Page 47 - DinQ 223 Sep 2021
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sent day Eritrea
Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia’s History-Changing Dam where the Ethiopi-
ans delivered a hu-
miliating defeat to
the Egyptian army.
flight from the Holy Land to Egypt. 1225)—who built a new Jerusalem
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Coloniall--Era Conflicts
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in Ethiopia, safe from Muslim oc- Colonial-Era Conflicts
The Muslim conquest of Egypt in cupation in magnificent, under- over the Nilee
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over the Nile
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640 C.E. put Christian Ethiopia in a ground rock-hewn churches—
defensive position. Because the Ethio- threatened retribution by diverting The European partition of Af-
pian Orthodox Church remained sub- the Tekeze River from its pathway rica in the 1880s added huge com-
ordinate to the Orthodox Church in north into Sudan (where it be- plexity to this conflict.
Alexandria, and Egypt had become a comes the Atbara and then joins Egypt was colonized by Eng-
the Nile). land in 1882. Ethiopia defeated the
Italians at the Battle of Adwa in
The first Egyptian to write 1896 becoming the only African
about the potential for an Ethio- country to retain its independence
pian diversion of the Nile was the during the “scramble for Africa.”
13th century Coptic scholar Jurjis But colonization created many new
al-Makin (d. 1273). states in the Nile Basin (Eritrea,
Stories about Ethiopia’s power Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya,
over the Nile inspired the 14th and Tanganika) and set off new
century European legend of competition for resources and terri-
Prester John, a wealthy Christian tory.
Ethiopian priest king. In 1510 the Egypt was prized for the Nile
legend returned to Ethiopia with Delta, a region of unsurpassed agri-
Portuguese explorer Alfonso d’ cultural productivity. After the
Albuquerque, who considered the completion of the Suez Canal in
possibility of destroying Egypt by 1869, Egypt also offered access to
diverting the Nile to the Red Sea. the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
In 1513 d’Albuquerque even asked For the British control of Egypt
the Portuguese king for workers meant more profitable trade with
skilled in digging tunnels. Nothing India, its richest colony. For the
came of the plan. French, the canal offered quicker
The source of the Nile became the Gihon, which originated from Ethiopia. But conflict between Egypt access to Indochina, its most lucra-
and Ethiopia continued, often as tive colony.
Muslim country, Ethiopians became proxy wars between Christians and In the late nineteenth century,
suspicious and resentful of the control Muslims on Ethiopia’s northern or since controlling Egypt was the key
Egypt had on the appointment of southeastern borderlands. The six- to Asian wealth, and since Egypt
their Christian bishop (abun). Muslim teenth century invasion of Ethio- depended on the Nile, controlling
Egyptians also controlled Jerusalem pia by Ahmad Gragn, the Muslim the source of the Nile became a ma-
and had the power to expel Ethiopian imam from the Adal Sultante, was jor colonial goal.
pilgrims to their holiest of cities. seen as an Egyptian conflict.
The French-English competi-
So Ethiopians began to claim In the nineteenth century tion for control of the Nile Basin
power over Egypt through control of Egypt and Ethiopia fought over climaxed in 1898 at Fashoda.
the Nile. During the Crusades the control of the Red Sea and upper
Ethiopian emperor Lalibela (1190- Nile Basin. The climax came in (To be continued)
1876 at the Battle of Gura in pre-
47
DINQ MEGAZINE April 2021 STAY SAFE 47
DINQ magazine September 2021 Happy Ethiopian New Year
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