Battle of Webi River
| Battle of Webi River | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Ottoman–Ethiopian War (1557–1589) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Ethiopian Empire | Adal Sultanate | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Sarsa Dengel |
Muhammad ibn Nasir Wakar Muhammad Wabaz Muhammad | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Heavy; entire force annihilated | ||||||
The Battle of Webi River was fought in 1576 between the forces of Adal led by Muhammad ibn Nasir, and the Abyssinian army, under Sarsa Dengel. The outcome of this last war proved to be the end of the political importance of Harar, as the invading Muslim force was liquidated. This major defeat ended Harar’s status as a major military power and permanently ceased its aggression towards Ethiopia. With the battle and the resulting executions of the Adalite nobility, Harar as a military power "was extinguished forever" in the words of historian J. Spencer Trimingham.