After almost a hundred years of tranquillity Adal had recovered sufficiently for a new onslaught against the Christians, and in Imam Ahmad Ibrahim al-Ghazi (or ‘Gran’) (1506–43), the Muslims had at last found the charismatic leadership they sought. The origins of Ahmad Gran, ‘the left-handed’ as he was known to Muslims and Christians alike, are appropriately obscure. But under his leadership resounding victories were won. Equipped with cannons imported through Zeila, his armies penetrated eventually into the heart of Abyssinia after a series of savage battles which are still vividly recalled today.

I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Som…, loc. 98