Mahbuba, a Love Story *
- by TPO -
Mahbuba – An African slave girl who won the heart of a
German Prince
She was born in 1820 in Guma, a southern regional state of Ethiopia. Her parents named her “Bilillee” which literally means well-shaped or pretty. But she later came to be known as Mahbuba which means 'My Beloved' in Arabic.
In 1835/36, when she was 15, a civil war broke out around Guma and she lost her father and six brothers. As her village was burned to the ground, invading captors grabbed her, her sister and her mother and dragged them away as slaves.
Mahbuba was first taken north to Gondar, then soon after to Khartoum. After that, in 1837, slave traders took her to Cairo. There they hoped to sell her to the highest bidder among the rich sheiks and princes that happened to be in town.
[As fate would have it,] ... it so happened that, in 1837, Prince Hermann Furst Von Puckler-Muskau of Germany was traveling thru North Africa. While in Cairo, he went to the slave market, a popular venue for tourists. There he saw and was instantly struck by the beauty of the young Ethiopian ‘slave’ girl for sale. He immediately bought her, disguised her as his Mameluke boy, and took her with him on his travels.
The prince became completely besotted by Mahbuba as they continued their travels together through Palestine, Syria and Istanbul. He was [simply mesmerized] by her natural grace, and eagerness to learn Western ways. For her part, Mahbuba appeared to enjoy the novelty of her new and totally un-imagined life.
When they arrived in Europe, they stayed in Budapest for a while; and there, Mahbuba received Holy Baptism. The Prince sent her for a time to the best convent school in Vienna, where he asked the nuns to teach her European ways. But to their surprise, she soon delighted them all with her natural grace and intelligence. It was said that Mahbuba could light up any room she entered with her smile. It also quickly became clear that she had an aptitude for languages as it took her no time at all to be fluent in Italian and German. She was delightful company, and she was naturally polite and kind as well. High Society was enthusiastic to entertain the Prince and his ‘princess’, and to be regaled by Mahbuba’s exotic beauty. She was the toast of Vienna, written about in the newspapers, and always the subject of enthusiastic conversation. When she was presented to the Emperor and his royal court, she was applauded. Everyone loved her.
Sadly, it was soon discovered that Mahbuba could not get acclimatized to the damp and cold European climate. At some point, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and her health started to decline. As the Prince had to urgently go on a brief business mission to Berlin, he instructed their doctor to give Mahbuba the best of care.
Two days after the Prince’s departure, on October 27, 1840, a servant drew back the curtains in Mahbuba’s room and found her mistress dead. She had died alone, a slim tiny figure in a large bed.
She was born in 1820 in Guma, a southern regional state of Ethiopia. Her parents named her “Bilillee” which literally means well-shaped or pretty. But she later came to be known as Mahbuba which means 'My Beloved' in Arabic.
In 1835/36, when she was 15, a civil war broke out around Guma and she lost her father and six brothers. As her village was burned to the ground, invading captors grabbed her, her sister and her mother and dragged them away as slaves.
Mahbuba was first taken north to Gondar, then soon after to Khartoum. After that, in 1837, slave traders took her to Cairo. There they hoped to sell her to the highest bidder among the rich sheiks and princes that happened to be in town.
[As fate would have it,] ... it so happened that, in 1837, Prince Hermann Furst Von Puckler-Muskau of Germany was traveling thru North Africa. While in Cairo, he went to the slave market, a popular venue for tourists. There he saw and was instantly struck by the beauty of the young Ethiopian ‘slave’ girl for sale. He immediately bought her, disguised her as his Mameluke boy, and took her with him on his travels.
The prince became completely besotted by Mahbuba as they continued their travels together through Palestine, Syria and Istanbul. He was [simply mesmerized] by her natural grace, and eagerness to learn Western ways. For her part, Mahbuba appeared to enjoy the novelty of her new and totally un-imagined life.
When they arrived in Europe, they stayed in Budapest for a while; and there, Mahbuba received Holy Baptism. The Prince sent her for a time to the best convent school in Vienna, where he asked the nuns to teach her European ways. But to their surprise, she soon delighted them all with her natural grace and intelligence. It was said that Mahbuba could light up any room she entered with her smile. It also quickly became clear that she had an aptitude for languages as it took her no time at all to be fluent in Italian and German. She was delightful company, and she was naturally polite and kind as well. High Society was enthusiastic to entertain the Prince and his ‘princess’, and to be regaled by Mahbuba’s exotic beauty. She was the toast of Vienna, written about in the newspapers, and always the subject of enthusiastic conversation. When she was presented to the Emperor and his royal court, she was applauded. Everyone loved her.
Sadly, it was soon discovered that Mahbuba could not get acclimatized to the damp and cold European climate. At some point, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and her health started to decline. As the Prince had to urgently go on a brief business mission to Berlin, he instructed their doctor to give Mahbuba the best of care.
Two days after the Prince’s departure, on October 27, 1840, a servant drew back the curtains in Mahbuba’s room and found her mistress dead. She had died alone, a slim tiny figure in a large bed.
Mahbuba was buried in the local cemetery, marked by a large stone-shaped sarcophagus, with a single word: ‘Mahbuba’. The grave-site is visited by thousands of people every year.
“I felt more love for her than I thought myself capable of,” the Prince wrote to a friend,“ [Her death] was my most intense pain ….”
“I felt more love for her than I thought myself capable of,” the Prince wrote to a friend,“ [Her death] was my most intense pain ….”
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* Revised and edited from the original source which is ... www.ayyaantuu.net
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Commentary by TPO regarding the editorial deviation from the original source ===>
TO: All Oromos (or cries for Oromiya)
I prefer to think that Mahbuba was a girl of legendary beauty and charm from Guma in the southern part of Ethiopia. I don't know why you bother mentioning Oromiya ... there never was any such country in the recorded history and geography of the world. There are no statues (monuments), historical relics, or manuscripts of "Oromo" history. The people who are asserting themselves as members of an Oromo nation don't have any alphabet of their own to enable them to write, to read, or to promote their culture, such as it were.
Maybe after you have truly and adequately established your identity, you can justifiably demand respect. You already have equality and freedom of self-determination. As for total sovereignty, make sure you understand what you are asking and then be prepared for the price you may have to pay for it.
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Commentary by TPO regarding the editorial deviation from the original source ===>
TO: All Oromos (or cries for Oromiya)
I prefer to think that Mahbuba was a girl of legendary beauty and charm from Guma in the southern part of Ethiopia. I don't know why you bother mentioning Oromiya ... there never was any such country in the recorded history and geography of the world. There are no statues (monuments), historical relics, or manuscripts of "Oromo" history. The people who are asserting themselves as members of an Oromo nation don't have any alphabet of their own to enable them to write, to read, or to promote their culture, such as it were.
Maybe after you have truly and adequately established your identity, you can justifiably demand respect. You already have equality and freedom of self-determination. As for total sovereignty, make sure you understand what you are asking and then be prepared for the price you may have to pay for it.
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