Editing Sub-Saharan Africa (section)

====Horn of Africa====
{{Main|Horn of Africa#History}}
{{Further|History of Ethiopia|History of Somalia|History of Eritrea|History of Djibouti|Ethiopian historiography}}

[[File:Gondereshe2008.jpg|thumb|[[Architecture of Somalia|Stone city]] of [[Gondershe]], Somalia]]

The [[Axumite Empire]] spanned the southern Sahara, south Arabia and the Sahel along the western shore of the [[Red Sea]]. Located in northern [[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]], Aksum was deeply involved in the trade network between India and the Mediterranean. Growing from the proto-Aksumite [[Iron Age]] period ({{circa}} 4th century&nbsp;BCE), it rose to prominence by the 1st century&nbsp;CE. The Aksumites constructed monolithic [[Stele|stelae]] to cover the graves of their kings, such as [[King Ezana's Stele]]. The later [[Zagwe dynasty]], established in the 12th century, built churches out of solid rock. These rock-hewn structures include the [[Church of Saint George, Lalibela|Church of St. George at Lalibela]].
[[File:ET Gondar asv2018-02 img03 Fasil Ghebbi.jpg|thumb|[[Fasil Ghebbi|Fasilides Castle]], [[Ethiopia]] ]]
In [[History of somalia#Ancient|ancient Somalia]], city-states flourished such as [[Opone]], [[Cape Guardafui|Mosyllon]] and [[Malao (ancient)|Malao]] that competed with the [[Sabaeans]], [[Parthia]]ns and [[Axumite Empire|Axumites]] for the wealthy [[India|Indo]]–[[Greco-Roman|Greco]]–[[Ancient Rome|Roman]] trade.<ref>Oman in history By Peter Vine Page 324</ref>

In the Middle Ages several powerful Somali empires dominated the region's trade, including the [[Ajuran Sultanate]], which excelled in [[hydraulic]] [[engineering]] and fortress building,<ref>Shaping of Somali society Lee Cassanelli pg.92</ref> the [[Sultanate of Adal]], whose General [[Ahmed Gurey]] was the first African commander in history to use cannon warfare on the continent during [[Abyssinian–Adal War|Adal's conquest]] of the [[Ethiopian Empire]],<ref>Futuh Al Habash Shibab ad Din</ref> and the [[Geledi Sultanate]], whose military dominance forced governors of the [[Oman|Omani empire]] north of the city of [[Lamu]] to pay tribute to the [[Somali people|Somali]] Sultan [[Ahmed Yusuf (Gobroon)|Ahmed Yusuf]].<ref>Sudan Notes and Records&nbsp;– 147</ref><ref>Somali Sultanate: The Geledi City-state Over 150 Years - Virginia Luling (2002) Page 229</ref><ref name="Dic xxix">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DPwOsOcNy5YC |title=Historical Dictionary of Somalia |page=xxix |date=25 February 2003 |isbn=9780810866041 |access-date=15 February 2014 |last1=Mukhtar |first1=Mohamed Haji |publisher=Scarecrow Press |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216062140/https://books.google.com/books?id=DPwOsOcNy5YC |url-status=live }}</ref>