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WADAI

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 226 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WADAI , a See also:

country of See also:north central See also:Africa, bounded N. by See also:Borku and Enndi, S. by the See also:Ubangi sultanates, W. and S.W. by Kanem and See also:Bagirmi, and E. by See also:Darfur. Formerly an See also:independent See also:Mahommedan sultanate, it was in 1909 annexed to See also:French See also:Equatorial Africa (French See also:Congo). Wadai has an See also:area estimated at 150,000 sq. m., and a See also:population of 3,000,000 to 4,000,000. The See also:general level of the country is about 1500 ft. North, north-See also:east, See also:south-See also:west and in the centre are ranges of hills rising another woo ft. West and north-west the fall to the See also:Sahara is See also:gradual. Here occur remarkable See also:sand-ridges of fantastic shape—hollow mounds, pyramids, crosses, &c.—which are characteristic of the Libyan See also:desert. There are also See also:sandstone rocks of varying See also:colours—red, See also:blue, See also:white, See also:black, &c.—presenting the aspect of ruined castles, ramparts and churches. North-west is a wide See also:district of dreary See also:plain—See also:part of the See also:clay See also:zone which stretches from the See also:middle See also:Niger to the See also:Nile—covered with See also:thorn See also:bush and dum palms. The central and eastern regions are the most fertile, and contain large See also:forest areas. The country belongs to the See also:Chad drainage area, though it is possible that the See also:Bahr-el-Ghazal (of the Chad See also:system) may afford a connexion with the Nile (see See also:SHARI). The streams which rise in the north-eastern districts, of which the Batha (over 300 M. See also:long) is the iargest, flow west,- the Batha ending in a depression, some 200 M.

E. of See also:

Lake Chad, called Fittri. Another stream, the See also:Wadi Rime, with a more northerly course than the Batha, goes in the direction of Chad, but ends in swamps in the clayey See also:soil. These See also:rivers are intermittent, and after seasons of drought Fittri is completely dry. In the dry See also:season See also:water is obtained from See also:wells 250 to 300 ft. deep. The rivers of See also:Dar Runga flow westward towards the Shari, but, See also:save the Bahr Salamat, none reaches it. They only contain water in the See also:rainy season. About no m. above the; Salamat-Shari confluence is Lake Iro, joined to the Salamat by a See also:short channel. In the forests See also:xxviIi. 8are large herds of elephants, and hippopotami abound along the See also:river-beds. In the north are the See also:camel and the See also:ostrich. Among the trees is a See also:species of See also:wild See also:coffee which reaches 5o to 6o ft. and yields berries of excellent quality. The See also:cotton plant is indigenous..

Inhabitants and See also:

Trade.—The inhabitants consist of See also:negroid and See also:negro tribes, See also:Arabs, See also:Fula, See also:Tibbu and See also:half-castes. The Maba, the dominant See also:race, are said to be of Nubian origin; they are believed not to number more than 750,000, and live chiefly in the north-eastern district. They are in See also:political See also:alliance with the Arab tribes, known in Wadai as Zoruk (dark) and Homr (red). The Maba have a reputation for See also:pride, valour, See also:cruelty, See also:drunkenness and barbaric splendour. The See also:capital, Abeshr, is in the N.E., in about 210 E., 130 50' N. Thence a See also:caravan route crosses the Sahara via the Kufra oases to Benghazi in See also:Barca. Another trade route goes east through Darfur to See also:Khartum. The See also:people possess large See also:numbers of horses, See also:cattle, See also:sheep and goats. See also:Maize, See also:durra, cotton and See also:indigo are cultivated, and See also:cloth is See also:woven. See also:Ivory and ostrich feathers, the See also:chief articles of export, are taken to See also:Tripoli by the desert route, together with small quantities of coffee and other produce. There is a trade in cattle, horses and coffee with the countries to the south. Until the French See also:conquest Wadai was a See also:great centre of the slave trade.

Slaves were obtained by raiding and in the See also:

form of See also:tribute from Bagirmi, Kanem and other countries once dependent on Wadai. The slaves were sent chiefly to Barca. Wadai was also notorious for its See also:traffic in eunuchs. See also:History.—Situated between the Sahara and the dense forest lands of equatorial Africa, Wadai See also:early became a See also:meeting ground of negro and Arab culture. Eastern influences and the Mahommedan See also:religion ultimately obtained predominance, though the See also:sovereignty of the country reverted to the negro race. It was sometimes tributary to and sometimes the overlord of the neighbouring countries, such as Bagirmi and Kanem. It was made known to See also:Europe by the writings of the Arab geographers, but it was not until See also:Nachtigal's visit in 1873 that accurate knowledge of the See also:land and people was obtained. About 164o a Maba chieftain named Abd-el-Kerim conquered the country, See also:driving out the Tunjur, a See also:dynasty of Arabian origin. Thereafter Wadai, notorious as a great slave-raiding See also:state, suffered from many See also:civil and See also:foreign See also:wars. Mahommed Sherif, See also:sultan from 1838 to 1858, introduced Senussiism into the country. In the last See also:decade of the 19th See also:century the French advancing from the Congo and from the Niger made their See also:influence See also:felt in Wadai, and by the Anglo-French See also:declaration of the See also:list of See also:March 1899 Wadai was recognized as within the French See also:sphere. That state was then torn by civil wars.

The Sultan See also:

Ibrahim (see See also:SENUSSI) was murdered in 1900, and Ahmed Ghazili became sultan. He was warned by the See also:Sheikh Senussi el See also:Mandi of the danger arising from the approach of the Christians (i.e. the French), but he had to meet the opposition of the princes Doud Murra (a See also:brother of Ibrahim) and Acyl. Ahmed Ghazili and Doud Murra, though of the royal See also:family, had non-Maba mothers; Acyl, a See also:grandson of the Sultan Mahommed Sherif, was of pure Maba descent. Acyl, ordered to be blinded by Ahmed Ghazili, fled to Kelkele, west of Lake Fittri, and entered into friendly relations with the French. A few months later (Dec. 1901) Ahmed was dethroned. With Doud Murra, who then became sultan, the French endeavoured to come to an under-See also:standing, and in See also:November 19o3,the Wadaians agreed to recognize the See also:possession of Bagirmi, Kanem, &c., by See also:France. How-ever, in the See also:spring of 1904, acting, it is believed, at the instigation of the Senussites, the Wadaians attacked French posts in the Shari region and carried off many slaves. At Tomba (13th of May 2904) they suffered a severe defeat, but they renewed their raids, and there was continual fighting on the west and south-west See also:borders of Wadai during 1905-1907. The fighting resulted in strengthening the position of the French and of their ally Acyl, and in 1908 Doud l\iurra, again, it is stated, at the instigation of the Senussites, proclaimed the See also:jihad. His See also:army was split up under aguids (feudal lords), and was beaten in detail by the French. At Joue in the Batha valley (See also:June 16, rgo8) Commandant See also:Julien inflicted enormous losses on the enemy.

End of Article: WADAI

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