The Ajuran Sultanate (Somali: Saldanadda Ajuuraan, Arabic: سلطنة الأجورانية), natively referred to as Ajuuraan,[3] and often simply Ajuran/Ajur,[4] was a Muslim empire in the Horn of Africa that thrived from the late medieval and early modern period.[5] Founded by Somali Sultans[6][7] its rise to prominence began during the 13th and 14th centuries and by the 15th century, it was Africa's only 'hydraulic empire'.[8] Through a strong centralized administration and an aggressive military stance towards invaders, the Ajuran Empire successfully resisted Oromo invasions from the west and fought against Portuguese incursions from the east.[9][3][10]