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🌊 The Secret Battle for the Red Sea! | Ethiopia, Imam Ahmad, and the Ottoman Empire 🌍
Did you know Ethiopia’s ancient survival once hinged on a single Red Sea port? In this episode of King Cam's Ujumbe Podcast, we uncover the dramatic 16th-century struggle for Massawa—a battle that brought together Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (Ahmad Grāñ), Ethiopian kings, the Ottoman Empire, and the Portuguese musketeers.
From the rise of powerful imams to the fierce resistance of Ethiopian monarchs like Lebna Dengel and Sarsa Dengel, this clash reshaped not only Ethiopia but the geopolitics of the Red Sea and East Africa for centuries.

🔥 What you’ll learn in this video:
Why Massawa was Ethiopia’s lifeline to the sea and global trade.
How Imam Ahmad Grāñ’s jihad nearly toppled the Ethiopian Christian kingdom.
The role of firearms, cannons, and foreign alliances in 16th-century African warfare.
How the Ottoman seizure of Massawa changed Ethiopian history for 300 years.
The legacy of Ethiopia’s struggle for independence against global empires.

📖 Based on Richard Pankhurst’s The Ethiopians: A History and enriched with historical insights into the Horn of Africa, Adal Sultanate, and Ottoman-Portuguese rivalry.

⚔️ This is more than just history—it’s the story of faith, empire, betrayal, and survival at the crossroads of Africa, Arabia, and Europe.

✨ If you’re passionate about:
African History
Ethiopia & the Red Sea
Ottoman Empire & Portuguese expansion
Imam Ahmad (Ahmad Grāñ)
East African geopolitics
…then this video is for you!

👉 Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more deep dives into Ethiopia, Kush, Nubia, and Kemet.

Timestamps:
Podcast Introduction-00:00
Massawa, Ethiopia’s “window to the sea”-01:09
The Rise of the Imams-05:50
Control of Seaports Equated to power-07:16
Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (Ahmad Grāñ / “the Left-Handed”)-19:14
Lalilibela Looted-32:55
Portuguese Intervention in 1541-37:35
Betrayals and Alliances-40:04
The Ottoman Seizure of Massawa-43:15
Why the Red Sea?-47:07
Closing Remarks-51:07

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Check out my new book
The Crusades and Jihad in East Africa: Religious Conflicts and Their Impact
https://a.co/d/3VjRVQU

🌍 Ethiopia – The Source and the Sanctuary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scgychZF0WU&list=PL6VotoEf1immFPgzms-rIk9DtJguWUr6J&index=3

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