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{{EngvarB|date=April 2017}}
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{{Infobox military person
| name = Malik Ambari
| image = File:Orient 2.jpg
| caption = Malik Ambar of Ahmadnagar<ref>Sheikh Chand, Malik Ambar,"Ehde Afreen; Hyderabad; 1929</ref><ref>Times of India, '' Plus Supplement'', July 1999,</ref>
| birth_name = Wako<ref name="RobbinsMcleod50">{{cite book|authors=Kenneth X. Robbins, John McLeod|title=African Elites in India|date=2006|publisher=Mapin|isbn=8188204730|page=50|oclc=701823920}}</ref><br>Chapu<ref name="RobbinsMcleod50"/>
| birth_date = 1548<ref>https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/malik-ambar-the-ethiopian-slave-who-became-a-kingmaker-in-india-33181</ref>
| death_date = 11 May {{death year and age|1626|1548}}
| birth_place = [[Harar]]<ref>https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/malik-ambar-the-ethiopian-slave-who-became-a-kingmaker-in-india-33181</ref>
| allegiance = Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar
}}

'''Malik Ambar''' (1548 – 13 May 1626) was a [[Siddi]] military leader and prime minister of the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate]] in the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] region of India.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/malik-ambar-aurangabad-mughals-jahangir-akbar-shivaji-6397143/|title=Malik Ambar: The African slave who built Aurangabad and ruined the game for Mughals in the Deccan}}</ref>

Born in the [[Adal Sultanate|Adal Sultunate]], in present-day Ethiopia, Malik was sold as a child by his parents and brought to India as a slave. While in India he created a mercenary force numbering up to 1500 men. It was based in the Deccan region and was hired by local kings. Malik became a popular Prime Minister of the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate]], showing administrative acumen. He is also regarded as a pioneer in [[guerilla warfare]] in the region. He is credited with carrying out a [[Permanent Settlement|revenue settlement]] of much of the Deccan, which formed the basis for subsequent settlements. He is a figure of veneration to the [[Siddi]]s of [[Gujarat]]. He humbled the might of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]] and [[Adil Shah|Adil Shah of Bijapur]] and raised the low status of the Nizam Shah.<ref>[https://scholar.google.com/scholarhl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:vImUXphxkKIJ:muse.jhu.edu/demo/asian_music/v036/36.1maciszewski.pdf+Malik+Ambar]</ref><ref name="michell_275">Michell, George & Mark Zebrowski. ''Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates'' (''[[The New Cambridge History of India]]'' Vol. I:7), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999, {{ISBN|0-521-56321-6}}, p.11-12</ref>

==Early life==
Malik Ambar was born in 1548 as ''Chapu'', a birth-name<ref>{{citation|title=Malik Ambar: The African slave who built Aurangabad and ruined the game for Mughals in the Deccan|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/malik-ambar-aurangabad-mughals-jahangir-akbar-shivaji-6397143/|access-date= May 15, 2020}}</ref> in Kabmbata, Southern region of modern Ethiopia or [[Harar]], [[Adal Sultanate]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia |date=6 October 2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317321279 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GpNECgAAQBAJ&q=malik+ambar+harar&pg=PT69}}</ref> Mir Qasim Al Baghdadi, one of his slave owners eventually converted Chapu to Islam and gave him the name Ambar, after recognizing his superior intellectual qualities.<ref name=":0" /> Ambar is believed to be [[Oromo people|Oromo]] descent<ref>{{citation|title=Malik Ambar: The African slave who built Aurangabad and ruined the game for Mughals in the Deccan|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/malik-ambar-aurangabad-mughals-jahangir-akbar-shivaji-6397143/|access-date= May 15, 2020}}</ref> while other sources claim he was from the [[Maya (Ethiopia)|Maya]] tribe.<ref>{{cite book |title=Tourism Potential in Aurangabad: With Ajanta, Ellora, Daulatabad Fort |year=1999 |publisher=Bharatiya Kala Prakashan |page=6 |isbn=9788186050446 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oKnpAAAAMAAJ&q=+maya}}</ref>

Between the 14th and 17th centuries, the Christian [[Ethiopian Empire]] (led by the [[Solomonic dynasty]]) and adjacent Muslim states gathered much of their slaves from non-Abrahamic communities inhabiting regions like [[Kambata]], [[Kingdom of Damot|Damot]] and [[Hadya]], which were located on the southern flanks of their territory. Malik Ambar was among the people who were [[converted to Islam]], and later dispatched abroad to serve as a warrior.<ref name="RobbinsMcleod50"/> Both the [[Solomonic dynasty]] and the [[Adal Sultanate]] were devastated after two decades of war with each other. According to the ''Futuhat-i `Adil Shahi'', Malik Ambar was sold into slavery by his parents. He ended up in [[Mocha, Yemen|al-Mukha]] in [[Yemen]], where he was sold again for 20 ducats and was taken to the slave market in [[Baghdad]], where he was sold a third time to the [[Qadi|Qadi al-Qudat]] of [[Mecca]] and again in Baghdad to Mir Qasim al-Baghdadi, who eventually took him to [[Deccan Plateau]]. He was described by the Dutch merchant [[Pieter van den Broecke]] as, "a black kafir from Abyssinia with a stern Roman face."<ref>E. V. Donzel, "Slave-Trade in Ethiopia," p.185</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Malik Ambar: The Legacy of an Ethiopian Ruler in India|url=https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/O_Ali_MalikAmbar_2011.pdf|last=Ali|first=Omar H|year=2011|access-date=7 September 2016}}</ref>

Malik Ambar was then purchased by Chengiz Khan, a former Habshi slave who served as the ''peshwa'' or chief minister of the [[Sultanate of Ahmadnagar]].<ref name="Habshi">Chinmay Tumbe, ''India Moving: A History of Migration'' (2019), p.29</ref>

==Career==
[[File:Portrait of Burhan Nizam Shah II.jpg|thumb|right|Portrait of the Nizam Shahs]]
Once his master died, Malik Ambar was freed by his master’s wife. He got married, and after getting freed, Ambar briefly served the Sultan of Bijapur and gained the title “Malik” during this time. But Ambar quit this service after citing insufficient support before entering service in the Nizam Shahi Army.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Slavery & South Asian history|date=2006|publisher=Indiana University Press|others=Chatterjee, Indrani., Eaton, Richard Maxwell.|isbn=978-0-253-11671-0|location=Bloomington|oclc=191950586}}</ref>

Malik Ambar was the regent of the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate|Nizamshahi dynasty]] of [[Ahmednagar]] from 1607 to 1627. During this period he increased the strength and power of [[Murtaza Nizam Shah II]] and raised a large army. He raised a cavalry which grew from 150 to 7000 in a short period of time and revitalized the Ahmadnagar sultanate by appointing puppet sultans to repel Mughal attacks from the North.<ref name=Habshi/> By 1610, his army grew to include 10,000 Habshis and 40,000 Deccanis.<ref name=Habshi/> Over the course of the next decade, Malik Ambar would fight and defeat Mughal emperor [[Jahangir]]'s attempts to take over the kingdom.<ref name=Habshi/>
[[File:Malik amber ahmadnager hi.jpg|thumb|left|Malik Ambar]]

Malik Ambar changed the capital from Paranda to [[Junnar]] and founded a new city, Khadki which was later on changed to [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]] by the Emperor [[Aurangzeb]] when he invaded Deccan around 1658 to 1707.

Malik Ambar is said to be one of the proponents of guerrilla warfare in the Deccan region. Malik Ambar assisted [[Shah Jahan]] wrestle power in Delhi from his stepmother, [[Nur Jahan]], who had ambitions of seating her son-in-law on the throne. Malik Ambar had also restored some credibility to the Sultans of Ahmadnagar, who had been subdued by the earlier Mughals (Akbar had annexed Ahmadnagar).<ref>[https://archive.today/20120720054303/http://www.boloji.com/history/020.htm/boloji.com]</ref> However, he was defeated later when Shah Jahan led a massive army against the dwindling Ahmednagar. Later Malik Ambar offered full control of Berar and Ahmadnagar to the Mughal as a sign of surrender.<ref>{{cite book |last=Richards |first=John F. |year=1995 |title=The Mughal Empire |pages=112–113 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HHyVh29gy4QC&q=malik+ambar+nur+jahan&pg=PA113|isbn=9780521566032 }}</ref>

===Second conflict with Mughals===
Malik Ambar defeated the Mughal General Khan Khanan many times and often attacked Ahmadnagar. [[Lakhuji Jadhav]]rao, [[Maloji Bhosale]], [[Shahaji Bhosale]] and other Maratha chiefs had gained great prominence during this period. With the help of these Maratha chiefs, Malik Ambar had captured [[Ahmednagar Fort]] and town from the Mughals. But in one of the battles Malik Ambar was defeated by the Mughals and had to surrender the fort of Ahmadnagar. Many Maratha Chiefs and especially Lakhuji Jadhavrao and Ranoji Wable joined the Mughals after this. [[Shah Jahan]] once again laid a crushing blow to Malik Ambar in one of the battles and further decreased his power.

[[File:The surrender of the Fort at Udgir to Khan Dawran (October 1636).jpg|thumb|right|Surrender of Udgir fort to the Mughals]]

==Death==
[[File:Malik Ambar's Tomb.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Malik Ambar's Tomb 1860s [[Khuldabad]]]]
He died in 1626 at the age of 77. Malik Ambar had by his [[Siddi]] wife, Bibi Karima two sons; Fateh Khan and Changiz Khan and two daughters.<ref>Omar H. Ali,''"Malik Ambar: Power and Slavery Across the Indian Ocean, p.44"''</ref><ref>Shanti Sadiq Ali,''"The African Dispersal in the Deccan: From Medieval to Modern Times"'' p.99</ref>

Fateh Khan succeeded his father as the regent of the Nizam Shahs. However, he did not possess his predecessor's political and military prowess. Through a series of internal struggles within the nobility (which included Fateh Khan assassinating his nephew, Sultan Burhan Nizam Shah III), the sultanate fell to the [[Mughal Empire]] within ten years of Ambar's death.

One of his daughters was married to a prince of the Ahmednagar royal family who was later, through Malik Ambar's aid crowned as Sultan [[Murtaza Nizam Shah II]].<ref>Richard M. Eaton,''"Slavery and South Asian History"'' p.126</ref> The eldest and youngest daughters respectively were called Shahir Bano and Azija Bano, the latter of whom married a nobleman named Siddi Abdullah.<ref>Shanti Sadiq Ali,''"The African Dispersal in the Deccan: From Medieval to Modern Times"'' p.104</ref>

The final daughter was married to the [[Circassians|Circassian]] Commander of the Ahmednagar army, Muqarrab Khan, who later became a general under the [[Shah Jahan|Mughal Emperor]] and received the title Rustam Khan Bahadur Firauz Jang.<ref>Edward J. Rapson,''"The Cambridge History of India, Volume 1"'' p.189</ref><ref>John Cadgwan Powell Price,''"A History of India"'' p.313</ref> He became famous for his involvement in several important military campaigns, such as the [[Mughal–Safavid War (1649–1653)|Kandahar Wars]] against [[Abbas II of Persia|Shah Abbas of Persia]]. He was killed by Prince [[Murad Baksh]] in the [[Battle of Samugarh]] during the Mughal War of succession in 1658.<ref>Muni Lal,''"Aurangzeb"'' p.93</ref>

Malik Ambar's tomb lies in [[Khuldabad]], near the shrine of the famous sufi saint [[Zar Zari Zar Baksh|Zar Zari Baksh]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sohoni|first=Pushkar|date=2018-04-01|title=Imbrication and Implication|journal=Archives of Asian Art|volume=68|issue=1|pages=33–46|doi=10.1215/00666637-4342393|s2cid=194963690|issn=0066-6637}}</ref>

==Legacy==
{{original research|section|date=March 2015}}
There are conflicting perspectives on Ambar's long-term impact in Deccan, and its surrounding Indian states. Historians who subscribe to Harris's point of view credit the former slave with creating a long-lasting legacy of Africans rising to power in the eastern regions of the world, namely India.<ref>The African Presence in Asia, Northwestern University Press Evanston, 1971, pp. 91–99.</ref> Others agree more with historians like Richard Eaton. He cites Ambar's military prowess as the reason he rose to such influence during his life, but claims that a string of decisive defeats at the end of his career instigated distrust and resentment amongst those in his close administration. Eaton and his proponents claim Ambar's journey is an impressive story of success, and gave African's representation in India for a short while, but also believe his lack of positive leadership in the final years of his tenure prevented him from solidifying his influence, as his successors quickly worked to reverse many of Ambar's policies.<ref>Eaton, Richard M. “Malik Ambar (1548-1626): The Rise and Fall of Military Slavery.” The New Cambridge History of India, edited by Gordon Johnson, 8th ed., vol. 1, Cambridge University Press, 2005, pp. 104–130. A Social History of the Deccan, 1300-1761 Eight Indian Lives.</ref> Regardless of his posthumous impact on the Deccan, and Indian states generally, it cannot be disputed Ambar was an avid supporter of education and a patron of the arts. Historians Joseph E. Harris and Chand cite Ambar's patron ship of the arts and learning as a shining achievement of his tenure as Malik of Deccan.<ref>Harris, Joseph E. “Malik Ambar: African Regent-Minister in India.” The African Presence in Asia, Northwestern University Press Evanston, 1971, pp. 91–99.</ref>

Malik Ambar cherished strong love and ability for architecture. Aurangabad was Ambar's architectural achievement and creation. Malik Ambar the founder of the city was always referred to by harsh names by Sultan [[Jahangir]]. In his memoirs, he never mentions his name without prefixing epithets like wretch, cursed fellow, Habshi, Ambar Siyari, black Ambar, and Ambar Badakhtur. Some historians believe that those words came out of frustration as Malik Ambar had resisted the powerful Mughals and kept them away from Deccan."<ref>Qureshi Dulari,''Tourism Potential in Aurangabad,'' p.6</ref>

===Foundation of Aurangabad===
He founded/inhabited the city of Khirki in 1610.<ref>Jogindra Narji Chowdhuri, Malik Ambar, A Biography Based on original sources, 1940, page 70</ref> After his death in 1626, the name was changed to Fatehpur by his son and heir Fateh Khan. When Aurangzeb, the Mughal Emperor invaded Deccan in the year 1653, he made Fatehpur his capital and renamed it as [[Aurangabad Maharashtra|Aurangabad]]. Since then it is known as Aurangabad. Two imperial capitals Viz. ‘Pratisthana’ (Paithan) i.e. the capital of [[Satavahanas]] (2nd BC to 3rd AD) and Devagiri – [[Daulatabad, Maharashtra|Daulatabad]] the capital of Yadavas and [[Muhammad bin Tughluq]] are located within the limits of [[Aurangabad District, Maharashtra|Aurangabad District]].

===Aurangabad canal system===
"Malik Ambar is especially famous for the [[Neher_water_system|''Nahr'' or "Neher", the canal water supply system]] of the city called Khadki now known as [[Aurangabad Maharashtra|Aurangabad]]. Malik Ambar completed the ''Neher'' within fifteen months, spending a nominal sum of two and a half lakh ''Rupiyahs''. This city is situated on the banks of Kham, a small perennial stream which takes its rise in the neighbouring hills."<ref>{{cite book | last = Qureshi | first = Dulari | title =Tourism Potential in Aurangabad | isbn = 8186050442| year = 1999 }}</ref>

Water was supplied to the city of Khadki from the famous [[Panchakki]] (Pan from Hindi ''paani'' means water and Chakki means a treadmill) which drove the water down the ''Nahr e Ambari'' (Ambar's canal) from the stream called Kham referred earlier here, to the city. The blades of the Panchakki used to rotate by the water falling on them from that stream and with the aid of a wooden valve turn the flow into that canal, ''the Nahr'', for the city.

The Canal was an impressive engineering feat as it consisted of a 7 feet deep tunnel large enough for a man to walk through. The Canal had 140 manholes and it worked efficiently without the need for any maintenance or cleaning for 321 years until it finally needed cleaning in 1931.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Salahuddin|first=Mirza|date=April 2012|title=MALIK AMBAR AND HIS CANAL|journal=Pakistan Historical Society.Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society|volume=60|issue=2|pages=101–102|via=ProQuest}}</ref>

==Janjira Fort==

Malik Ambar is credited with the construction of the [[Murud-Janjira|Janjira Fort]] in the Murud Area of present day [[Maharashtra]] India. After its construction in 1567 AD, the fort was key to the Sidis withstanding various invasion attempts by the Marathas, Mughals, and Portuguese to capture Janjira.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kainthla|first=Anita|date=Aug 2011|title=The Invincible Fort of Murud Janjira|journal=India Currents|volume=25|issue=5|pages=56–57|via=ProQuest}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Neher water system]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041110050459/http://www.cr.nps.gov/crdi/publications/Africanisms-Chapter1.pdf Mentioned on page 9]
*[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060813/spectrum/art.htm Malik Ambar: A remarkable life B.N. Goswamy]
*[http://www.tribuneindia.com/ The Tribune, Chandigarh, 13 August 2006, India Online edition]
*[http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africansindianocean/index2.php The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World, Omar H. Ali, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1549 births]]
[[Category:1626 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Aurangabad, Maharashtra]]
[[Category:African warriors]]
[[Category:Early Modern history of India]]
[[Category:Military history of India]]
[[Category:Siddhi people]]
[[Category:Ahmadnagar Sultanate]]
[[Category:People from Marathwada]]
[[Category:indian people of Ethiopian descent]]
[[Category:People from Harari Region]]
[[Category:Indian slaves]]
[[Category:16th-century slaves]]
[[Category:17th-century slaves]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:55, 1 January 2022
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	\| caption = Malik Ambar of Ahmadnagar<ref>Sheikh Chand, Malik Ambar,"Ehde Afreen; Hyderabad; 1929</ref><ref>Times of India, '' Plus Supplement'', July 1999,</ref>		\| caption = Malik Ambar of Ahmadnagar<ref>Sheikh Chand, Malik Ambar,"Ehde Afreen; Hyderabad; 1929</ref><ref>Times of India, '' Plus Supplement'', July 1999,</ref>
	\| birth_name = Wako<ref name="RobbinsMcleod50">{{cite book\|authors=Kenneth X. Robbins, John McLeod\|title=African Elites in India\|date=2006\|publisher=Mapin\|isbn=8188204730\|page=50\|oclc=701823920}}</ref><br>Chapu<ref name="RobbinsMcleod50"/>		\| birth_name = Wako<ref name="RobbinsMcleod50">{{cite book\|authors=Kenneth X. Robbins, John McLeod\|title=African Elites in India\|date=2006\|publisher=Mapin\|isbn=8188204730\|page=50\|oclc=701823920}}</ref><br>Chapu<ref name="RobbinsMcleod50"/>
	\| birth_date = 1548<ref>https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/malik-ambar-the-ethiopian-slave-who-became-a-kingmaker-in-india-33181</ref>		\| birth_date = 1548<ref name="trtworld.com">https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/malik-ambar-the-ethiopian-slave-who-became-a-kingmaker-in-india-33181</ref>
	\| death_date = 11 May {{death year and age\|1626\|1548}}		\| death_date = 11 May {{death year and age\|1626\|1548}}
	\| birth_place = [[Harar]]<ref>https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/malik-ambar-the-ethiopian-slave-who-became-a-kingmaker-in-india-33181</ref>		\| birth_place = [[Harar]]<ref name="trtworld.com">https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/malik-ambar-the-ethiopian-slave-who-became-a-kingmaker-in-india-33181</ref>
	\| allegiance = Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar		\| allegiance = Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar
	}}		}}
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	==Early life==		==Early life==
	Malik Ambar was born in 1548 as ''Chapu'', a birth-name<ref>{{citation\|title=Malik Ambar: The African slave who built Aurangabad and ruined the game for Mughals in the Deccan\|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/malik-ambar-aurangabad-mughals-jahangir-akbar-shivaji-6397143/\|access-date= May 15, 2020}}</ref> in Kabmbata, Southern region of modern Ethiopia or [[Harar]], [[Adal Sultanate]]<ref>{{cite book \|title=Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia \|date=6 October 2015 \|publisher=Routledge \|isbn=9781317321279 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GpNECgAAQBAJ&q=malik+ambar+harar&pg=PT69}}</ref> Mir Qasim Al Baghdadi, one of his slave owners eventually converted Chapu to Islam and gave him the name Ambar, after recognizing his superior intellectual qualities.<ref name=":0" /> Ambar is believed to be [[Oromo people\|Oromo]] descent<ref~~>{{citation\|title~~=~~Malik Ambar: The African slave who built Aurangabad and ruined the game for Mughals in the Deccan\|url=https://~~indianexpress.com/~~article/research/malik-ambar-aurangabad-mughals-jahangir-akbar-shivaji-6397143/\|access-date= May 15, 2020}}</ref~~> while other sources claim he was from the [[Maya (Ethiopia)\|Maya]] tribe.<ref>{{cite book \|title=Tourism Potential in Aurangabad: With Ajanta, Ellora, Daulatabad Fort \|year=1999 \|publisher=Bharatiya Kala Prakashan \|page=6 \|isbn=9788186050446 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oKnpAAAAMAAJ&q=+maya}}</ref>		Malik Ambar was born in 1548 as ''Chapu'', a birth-name<ref name="indianexpress.com">{{citation\|title=Malik Ambar: The African slave who built Aurangabad and ruined the game for Mughals in the Deccan\|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/malik-ambar-aurangabad-mughals-jahangir-akbar-shivaji-6397143/\|access-date= May 15, 2020}}</ref> in Kabmbata, Southern region of modern Ethiopia or [[Harar]], [[Adal Sultanate]]<ref>{{cite book \|title=Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia \|date=6 October 2015 \|publisher=Routledge \|isbn=9781317321279 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GpNECgAAQBAJ&q=malik+ambar+harar&pg=PT69}}</ref> Mir Qasim Al Baghdadi, one of his slave owners eventually converted Chapu to Islam and gave him the name Ambar, after recognizing his superior intellectual qualities.<ref name=":0" /> Ambar is believed to be [[Oromo people\|Oromo]] descent<ref name="indianexpress.com"/> while other sources claim he was from the [[Maya (Ethiopia)\|Maya]] tribe.<ref>{{cite book \|title=Tourism Potential in Aurangabad: With Ajanta, Ellora, Daulatabad Fort \|year=1999 \|publisher=Bharatiya Kala Prakashan \|page=6 \|isbn=9788186050446 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oKnpAAAAMAAJ&q=+maya}}</ref>

	Between the 14th and 17th centuries, the Christian [[Ethiopian Empire]] (led by the [[Solomonic dynasty]]) and adjacent Muslim states gathered much of their slaves from non-Abrahamic communities inhabiting regions like [[Kambata]], [[Kingdom of Damot\|Damot]] and [[Hadya]], which were located on the southern flanks of their territory. Malik Ambar was among the people who were [[converted to Islam]], and later dispatched abroad to serve as a warrior.<ref name="RobbinsMcleod50"/> Both the [[Solomonic dynasty]] and the [[Adal Sultanate]] were devastated after two decades of war with each other. According to the ''Futuhat-i `Adil Shahi'', Malik Ambar was sold into slavery by his parents. He ended up in [[Mocha, Yemen\|al-Mukha]] in [[Yemen]], where he was sold again for 20 ducats and was taken to the slave market in [[Baghdad]], where he was sold a third time to the [[Qadi\|Qadi al-Qudat]] of [[Mecca]] and again in Baghdad to Mir Qasim al-Baghdadi, who eventually took him to [[Deccan Plateau]]. He was described by the Dutch merchant [[Pieter van den Broecke]] as, "a black kafir from Abyssinia with a stern Roman face."<ref>E. V. Donzel, "Slave-Trade in Ethiopia," p.185</ref><ref>{{cite news\|title=Malik Ambar: The Legacy of an Ethiopian Ruler in India\|url=https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/O_Ali_MalikAmbar_2011.pdf\|last=Ali\|first=Omar H\|year=2011\|access-date=7 September 2016}}</ref>		Between the 14th and 17th centuries, the Christian [[Ethiopian Empire]] (led by the [[Solomonic dynasty]]) and adjacent Muslim states gathered much of their slaves from non-Abrahamic communities inhabiting regions like [[Kambata]], [[Kingdom of Damot\|Damot]] and [[Hadya]], which were located on the southern flanks of their territory. Malik Ambar was among the people who were [[converted to Islam]], and later dispatched abroad to serve as a warrior.<ref name="RobbinsMcleod50"/> Both the [[Solomonic dynasty]] and the [[Adal Sultanate]] were devastated after two decades of war with each other. According to the ''Futuhat-i `Adil Shahi'', Malik Ambar was sold into slavery by his parents. He ended up in [[Mocha, Yemen\|al-Mukha]] in [[Yemen]], where he was sold again for 20 ducats and was taken to the slave market in [[Baghdad]], where he was sold a third time to the [[Qadi\|Qadi al-Qudat]] of [[Mecca]] and again in Baghdad to Mir Qasim al-Baghdadi, who eventually took him to [[Deccan Plateau]]. He was described by the Dutch merchant [[Pieter van den Broecke]] as, "a black kafir from Abyssinia with a stern Roman face."<ref>E. V. Donzel, "Slave-Trade in Ethiopia," p.185</ref><ref>{{cite news\|title=Malik Ambar: The Legacy of an Ethiopian Ruler in India\|url=https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/O_Ali_MalikAmbar_2011.pdf\|last=Ali\|first=Omar H\|year=2011\|access-date=7 September 2016}}</ref>
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	===Aurangabad canal system===		===Aurangabad canal system===
	"Malik Ambar is especially famous for the [[~~Neher_water_system~~\|''Nahr'' or "Neher", the canal water supply system]] of the city called Khadki now known as [[Aurangabad Maharashtra\|Aurangabad]]. Malik Ambar completed the ''Neher'' within fifteen months, spending a nominal sum of two and a half lakh ''Rupiyahs''. This city is situated on the banks of Kham, a small perennial stream which takes its rise in the neighbouring hills."<ref>{{cite book \| last = Qureshi \| first = Dulari \| title =Tourism Potential in Aurangabad \| isbn = 8186050442\| year = 1999 }}</ref>		"Malik Ambar is especially famous for the [[Neher water system\|''Nahr'' or "Neher", the canal water supply system]] of the city called Khadki now known as [[Aurangabad Maharashtra\|Aurangabad]]. Malik Ambar completed the ''Neher'' within fifteen months, spending a nominal sum of two and a half lakh ''Rupiyahs''. This city is situated on the banks of Kham, a small perennial stream which takes its rise in the neighbouring hills."<ref>{{cite book \| last = Qureshi \| first = Dulari \| title =Tourism Potential in Aurangabad \| isbn = 8186050442\| year = 1999 }}</ref>

	Water was supplied to the city of Khadki from the famous [[Panchakki]] (Pan from Hindi ''paani'' means water and Chakki means a treadmill) which drove the water down the ''Nahr e Ambari'' (Ambar's canal) from the stream called Kham referred earlier here, to the city. The blades of the Panchakki used to rotate by the water falling on them from that stream and with the aid of a wooden valve turn the flow into that canal, ''the Nahr'', for the city.		Water was supplied to the city of Khadki from the famous [[Panchakki]] (Pan from Hindi ''paani'' means water and Chakki means a treadmill) which drove the water down the ''Nahr e Ambari'' (Ambar's canal) from the stream called Kham referred earlier here, to the city. The blades of the Panchakki used to rotate by the water falling on them from that stream and with the aid of a wooden valve turn the flow into that canal, ''the Nahr'', for the city.
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	[[Category:Ahmadnagar Sultanate]]		[[Category:Ahmadnagar Sultanate]]
	[[Category:People from Marathwada]]		[[Category:People from Marathwada]]
	[[Category:~~indian~~ people of Ethiopian descent]]		[[Category:Indian people of Ethiopian descent]]
	[[Category:People from Harari Region]]		[[Category:People from Harari Region]]
	[[Category:Indian slaves]]		[[Category:Indian slaves]]
	[[Category:16th-century slaves]]		[[Category:16th-century slaves]]
	[[Category:17th-century slaves]]		[[Category:17th-century slaves]]