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Shermarki Ali Saleh circa (1776-1861)  perhaps the most famous Somali of the nineteen century. In early 1820s he became an important trader in Berbera and by 1833 he was one of its Sheikhs. In 1839 Sharmarke completely took over Berbera trade. In May 1843 Sharmarke took over Zeila imprisoning the Sharif of Mocha garrison and the governor Mohammed Al-Bard, his take over Zerila's governorship also gained him all its tributaries including Tajura, making him essentially the master of the trade from Abyssinia and Harar controlling all the coast from Berbera to Tajura. In 1854 he temporarily lost Zeila due to a disagreement with the Sharif Of Mocha the Turkish representative in Yemen. , only to gained it back till 1860 when the French along his rival Abu Bakr Pasha conspired in removing him and ultimately causing his death in a mysterious incident in 1861 in Jida Arabia. in 1861.

Formative years 1825-1838
The coastal Isaq are primarily traders. They are known to others Somalis, including Darod, as "Idor", which means "Merchant" with a clearly pejorative meaning, since even today these term is used as an insult by the Darods to meet the Isaq, engaging in trade for the nomadic Daarood was a demeaning occupation in the 19th and 20th century. This nickname comes from the possession of the ports of Berbera and Bulahar (65 km to east of Berbera) and the large caravans the Isaq lead to the Haud and the Ogaden. Nothing is known about the early life of Haji Shermarke or his place of birth, what is known however is his particular clan had always inhabited the ancient port Mait. Whether he was born there or in Berbera or in the interior its unknown. He began his career as a small Abban ( merchant protector) at Berbera, from time immemorial trade in the Somali coast required a local protection to protect the the none Somali merchants and their goods

Shermarke also prior to the British takeover of Aden in 1839 traded in slaves, at least as far as 1833 during Frederick Forbes visit to Berbera when Shermarke was the boss there he observed Abyssinian slaves been traded. also in 1839 slaves were been brought by Shermarke's agent from Shoa witnessed by missionary Karpf in Zeila. an English brig, the Mariann shipwrecked near Berbera, some of her crew were killed by the local Somalis and the cargo looted, however Shermarke saves the captain, an officer and part of the crew and carries them on his bugula to Bombay where he is widely rewarded for his action. Shermark's name and signature appear on the Agreement of Friendship, Commerce etc. between Great Britain and the Habr Owul (Somalis), signed at Berbera, 6 February 1827.

The well-known Shurmalkee, or Allee Allee, his real name, is now upwards of fifty years old, tall, thin, with slightly stooping shoulders; his face long, with small quickly moving eyes, and thin white beard. The only deviation from the usual dress of his countrymen is a white cotton cloth turban, a distinction, with the title of sheik, generally assumed by those who can read the Koran, or have performed the pilgrimage to Mecca. Some fifteen or twenty years since, Shurmalkee was chiefly instrumental in saving part of the crew of the English brig, Mary Anne, then lying at anchor in the harbour of Berberah, which w^as attacked and burned during the night by the natives. He was himself wounded on the occasion, and the mate and three or four of the brig's people murdered. The Indian Government rewarded him munificently at the time for his generous interference ; and since then, finding him honest, intelligent, and grateful, they have always patronized him, allowing him in our eastern parts the privilege of a British subject, with liberty to hoist our flag in his bogalows. He is now our native agent in all transactions with the Soumaulee inhabitants of Berberah and Zeila. By his industry and enterprise he has become the richest man along this coast ; nor is there scarcely a prince or petty chief in the adjoining countries who is not indebted to this African Rothschild.

Berbera and Zeila 1841-1855
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahle_Selassie

From his early days in 1820s and throughout the 1830s Sharmarke consolidated his position in Berbera at last by late 1830s becoming the chief governor of the port. News reached Aden that Sharmarke Ali of Berbera with his Somalis followers had taken possosion of the town of Zeila from the troops of the Sherif of Mocha, making the whole detachment prisoner without bloodshed. Berbera was Harar’s chief port. , Shermaarke in thr summer of 1843 with

After loosing Berbera in 1852, Shermaarkee sought to divert Harar-Berbera trade to Zeila , causing a conflict with the Amir of Harar.



In 1855 Abu Bakr became the Turkish governor of Zeila who replaced Shermarkee.

In 1855, the Porte issued, or was reported to have issued, a fir- man suppressing the slave trade. By an opinion of the Advocate General of the Bombay Government this firman applied only to the Persian Gulf and to ships in the Persian Gulf belonging to the territories of independent chiefs with whom treaties had been made. Coghlan had made such treaties with minor chiefs through- out the Gulf of Aden district and plans were on foot to close Zeila and Tajura, the chief ports of the trade, by giving Sher- markee Ali a pension in lieu of the income he received from this traffic. This plan was completely upset by Shermarkee, who had a sudden feud with Abu Bakr, the Turkish governor of Zeila, who had replaced him in 1855. Shermarkee blockaded the port of Zeila after Abu Bakr had refused to let him remove some property which Shermarkee claimed was his. While the pros and cons of this argument are not important, merely the usual record of bribery and greed, Shermarkee was apparently in the right. However, his actions made him persona non grata with the Turkish government and completely ruined his useful- ness to the English (BSC 1856, Coghlan-Bombay 4/9/56). M. Henri Lambert, French Consul at Aden, had made a trip through the area in the spring of 1856 and found the slave trade in full swing. According to his findings, 8,650 slaves had been imported through the Red Sea ports of the Arabian penin- sula in the year of 1855.

The French and Shermarke 1852-1861


The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 5. p.88 rivalry with the amir of Harar.

After a commercial trip to Australia, Henri Lambert moves to Mauritius where his brother is a planter. They set up a shipping company that went bankrupt in 1851.

Géographie de l'Ethiopie: ce que j'ai entendu, faisant suite à ce que j'ai vu By Abbadie, Antoine d', 1810-1897

In July 1859, M. Henri Lambert, French Consul at Aden, —brother to M. Joseph Lambert, formerly a merchant in Mauritius, and afterwards Minister of the King of Madagascar, by whom he was sent to France on a mission to the Emperor Napoleon,—was accidently drowned on the Somauli coast, while crossing from Hodeida to Ta- djurrah in a native boat belonging to the port of Zeila. The former Governor of that place, Abu Bekr, who was then at Tadjurrah, revenged himself on his rival and successor, Sheikh Shermerki, by accusing him of the murder of M. Lambert. As soon as this became known at Aden, the British Political Resident, Brigadier (now Sir William M.) Coghlan, dispatched his Assistant, Captain Playfair, in H.M.S. 'Furious/ to investigate the matter on the spot; when it was found that M. Lambert's death was purely accidental, and the charge against Shermarki trumped up by Abu Bekr out of sheer malice. The matter afforded, however, a pretext, such as had been long desired, for French interference. Accordingly, the French corvette 'Somme,' Commodore Vicomte de Langle, went to Zeila towards the end of 1860, to investigate the matter; when Shermarki and about a dozen other natives, most wrongfully accused of being M. Lambert's murderers, were made prisoners, and carried to Hodeida, to be judged by the Turkish Governor, within whose jurisdiction Zeila and Tadjurrah lie. The latter refusing to act in the matter, M. de Langle proceeded to Djidda, where he appealed to the Governor-General of Yemen, who likewise declined to interfere. On this the French Commodore sailed for France with all his prisoners except Shermarki, who had died on board ship in the harbour of Djidda. Representations were now made to the Porte by the French Ambassador at Constantinople, the result of which was that the Porte made over to France the revenues of the port of Zeila, till the sum of 30,000 dollars, the estimated cost of M. dc Langle's mission to investigate the circumstances of M. Lambert's death, should be paid. Emboldened by success, the Government of France went on yet further, showing but too plainly what were their real designs. Towards the end of April 1862, the French aviso 'Cu- rieux/ after cruising about the Red Sea for several months, went to Suez, where she took on board the native Somaulis and Dankalis, who had been carried to France by Commodore de Langle, the professed object being to con- vey them back home. But with them went M. Schaefer, first Oriental Interpreter to the Emperor; who, having carefully surveyed all the Dankali coast from Massowah to Zeila, fixed on a site for a settlement at Obokh, near Ras Bir, about midway between the Straits of Babelmandeb and Tadjurrah, and exactly opposite Aden; which place he purchased of the native governors of Tadjurrah and Raheita for the sum of 10,000 dollars, taking formal pos- session of it in the name of the Emperor Napoleon. There ought not to be any doubt as to the illegality of this purchase from acknowledged vassals of the Ottoman Porte, paying customs-duties to the Governor of Zeila, who is subject to the Governor of Hodeida. But the French have at all events succeeded in establishing a holding title; and we shall doubtless see ere long the use to which this settlement will be put. It is evidently intended for a base of operations against Abyssinia; and to it, as such, the Emperor Theodore's attention was drawn by Consul Cameron, under instructions from Mr. (now Sir .Robert G.) Colquhoun, Her Majesty's Agent and Consul-General in Egypt*. The acquisition of. Obokh by the French was first announced by me in the 'Times' of June 16th, 1862. It would be well if a motion were made in Parliament for the Papers relating to this subject as well as to the transfer from Turkey to Egypt of the western coast of the Red Sea, to which allusion is made in a subsequent Chapterf. * Parliamentary Paper, 18(36, 'Further Correspondence,' &c, p. 51. And see page 72, pott. t See pages 134,135.

In April, 1857, Coghlan reported that Boo Bekr (Abu Bakr), the ruler of Zeila, had been deposed by the Pasha of Hodeida, and Shermarkee restored to power (BSC 1857, Coghlan-Bombay 4/24/57). Meanwhile, at the re- quest of the Secret Committee, Coghlan had been investigating various islands for guano, but had found very little; the natives had used up the supply in past years (BSC 1857, Coghlan-Bom- bay 5/11/57). In September, 1857, reports arrived at Aden that "Baron" Heughlin, Austrian Consul at Khartoum, was exploring the Arabian coast and that Austria was preparing to occupy So- cotra (BSC 1857, Coghlan-Bombay 9/28/57). This gentleman was actually Dr. Von Heughlin, an eminent ornithologist. With an officer of the Austrian Navy he had been on a scientific ex- pedition on the Somali coast and was kidnapped near Cape Guard- afui and held for ransom. This ended the expedition and both gentlemen returned to Europe (BSC 1857, Coghlan-Bombay 12/12/57). Much to the surprise of everyone, including the officers of the schooner, the "Mahi" captured two slave ships from Zanzi- bar in January, 1858. This marked the first capture of a slave ship in Aden waters, and was the more surprising because the "Mahi" and the "Elphinstone," the only two boats stationed at Aden, were so well-known (BSLE 1858, Coghlan-Bombay 3/13/ 58). The lack of a suitable steamer prevented much action on the Somali and African coasts during these years, especially as troubles in Aden and the Hedjaz kept all ships busy. An act of piracy on the brig "Telegraph" on the Somali coast in August brought swift retribution with a bombardment of the town involved (BSLE 1858, Coghlan-Bombay 9/7/58). Continual reports of the slave trade filtered in but nothing could be done about it. However, in October rumors flew that the Turks were about to take Berbera. These did not materialize, luckily for Aden, but Coghlan had the "Lady Canning" in readiness and sent it there to prevent an occupation (BSLE 1858, Coghlan-Bombay 10/2/58). At the same time Captain Playfair, sent to the Somali coast to investigate further the "Telegraph" affair, arrived at Berbera to find a Turkish war buggalow approaching the harbor. It turned away when it sighted the "Lady Canning" and was not seen again (BSLE 1858, Coghlan-Bombay 10/11/58). In June, 1859, M. Henri Lambert, the Vice-Consul of France at Aden, made one of his many journeys to the African coast. He left Mocha on June 3 for Tajura to purchase mules forsince he was a merchant as well as Consul. Off Ras Ali near Tajura his ship met a heavy sea and fog and was wrecked on the Musa Islands. M. Lambert, instead of staying on the wreck, ordered a raft to be made and he, his servant, and one sailor tried to make the shore, but were drowned. Playfair left Aden immediately on the H. M. S. "Furious" to in- vestigate, as M. Lambert's inquiries into the slave trade and his activities against it had made him very unpopular in certain quarters. Playfair found the wreck untouched and under guard of Shermarkee's men; upon investigation he could see no reason to suspect foul play (FO 78/1467, Walne-FO 7/7/59 encl. Cogh- lan-Walne 6/16/59 and 6/18/59). While to the British Playfair's investigation closed the in- cident, the French in one of their moments of imperial expan- sion tried to use it as a cause for aggression. Almost immedi- ately the French warship "La Cordeliere" arrived at Aden carrying Admiral de Lingle, who, with Captain Russel, made an investigation and sailed away. (Russel, op. cit., pp. 195-6.) Early in 1861 de Lingle returned with two French naval vessels, the "Cordeliere" and "La Somme." The admiral pro- ceeded to Hodeida and soon wrote an insulting letter to Ahmed Pasha, the Turkish governor, demanding (1) that Ali Shermar- kee be made a prisoner; (2) that his property be confiscated and an indemnity of $25,000 given to the family of M. Lambert; (3) that the Nakoda and crew of the boat on which Lambert lost his life be imprisoned except for a sailor who had given evidence against Shermarkee and the crew. The "Lady Canning" was sent to Hodeida to observe the investigation. The commanding officer reported that the Pasha stated that he believed Shermar- kee innocent but that he was under considerable pressure from the French, and felt that the affair should be referred to Con- stantinople for settlement. Meanwhile, de Lingle took matters into his own hands. He sailed to Zeila to get witnesses, and seized three buggalows belonging to Shermarkee and took twenty prisoners. He apparently thought better of this last incident, and released the prisoners before stopping at Aden, where he informed Playfair that he would give him full information and presented him with copies of the deposition which he had obtained. In spite of these, Playfair commented, "I have not yet heard a single circumstance which makes me doubt that M. Lambert's death was not accidental." Playfair's conclusions can hardly have been biased. The reports from Aden indicate that Lambert.

was a close personal friend of the Acting Resident and that if he could have found any reason to believe that the French Consul's death was murder he would have left nothing undone to bring the murderer to trial (BSE 1851, Playfair-Bombay 4/20/61). De Lingle, on returning to Hodeida, badly mistreated his voluntary witnesses to force them to change their stories, and also tried bribery (BSE 1861 Playfair-Bombay 5/20/61). Play- fair shortly received a letter of protest from Ahmed Pasha against the "arbitrary and insulting conduct of the French" who, he said, had appointed a new governor of Zeila (Abu Bakr) with- out consulting him, and had refused him any of the evidence so that he could not conduct a trial of the individuals as he was ob- liged to do (BSE 1861, Playfair-Bombay 5/29/61). Enclosed was a copy of a letter from de Lingle to Ahmed Pasha in which the French Commodore said, "The English were averse to any French Consuls being in these parts and would conceal this mur- der if possible and make others afraid to be killed" (BSE 1861, de Lingle-Ahmed Pasha 5/7/61 encl. in Playfair-Bombay 5/29/61). De Lingle refused to give up the further prisoners he had seized, chief of whom was Shermarkee, and proceeded to Jidda where he tried to get Ali Pasha to try the men. Ali refused as he felt that the evidence was obtained by torture and believed that the whole affair should be discussed in Constantinople. Shermarkee died in Jidda, on May 24, 1861, "of a broken heart" at eighty-five years of age. In Aden, Playfair refused deLingle's demand for the seizure and surrender of Shermarkee's property. De Lingle, due to engine trouble on "La Somme," decided to return to France instead of proceeding to Suez (BSE 1861, Play- fair-Bombay 6/8/61). On his way he stopped at Zeila to obtain more evidence from Abu Bakr, his self-appointed governor, and sailed for France with his prisoners (BSC 1861, Playfair- Bombay 7/12/61). One of the prisoners died on the way, and another died at the prison in Brest where all were incarcerated. Whatever became of the rest of the prisoners no one knows (BSE 1862, Playfair-Bombay 1/12/62). The whole incident was an outrageous abuse of international law and the laws of the countries involved. In the spring of 1862 the French naval vessel "Curieux" appeared in the Red Sea bearing a M.Schiffer (sic: proper spelling, Schaeffer), whose title appeared to be Premier Secre- taire Interprete de l'Empereur, and some Dankali natives whom de Lingle had taken to Hodeida as witnesses. This ship visited the whole coast from Bab-el-Mandeb to Zeila and finally se- lected the Bander of Obock as a settlement, purchasing it for $3,000 from the Dankali chieftain. This harbor was relatively unknown to Aden; the older officers who had been in the Indian Navy knew it only as a spot where small craft sometimes an- chored at night. The natives reported it as a possible good har - bor but with no back country to supply it; the few tribesmen there were dependent on the Arab coast for supplies. Aside from prestige value and the very dubious strategic value of hav- ing a settlement in this locality, the only possible point of the acquisition was perhaps a means of controlling the trade of south Abyssinia which largely went through Zeila. But this trade was small unless the slave trade could be developed. Further, the legality of the purchase was highly dubious as the coast was part of the Pashalik of the Yemen, as the English had long since found out in their efforts to suppress the slave trade there. Coupled with the rumored purchase of Edd by Pastre Freres, a large commercial concern, and the acquisition of Dissei, it would appear that the French were aiming at dominance of the Abyssinian trade (BSE 1862, Honner-Bombay 5/23/62). Captain Cruttenden, accompanied by General Honner, was sent on H.M.S. "Zenobia" to investigate Obock after the "Cur- ieux" had left. They found the harbor relatively useless as it was exposed to the land winds. The natives were much upset by the purchase, not for patriotic motives, but because the chief of Raheita, a neighboring district, had received all the money for the place and refused to split with the local chiefs. An ex- pedition had been planned by the natives to drive the French out, but the "Curieux" had left just before the attackers arrived at the beach. The site provided no natural defenses, the only food was goat mutton, and wood and fresh water were the only articles in abundance (BSE 1862, Honner-Bombay 6/2/62, also FO 78/ 1675, encl. in Saunders-FO 7/15/62). When Lord Cowley re- quested further information from Thouvenal in Paris regarding the affair, Thouvenal admitted that M. Schaeffer, the chief drago- man of the Imperial Embassy at Constantinople, had gone to the Red Sea to purchase a coaling station but that no conquest was planned. He advised Cowley that formal possession had been taken after the place had been bought for $10,000 (FO 78/3187, Confidential Memo printed for use of Foreign Office 3/10/74). Actually a treaty was entered into between the French Government and Abu Bakr and other chiefs which was signed on March 11, 1862. It gave to the French Government the port of Obock, and a virtual protectorate over all of what is now French Somali- land. Included was a provision which granted them Ghoubat Kharab, the innermost bay of the Gulf of Ta jura, if Obock should not be satisfactory. (Text of treaty in Angoulvant, G., and Vigneras, Sylvain, DJIBOUTI, MER ROUGE ET ABYSSINIE, Paris, Libraire Africaine et Coloniale, 1902, pp. 9-11.)