Town · Nubia and the Horn of Africa · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Sheikh Hussein

The shrine of the Muslim saint Nur Hussein at Anajina in northern Bale, the greatest pilgrimage centre of southern Ethiopia, where the saint is said to have converted the people of Bale.

Local tradition places him early, in the twelfth or thirteenth century; other accounts put him much later. Noted here as the probable early seat of Islam in Bale, on thin evidence.

Who holds it

Title
Keepers of the shrine
Since
Not pinned
Confidence
low

Lord in 1200

Among the self-governing peoples of Bale.

Council

Not recorded

Communities

Not recorded

Fairs and markets

Not recorded

Militia

Not recorded

Walls and castle

Not recorded

Trade and crafts

Not recorded

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Tradition only; position approximate.

Sources and studies

  1. Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia 1270-1527 (Oxford 1972)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.