Wikipedia:Silcis Sultanate

The Silcis Sultanate (Saldannada Silcis) was a medieval Somali sultanate established after the collapse of the powerful Ajuran Sultanate. At its peak, it extended from Afgooye to Shabbale.

Origins
The founders of the Silcis sultanate are Somalia who are part of the Hawiye Gorgote clan. The Hawiye are the original founders of Sevreal cities that were controlled by the Silcis.

Establishment
The Silcis rose to prominence in the Shabeelle River region following the disintegration of the Ajuuraan Sultanate, which controlled a large part of southern Somalia, and with which the Silcis are connected.

Cassanelli points out that in Geledi oral history accounts, the Silcis are often viewed as "that section of the Ajuran who governed the Afgoy district". He asserts that Geledi accounts "attest to the continuity and similarity of Ajuran and Silcis rule".

History of Afgooye and how it was named
The Silcis centre of power was in Lama Jiidle (present day Afgooye). Lama Jiidle means "two roads" in Somali. Barile erroneously claims that Afgooye's previous name was simply "Seles" (the common Italian spelling of Silcis).

Taxation/Economy
During the Ajuran period, The Silcis had limited control over Jowhaar and Afgooye. However, by the collapse of the Ajuran Sultanate, the Silcis asserted great power over Afgooye. The Silcis nor the Ajuran helped develop Afgooye and in late 18th century the Silcis moved their economic centre to the Shabelle river. The Silcis used the Shabelle river to fertile their lands and the Shabelle and Jubba were one of the Urban centres of the Silcis. The Silcis imposed taxation on their subject clans, such as the Wacdaan, a fellow subclan of the Gurgate Hawiye, and the Geledi, a Rahanweyn subclan. According to Virginia Luling, "The Sil'is imposed their dominion on the Geledi, who had to pay as tribute a measure (suus) of grain every day from each household; it was collected and loaded on a camel, others say a donkey. A tax was also imposed on those who brought their stock to water at the river”. Barile also describes the taxes levied by the Silcis.

Culture
A controversial aspect of traditional Geledi and Wacdaan accounts of Silcis rule is the imposition by the Silcis sultan of ius primae noctis. According to Eno, "it was ‘Xeer’ [customary] for every Geledi bride... to celebrate her honeymoon [first] with a Silcis-Gorgaate male before she could celebrate the occasion with her official marital husband".

Luling, however, points out that ius primae noctis was "A habit regularly attributed to tyrants in this part of Somalia”. It is thus possible that the accounts of the Silcis practice were exaggerated by the clans they ruled. It is not known to what extent the Silcis sultans engaged in this practice. However, the importance of this account to Geledi and Wacdaan history should not be discounted or dismissed.

Geledi Era
The final ruler of the Silcis in Lama Jiidle (Afgooye) was the sultan 'Umur Abukar Abroone. According to Luling, "His daughter Imbia used to go round collecting the daily tribute of grain, accompanied by her slaves" from her father's Wacdaan and Geledi subjects. Oral accounts hold that one day, "when the Sultan's daughter came round to collect the tribute, she got a beating instead of the grain", as the Geledi refused to pay. When Imbia reported this event to her father, he exclaimed "waa la i afgooye", literally "they have cut off my mouth", meaning that the regime's source of provision had been terminated. Lama Jiidle's name became Afgooye to commemorate this victory over the Silcis.

Ibrahim Adeer the chief of the Geledi led a rebellion against the Silcis and with Gurgate assistance he successfully defeated the Umar Abu Bakr Abroone he then asserted control over Afgooye, However Afgooye was surrounded by The Silcis and according to Cassanelli, “the Geledi (Rahanweyn) and Wa'dan (Darandolle Gurgate) allied to drive the Silcis from Afgooye”. The Silcis Sultanate in the Afgooye region was replaced by the Geledi Sultanate.

Digil Era Sheikh Yarrow Maaytey
Around The same time the Silcis that inhabited the Bakool,Bay,and Gedo were  met by war and the Digil clan led a series of campiagns against the Silcis. Sheikh Yarrow Maay was the founder of the Digil sultanate and expelled the Silis from the modern Juba and Shabelle area. were destroyed along with the Ajuran. The Silcis in the north western regions were chased by the Wardey and at the Battle of Kismayo the Hawiye Hegemony was at its decline. The Rahweyn along with other small groups in Somalia(Barawe,Galla etc) captured the western side of the Silcis.