The Emirate of Harar was founded in 1647 when the Harari people refused to accept Imām ʿUmardīn Ādan as their ruler and broke away from the Imamate of Awsa to form their own state under `Ali ibn Da`ud. Like all Muslim states in the area, the Emirate of Harar was technically under the protection of the Ottoman Empire as a de jure part of Habesh Eyalet after 1554, and this vague suzerainty would be transferred to the Egypt Eyalet in 1818 following the Ottoman–Saudi War and would, along with the Sudan, become part of the Khedivate of Egypt. Egypt pressed its claim to Harar and annexed the city state in 1875. The British Empire defeated the Khedivate and occupied its territories in 1882 including Harar, but the British agreed to evacuate Harar and essentially cede the city to Abyssinia's sphere of influence in exchange for assistance against Mahdist forces in Sudan (the Hewett treaty). As per the terms of their agreement, the British withdrew from Harar in 1884, leaving the city to the son of the former Emir of Harar with a few hundred rifles, some cannon and a handful of British trained officers. The Emirate would be finally destroyed and annexed by the armies of Negus Sahle Maryam of Showa (the future Emperor Menelik II) in 1887 following the Emirate's defeat at the Battle of Chelenqo.
