Why did Amda Tseyon’s taxation of trade through Ifat cause resistance?

Amda Tseyon’s taxation of trade through Ifat caused resistance because it imposed heavy financial burdens on the lucrative export of goods—specifically gold, ivory, and enslaved people—that were transshipped from the Muslim state to Arabia.1

As the Solomonid monarchs expanded their authority, they permitted Muslim business activities in exchange for submission and the payment of tribute and a percentage of trading profits. For the Muslim polity of Ifat, which served as a vital commercial hub, these taxes were viewed as exploitative. This economic pressure, combined with the desire to escape their status as a Christian vassal, fueled ongoing revolts and eventually led to declarations of holy war against the Ethiopian state.213