Wikipedia's first sentence called it “sixteenth century sultanate located in east africa north of ethiopia”. Today it says “medieval sunni muslim empire which was located in the horn of africa”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Adal was a sixteenth century sultanate located in East Africa north of Ethiopia , in modern Eritrea and Djibouti . At its height, the country controlled large portions of Ethiopia and Somalia . A previous Islamic state in the region, the Sultanate of Shoa , had been destroyed in the fourteenth century by the Ethiopian negus negust Amda Seyon . A smaller sultanate, the Sultanate of Ifat , controlled a few trading ports on the coast including Saylac and Adal in the following decades. In 1415 , the Ethiopians invaded Ifat and defeated its armies under its sultan, Sa'd ad-Din , though they failed to maintain control over Adal itself. In the mid- 1520s , a fiery imam named Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi (known as Ahmad Gran, the Left-Handed, to the Ethiopians) conquered the region of Adal and launched a holy war against Christian Ethiopia under the leadership of Lebna Dengel . Supplied by the Ottoman Empire with firearms, Ahmad was able to defeat the Ethiopians at the Battle of Shimbra Kure in 1528 and seize control of the wealthy Ethiopian highlands , though the Ethiopians continued to resist from the Christian highlands. In 1541 , the Portuguese , who had vested interests in the Indian Ocean , sent aid to the Ethiopians in the form of 400 musketeers ; Adal, in turn, received 900 from the Ottomans. Ahmad was initially successful against the Ethiopians while campaigning in the fall of 1542 , killing the Portuguese commander Christovão da Gama in August that year. Portuguese musketry proved decisive in Adal's defeat at the Battle of Wayna Daga , near Lake Tana, in February 1543 , where Ahmad was killed in battle. The Ethiopians subsequently retook the Amhara plateau and recouped their losses against Adal; the Ottomans, who had their own troubles to deal with in the Mediterranean , were unable to help Ahmad's successors. In 1577 , the capital of the Adal Sultanate was moved to Harar , and a sharp decline in Adal's power followed. The migration of the pagan Oromo (called the Galla by the Amhara ) into the Horn of Africa affected both Adal and Ethiopia. The warlike Oromo tribes exhausted the Ethiopians in the latter part of the sixteenth century in war, and the weakened Adal sultanate was unable to cope; by 1660 , the sultanate had disappeared.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17905441.
The opening as it stood in 2010 14 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Adal Sultanate or the Kingdom of Adal ( , Ge'ez : አዳል ʾAdāl , Arabic : عدل) (c. 1415 - 1555) was a medieval multi-ethnic muslim state located in the Horn of Africa that had relations and trade with countries in Africa , the Near East , Europe and Asia .Many of the historic cities in the Horn of Africa such as Maduna , Abasa , Berbera , Zeila and Harar flourished with courtyard houses , mosques , shrines , walled enclosures , and cisterns during the kingdom's Golden Age .After the death of Sa'ad ad-Din II , it succeeded the Kingdom of Ifat , and Adalite armies under the leadership of illustrative rulers such as Sabr ad-Din II , Mansur ad-Din , Jamal ad-Din II , Shams ad-Din and general Mahfuz continued the struggle against the domineering Solomonic Christian Empire .At the turn of the 16th century , Adal organised an effective army led by Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi that invaded the Ethiopian Empire .This campaign is historically known as the Conquest of Abyssinia or Futuh al Habash , in which Ahmed pioneered the use of cannons supplied by the Ottoman Empire in Horn African warfare against Solomonic forces and the Portuguese army led by Cristóvão da Gama .At its height, the state controlled large parts of Somalia , Ethiopia , Djibouti and Eritrea .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 369634582.
The opening as it stood in 2015 5 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Today part of Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Somalia The Adal Sultanate or Kingdom of Adal ( "justice") was a medieval Muslim Somali state located in the Horn of Africa .It flourished from around 1415 to 1577.At its height, the polity controlled large parts of modern-day Somalia , Ethiopia , Djibouti and Eritrea .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 668085341.
The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Former Somali kingdom and sultanate located in the Horn of Africa Today part of Somalia Djibouti Ethiopia Eritrea Sudan The Adal Sultanate , or Kingdom of Adal (alt. spelling Adel Sultanate ), was a Muslim Somali kingdom and sultanate located in the Horn of Africa .It was founded by Sabr ad-Din II after the fall of the Sultanate of Ifat .The kingdom flourished from around 1415 to 1577.The sultanate and state were established by the local inhabitants of Zeila .At its height, the polity under Sultan Badlay controlled the territory stretching from Somalia to the port city of Suakin in Sudan .The Adal Empire maintained a robust commercial and political relationship with the Ottoman Empire .Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia .The History of Islam in Africa .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 963857101.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
1415–1577 Muslim sultanate in the Horn of Africa This article is about the sultanate in the Horn of Africa.The Adal Sultanate , the Adal Empire , the ʿAdal, or the Bar Saʿad dīn (alt. spelling Adel Sultanate, Adal Sultanate ) ( ) ( Somali: Suldaanada Awdal) was a medieval Sunni Muslim Empire which was located in the Horn of Africa .It was founded by Sabr ad-Din III on the Harar plateau in Adal after the fall of the Sultanate of Ifat .The kingdom flourished c. 1415 to 1577.At its height, the polity under Sultan Badlay controlled the territory stretching from Cape Guardafui in Somalia to the port city of Suakin in Sudan . The Adal Empire maintained a robust commercial and political relationship with the Ottoman Empire . Sultanate of Adal was alternatively known as the federation of Zeila ." "Bribing the Land": An Appraisal of the Farming Systems of the Maccaa Oromo in Wallagga" .Journal of Ethiopian Studies . 40 (1/2).Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia . The History of Islam in Africa . The history and description of Africa .A - Bābā Beg · Volume 1 .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178523833.
The opening as it stood in 2025
1415–1577 Muslim sultanate in the Horn of Africa This article is about the sultanate in the Horn of Africa. Today part of Djibouti Ethiopia Somalia ( de jure ) ∟ Somaliland ( de facto ) The Adal Sultanate , also known as the Adal Empire or Barr Saʿad dīn (alt. spelling Adel Sultanate , Adal Sultanate ) ( Arabic : سلطنة عدل ), was a medieval Sunni Muslim empire which was located in the Horn of Africa . It was founded by Sabr ad-Din III on the Harar plateau in Adal after the fall of the Sultanate of Ifat . The kingdom flourished c. 1415 to 1577. At its height, the polity under Sultan Badlay controlled the territory stretching from Cape Guardafui in Somalia to the port city of Suakin in Sudan . The Adal Empire maintained a robust commercial and political relationship with the Ottoman Empire . Sultanate of Adal was alternatively known as the federation of Zeila . Journal of Ethiopian Studies . 24 : 24.The History of Mankind . " "Bribing the Land": An Appraisal of the Farming Systems of the Maccaa Oromo in Wallagga" . Journal of Ethiopian Studies . 40 (1/2). Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia . The History of Islam in Africa . The history and description of Africa . A - Bābā Beg · Volume 1 .
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Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “sixteenth century sultanate located in east africa north of ethiopia”. Today it says “medieval sunni muslim empire which was located in the horn of africa”. Read the current article and compare.
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
sixteenth century sultanate located in east africa north of ethiopia
Now
medieval sunni muslim empire which was located in the horn of africa
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
