive and maybe expand but your reasoning is making me doubt my conjecture. Since Ottomans will come south and occupy Yemen I see them prioritising a fleet in Red sea to ward off Portugal, as they will still not get Basra until in middle 16th century. Oman is supposed to be the backbone of Ottoman Hind ocean alliance that will deny Portugal of their holding in India ITTL. So if Oman and the Somali sultanates are at odds I see Ottomans as an enemy to these muslim states. The rivalry between Ottoman-Oman and Ajuran-Adal over Horn of Africa and Swahili state will erupt once Portugal has been dealt with. Though one might think Somali states are done for against 2 major powers, their strategic position in horn of Africa gives them some unlikely advantages and Ottomans being Ottomans will be periodically busy elsewhere to give a shit. It will be a mostly Omani-Somali rivalry. This, compounded by Portuguese invasion might just spur
Personally I always thought the relationship between the ottmans and adaal had bee mutually beneficial historically due to religion and similar enemies
The main reason I didnt see the ottoman oman alliance as possible was mostly due to religious differences as oman was ibadi and adaal was sunni
But this scenario is probably better than I expected
The omani would have security from the ottoman alliance to wage war in the persian and hormuz region as the civil war and possible decline in timurid empire continues
Also the ottoman and oman threat would bring the adaal and ajuraan crowns closer together, with the more professional land army of adaal and the superior ajuraan navy (ajuraan was an Elective thallocratic Theocracy, i had to do a bit of research on that tbh)
The rivalry might end up pushing both sides (mostly the Omani and somali) to move expand influence further into the indian Ocean, almost like relationship between Portugal and spain and the rush to trade with asia and the new world
Although the conflict could later have the ottmans step in to cool down
Just imagine the somali and omani officials meeting in constantinople and have the caliph witness to the signing of the treaty of tijarat ealamia (تجارة عالمية, meaning world trade) to divide indian Ocean and beyond
same way the pope, to keep the peace between Portugal and Spain, drew up the treaty of Tordesillas
Tho I feel as tho this conflict will mostly kick off after the defeat of the portugese.
Probably due to trade concessions by the portugese to either side or border disputes and land claims
But it could very well start before which would make the conflict alot more 3 sided
With greater muslim trade power in the indian Ocean I think the Portuguese might be desperate to hold on to their eastern trade by any means necessary, maybe garrisons being placed in south Africa to curb any muslim influence beyond the Cape
Possible portugese south African colony

c) Portugal, being restricted to Swahili coast after their foiled Indian bid, strengthen their alliance with Axum and aid them with weapons. But that puts the Axumites at odds with Turkish-Omani alliance which means they are screwed anyway
This would probably be the best route going forward
The survival of axum would depend on when conflict between somali ottoman omani alliance starts before or after the portugese invasions
Hmm Oromo being restricted to Turkana basin eh?? Yes, Oromo might migrate but not on the scale as OTL because of a more powerful state. Though the conflict with Oromo might just save Axumites.
This is building up on alot of good ideas
The oromo are a cushtic ethnically just like the Somali and they were also nomadic just like most Somali pastoralists
The way I see it, eventual contact might be genuinely peaceful as the oromo eventually settle in the great lakes region with somali caravans bringing goods from the urban coast along with possible travelling scholars sent by local governors to help build relations and spread dawah among the majority fetishist oromo, after several years of contact the ruling administration might eventually deem the oromo as a long lost pastoralists sub clan to build legitimate to reasons to adopt more oromo into the wider goverment and integrate the land into the greater horn

Is say this due to
A) eventual European colonialism that will slowly start ramping up as the centuries pass and the old colonial powers fade in strength
B) settled peoples are much easier to integrate especially when they are military and economically reliant on you
C) their is no religious discourse with the only possible conflict being due to large swathes of the population converting to islam and leaving their ancestral religions behind, and several tribal elders might be divided in religious disputes which could end up getting bloody and forces from local governors being sent in to pacify the region basically pulling the region into the eventual sphere of influence of the greater horn
You seem to have a lot of knowledge regarding African East coast, hope you hang around. Because strange times will come to Africa.
Inshallah god willing
I would be more than happy to stick around, their are very few tl that I'm am genuinely invested in and yours is definitely one of them
Last question (sorry for writing too much, I'll try keeping it short and sweet)

How is india looking in the next couple centuries, are we gonna see a more successful mughals or will delhi rise again

Also manchu muslims in korea, will we see the rise of qing china, can't wait see what a muslim ruled qing china will look like
 
Just imagine the somali and omani officials meeting in constantinople and have the caliph witness to the signing of the treaty of tijarat ealamia (تجارة عالمية, meaning world trade) to divide indian Ocean and beyond
same way the pope, to keep the peace between Portugal and Spain, drew up the treaty of Tordesillas
Tho I feel as tho this conflict will mostly kick off after the defeat of the portugese.
Magnifique!

With greater muslim trade power in the indian Ocean I think the Portuguese might be desperate to hold on to their eastern trade by any means necessary, maybe garrisons being placed in south Africa to curb any muslim influence beyond the Cape
Possible portugese south African colony
Yes, Portuguese South Africa until someone else comes along.
This would probably be the best route going forward
The survival of axum would depend on when conflict between somali ottoman omani alliance starts before or after the portugese invasions
I think it will happen after Portuguese invasion is defeated. Ottomans might not be that much interested after the bigger threat is gone and the conflict will boil down to Omani vs Somali. Omani will distract the Somali so Axum might be left as a vassal, effectively ending Ethiopian expansion.
The way I see it, eventual contact might be genuinely peaceful as the oromo eventually settle in the great lakes region with somali caravans bringing goods from the urban coast along with possible travelling scholars sent by local governors to help build relations and spread dawah among the majority fetishist oromo, after several years of contact the ruling administration might eventually deem the oromo as a long lost pastoralists sub clan to build legitimate to reasons to adopt more oromo into the wider goverment and integrate the land into the greater horn

Is say this due to
A) eventual European colonialism that will slowly start ramping up as the centuries pass and the old colonial powers fade in strength
B) settled peoples are much easier to integrate especially when they are military and economically reliant on you
C) their is no religious discourse with the only possible conflict being due to large swathes of the population converting to islam and leaving their ancestral religions behind, and several tribal elders might be divided in religious disputes which could end up getting bloody and forces from local governors being sent in to pacify the region basically pulling the region into the eventual sphere of influence of the greater horn
Nice, Oromo will be Muslims then. On the other hand, I have a certain Islamic sect in mind that will preach amongst the Oromo.......so conflicts will remain.
How is india looking in the next couple centuries, are we gonna see a more successful mughals or will delhi rise again
Bit too much of a spoiler but Delhi dynasties,the current Sayyid one will be the last. There will be various states vying for power such as Bengal Sultanate, Rajput confederacy, Vijaynagar and a certain faction in Persia that will inherit the Delhi masnad. Mughals are butterflied as Miran shah died during Timur's Russia campaign.
Also manchu muslims in korea, will we see the rise of qing china, can't wait see what a muslim ruled qing china will look like
Muslims in Korea are largely restricted to northern garrison towns and the few left in south have been raided and enslaved by Wokou pirates( this will be very important in future). As for Manchu ascent Qing will be butterflied and jurchen domain might be smaller and juggle Between Aqbars and Ming.
 
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Do you recognised the murdered guy though?
Damn it' quite hard to guess but i will go out on a limb and say probably a beklar beg. Golden Horde kinda benefit because of ottoman intervention right? Are we seeing Ottoman Alt Safavid War? That would be great.why Temur is consider not a jochid?? Is'n he related to aslan?
 
Damn it' quite hard to guess but i will go out on a limb and say probably a beklar beg. Golden Horde kinda benefit because of ottoman intervention right? Are we seeing Ottoman Alt Safavid War? That would be great.why Temur is consider not a jochid?? Is'n he related to aslan?
Hmm someone who was supposed to perform Hajj and he's not a beklar beg, someone bigger. Golden horde has definitely benefited from intervention. They are like that beautiful schoolgirl who gets attention of every male(Timurids, Ottoman) who wants to actively help them citing various reasons. Temur is son of Samiun the Rus while his mother is Jochid. While Aslan's father Kuban is jochid. Yeah,shitty excuse but there was this thing about sons of Princesses not being able to rule in Ottoman empire and Mughals forced their princeesses to rot away without ever experiencing the joys of men until Aurangzeb😔. In short, anything is as good as an excuse when one wants to fight and spread influence.
 
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Yeah,shitty excuse but there was this thing about sons of Princesses not being able to rule in Ottoman empire and Mughals forced their princeesses to rot away without ever experiencing the joys of men until Aurangzeb😔
Agree. People often choose patrilineally rather than matrilineally since even in islam people nasab is to their father.
Hmm someone who was supposed to perform Hajj and he's not a beklar beg
Let me take a quick guess again and i say it is Temur khwaja father of Albag the fake jochid.
 
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