Battle of Gura


The Battle of Gura was fought on March 7–9, 1876 between the Ethiopian Empire and the Khedivate of Egypt near the town of Gura in Eritrea. It was the decisive battle of the Ethiopian–Egyptian War.

Background

The Egyptians invaded Ethiopia from their coastal possessions in what is now Eritrea. The armies of Yohannes and Isma'il met at Gundet on the morning of 16 November 1875. After the defeat at Gundet, the Egyptians sent a much larger well-armed force to invade from the north. They moved to Gura plain, and made two forts there: "Gura" fort and "Khaya Khor" fort.

Battle

After the Egyptians sallied out 5,000 men from Gura fort, they were surrounded and then routed at the hands of the defending Ethiopian force. News of this huge defeat was suppressed in Egypt for fear that it would undermine the government of the Khedivate. The victory helped Emperor Yohannes solidify his control over the Ethiopian Empire broadly, and control over the Mareb Melash specifically. He would appoint Shalaqa Alula as the Ras, in this context "governor" of this region.