Biqulzar

Biqulzar (Harari: ቡቁልዘር) also spelled as Baqulzar or Bequl zar was a historical region located in eastern Ethiopia.^[1][2][3] According to Taddesse Tamrat, the state was positioned east of the Awash River however historian Hussein Ahmed, proposes it was a general term for districts east of Amhara region in the fourteenth century.^[4][5]

Etymology

Biqulzar originates from the Harari language meaning “verdure along a stream.”^[6] According to British historian George Huntingford, sixteenth century Adalite writer Arab Faqīh in his text Conquest of Abyssinia describes Biqulzar as "a river full of water."^[7]

History

According to fourteenth century Arab historian Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari, Biqulzar was one of Ifat's ancient metropolises or regions alongside Kwelgora, Hubat, Gidaya, Hargaya and Fedis.^{[8][9][10][11][12][13]}

In the fourteenth century, Ethiopian emperor Amda Seyon fought the Wargar or Warjih people in Biqulzar.^[14][15][16] According to Salvatore Tsdeschi, in 1332 Amda Seyon had summoned his vassal ruler of Ifat, Jamal ad-Din I in Biqulzar however Manfred Kropp believes Amda Seyon met with a distinct ruler of Biqulzar.^[17][18]