The head of the local Hazzäga family, lég Wäldä Mikaýel Sälomon (later ras ), however, cooperated with the Egyptians before, starting from the GuraC campaign, and in July 1876 killed his rival Òaylu Täwäldä MädĽén “Habal” of SäCazzäga at the battle of Wäkki Débba, who was an ally of the Emperor. In spite of the lost battles 1875/76 Egypt claimed sovereignity over the M.M. The Marab Mellash acquired a most prominent position in Ethiopian politics in the period of ase Yohannés IV, when it was defended against Egyptian expansionism (Egyptian–Ethiopian war 1875–76) and later lost to Italian colonialism. In some documents the Marab Mellash is simply appearing as “Hamasen”, as its centre was located in that province (BTafY 75), the Marab Mellash as a matter of fact corresponding mainly to Hamasen with its dependencies. In the tax records of ase Tewodros II the Marab Mellash is listed as one of the northern provinces paying tribute (along with Wälqayt and other northern territories of Tégréñña speakers not be- ing part of Tégray proper). when bahri nägaíi Boõru Sälomon got the govern- ment of the Marab Mellash, after the partition of the older Bambollo Méllaš of Andä Haymanot (KolTrad III, A20). 3) The Märäb was consolidated as a provincial boundary in the mid-18th cent. The latter half-province beyond the Märäb also appears as “Marebo” in a Portuguese source of the 17th cent., which corresponds to the territory of the Marab Mellash. In that period the “province of Tégray” was reported to consist of two segments, one governed by the tégre mäkwännén with twelve provincial governors, the other by the bahér nägaš also with twelve provincial governors under him, which would correspond to the later Marab Mellash (Barradas 1996:1ff.). It might have appeared in the 17th cent., but perhaps also occasionally before. The exact date of the establishment of the Marab Mellash is not known. Such administrative units could disappear again quite quickly, following the up-or down grading of governors or due to other administrative concerns. the area of the Šire highlands (Pankhurst 1978:39). The administrative unit CAqäb (‘highland’) Šire Méllaši appears in the tax records of ase Tewodros II, i.e. northern province of the Bambollo Méllaš, the smaller one of Aloha Méllaš, etc. This was the case of the great 17th cent. Territories, given by the Ethiopian ruler to their governors, were sometimes not defined on the basis of a historical unity or ethnically, but following geographical landmarks – especially rivers, but also other landmarks – and in that case the term méllaš was added to describe the approximate location of the territory. The term follows an older pattern in Ethiopian administrative traditions (Administrative division). The province of Akkälä Guzay (not lying beyond the Märäb) was originally not included. In the formal sense the Marab Mellash comprised the historical provinces of Hamasen and Säraye, both unified under the petty dynasty of the Ad Däggiyat of Séazzäga in Hamasen. The Marab Mellash largely corresponded to the former greater territory governed by the bahér nägaš ( bahri nägaíi ), the Médri Bahri (‘Land of the Sea’, i.e. today’s Eritrean highlands ( Käbäsa ) with their dependencies. The Marab Mellash (‘[Province beyond the Märäb’, also Märäb Mällaš, Märäb Méllasi) was the name of a province north of the Märäb river,i.e.
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