The Ethiopian slave who became king in India
Throughout human history, black people have proven beyond reasonable doubt that they can dominate in every aspect of life. The achievements of Malik are an inspiring story for every black person alive. It shows that we have the power within us to rise from our current state of oppression by the Caucasian world.
Malik Ambar was an Ethiopian enslaved in India who later rose to the position of King. He is the greatest black man in the feudal history of his country.
He was born around 1546 in the Harar country which is now known as Ethiopia. Malik was called Shembu or Chapu. He was enslaved by the Arabs, extradited to Yemen and later on to Baghdad.
Luckily for him, he didn’t undergo castration like every other black man in captivity during his time.
Instead, he was put under the custody of a nobleman called Kazi Hussein who would later like him because of his intelligence, ability to reflect, knowledge of several languages and memorization.
This ability made him teach Chapu and was later given a Muslim name, Ambar – which means administration and financial management.
Ambar was 22 when Hussein died. Then, he was sold again to India. This time he was put under the custody of Chengiz Khan, the then Prime minister of Ahmadnagar State in Southern India who was also of Ethiopian descent.
Ambar received military training under Khan. And due to his intellectual and physical qualities, he soon rose to become the highest-ranking Habashi soldier in the Ahmadnagar State.
After Chengiz Khan died, Ambar raised skilled mercenaries and sold his services to the states of Southern India. During that time, the Mughals had taken over Northern India and were constantly fighting to infiltrate the South, but Ambar and his men withstood them and defended the region.
This, they did so efficiently that his influence grew to that of a king and was given the title Malik, which means king. In no time, he had attracted young men, who joined his army as he had become a major figure of resistance against the Mughal’s army.
Malik and his entire army were integrated into the Ahmadnagar army in 1595, only to have the whole capital besieged by the Mughals. However, Malik was able to escape with his men and later returned to defeat the Mughals again.
Leveraging on the succession conflicts that arose, Ambar enforced himself as the king and married his daughter off to a distant probable heir to a throne, who was only a pawn, and placed a powerless 3-year-old prince on the throne. With his shrewdness and power, he rose to become the unopposed competent ruler of the state of Ahmadnagar.
Malik Ambar soon founded a new capital which he called Khadki, presently known as Aurangabad. He fortified the city with gates and raised magnificent structures.
He provided an advanced water supply system for Khadki that was faced with issues of drought. This turned out as one of his most lauded projects, as he achieved it within 15 months at minimal cost amidst uncertainties by building water channels from the water reserves in the far North, through to the South. This system provided water year-round.
Through his contact with Europeans, malik ambar accrued weapons and had modern munitions with which he continually defeated the Mughals. By the end of his life, he had 50,000 soldiers, including 10,000 Habashi.
He passed on in 1626 at 80 years of age and was succeeded by his son.
His fame exceeded the Southern and central India, and till date, he is celebrated at Aurangabad.
Sadly, racist Indian historiographers have refused to acknowledge this great African legend.
