Obock Territory

Djibouti, 1862–1896. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Obock Territory and Dependencies was an administrative colony belonging to the Second French colonial empire, between 1862 and 1896, located in the current republic of Djibouti. On 11 March 1862, representatives of the sultan of Tadjourah concluded an agreement with Édouard Thouvenel, Foreign Minister of Napoleon III, by which they ceded to France the ports, harbor, and anchorage of Obock. France purchased this right for the sum of 10,000 thalers (55,000 gold francs), which were paid in May 1862. The territories were administratively merged into the French Somaliland on May 20, 1896.

Seat of power: Obock

No rulers documented for this era yet.

Culture

• Obock was originally significant as the site of the first French colony in the region, established by treaty with the local Afar rulers on March 11, 1862.
• The French were interested in having a coaling station for steamships, which would become especially important upon the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
• During the Middle Ages, Obock was ruled by the Ifat Sultanate and then the Adal Sultanate.

Picture

Obock is a small port town in Djibouti, on the northern shore of the Gulf of Tadjoura.

Image: Luc Michel, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Sources

• Obock Territory (Wikipedia)
• Obock Territory (Wikidata)
• About the picture (Wikipedia)

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.