The removal of ancient ceramic plates from the mihraab of the Al Jaama’a mosque in the Hamarweyne district in Mogadishu. In November 2021, all the ceramic plates that adorned the upper part of the mihraab of the Al Jaama’a mosque…
“Perhaps there is no disorientation more radical than the uprooting of those who live exiled in their homeland and fight a daily struggle, made up of small gestures to safeguard and protect the places that could be taken from them,…
“…a blessed boy will be born of the al-Shaashi who will come from the family of the father Amiin Imanka, and will be widely known in the Islamic countries..” – Quote by Abdurahman Sheikh Sufi al-Shaashi on the arrival of…
On the fateful day of Friday, May 5th, 2023, we bore witness to a momentous event, as the historical lighthouse in the old district of Mogadishu met partial collapse. Built just after 1936, the lighthouse makes up an integral part…
For 30 years since the civil war our fathers have migrated from Somalia which resulted in our family having children in every country on earth. Children that were born during the Somali civil war including me have always asked themselves,…
Sheikh Ahmed bin Haji was a Banadiri scholar in the late 19th century, he rose to prominence based on his defiance and long resistance against Italian Colonial rule and also being a religious reformer. Biography Sheikh Ahmed bin Haji Mahdi…
Some of the greatest mashā’ikh of Hadīth—such as Shams al-Dīn al-Dhahabī (673/1274–748/1348), Zayn al-Dīn al-‘Irāqī (725/1325–806/1404), Ibn Nāsir al-Dīn al-Dimishqī (777/1375–842/1438), Taqī al-Dīn al-Maqrīzī (764/1364–845/1442), Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalanī (773/1372– 852/1449), Shams al-Dīn al-Sakhāwī (831/1428–902/1497), and many others—have been taught by…
The Aw Mukhtar & Aw Sheikh Omar also known as the Twin Mosques (Somali: Masaajidka Mataanaha) is now a large mosque in the historical Hamar Weyne district in Mogadishu. Overview The Twin mosques up until recently was made up of 2 separate mosques the Aw…
In this transcribed oral history recorded originally from a Bajuni Shaykh, we learn of a story that details the origin of many towns on the Banadir as well as the Swahili coast. Introduction The author is Shaykh Fāḍil bin ʿUmar…
The Portuguese arrival in the Indian Ocean in the 1490s paved way for a power struggle in who controlled the ocean, major changes into the monopolisation of the ocean was when they came into contact with the Banadir ports. Trade…
The city states of Mogadishu, Barawa, Marka and Kismayo were at one point all surrounded by walls. This was a systematic approach by the Sultan at that time to separate rural people from the urban dwellers. This was witnessed by…
Masjid Awooto Eeday is what seems to be a small mosque hidden in the many historical alleyways of Hamarweyne. Overview The mosque is said to have been built with the money of a pious woman who was known as Awooto…
The oldest existing Masjid in Somalia is Masjid Jaama’a (also known as Friday Mosque or Masjid Jum’ah) – built in the year 636 AH, it is situated in the heart of Hamarweyne. It is one of the three oldest Mosques…
Sheekhall Gandershe (Somali: Shiikhaal Gendershe Arabic:شيخال غاندارش) also known as Reer Aw Garweyne are a Benadiri/12 Koofi clan mainly from the southern coastal cities of; Gendershe, Marka and Mogadishu and have established communities in the hinterlands in towns such as Afgooye and the villages around it due to trading and…
For centuries Banadiris were well known for their business acumen and their contribution to the economy, they profited from every sector and contributed to the country up until recent. Despite being a maritime emporium once and a establishing a major…
Throughout history, Mogadishu was always this metropolitan and diverse city – being a major port and a city at its economical peak during the 19th century, it paved way for economical migrants to reside in large numbers. People settled in…
he Reer Manyo are confederacy of clans based in the southern coast of Somalia, primarily in the cities of Mogadishu and Merca and the towns and villages between them. [1] Etymology Reer (Somali: Family) and Manyo (Somali: Sea), the etymological meaning of this clan confederacy…
Ba Fadal (Somali: Baa Fadal, Arabic: با فضل) are a Benadiri clan predominately based in historic Shingani district of Mogadishu.[1] However, there are established settlements on the road to Merca in the village of ‘Number 50’ (Somali: Lambar Konton) and Ugunji[2] Clan Tree The Ba Fadal according Anita Adam’s Phd…
Reer Faqi (Somali: Reer Faqay, Chimini: Ra Faqi), also known as Banu Qahtan, is a Banadiri clan. It is primarily found in the southern coastal cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Baraawe and Kismayo.[1] They established communities in the hinterlands in towns such as Afgooye, Baidoa, Diinsoor and Bardheere. Culture The Reer Faqi lineage in a…
Shanshiya (Arabic: الشاشي) who also go by the name Shaanshi are a Benadiri clan mainly from the southern coastal cities of; Mogadishu, Marka, Baraawe and Kismayo[1] and have established communities in the hinterlands in towns such as Baidoa and Diinsoor due to trading. Overview The Shanshiyo clan or the Shaanshi clan trace…
