The plateau of Selale and its neighbours between the Muger, the Abay and the Christian districts of north Shewa, where the kingdom of Damot raided the Christian (and Muslim) communities of Shewa as far north as the Jamma river.
The hagiography of Takla Haymanot remembers two such invasions in the first half of the thirteenth century, the first before the saint's birth about 1215, and Damot later exacted tribute from the Muslim sultanate. No raid is dated to the winter of 1199-1200: the belt is drawn as the probable zone of insecurity on Damot's north-eastern edge, and the campaign may drop it.
How things stand that morning
Probable raiding zone; not attested for this winter.
Who raids here
Damot (from the south-west) against the Christian communities of Shewa and, later, the Muslim sultanate.
Anchors on each side
Damot's plateau west of the Muger (capital Maldarede in the hagiography); the Christian districts of Menz and Merhabete; the Makhzumi sultan's plateau round Walalah.
Last campaign
Not recorded before the early thirteenth century.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Hagiography written down long after the events (Gadla Takla Haymanot, via Taddesse Tamrat pp. 121-122).
On the map: Placement follows the hagiography's 'as far as the Jamma'; extent is a guess.
Sources and studies
- Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia 1270-1527 (1972), pp. 121-122
- Wikipedia, 'Kingdom of Damot'
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.