East African Pan-Islamic revival owes much debt to the struggles of the Qadiri leader Shaykh Uways bin Muhammad al-Baraawi. Sheikh Uways was another famous scholar that was born in Barawa, as a young teenager, he studied theological science and philosophy.…
This article will seek to explore the interactions between Portugal and Barawa in its historical context and the impact it left on the coast. Throughout the course of history, the Indian Ocean was a contested location in the maritime facet.…
Overview Barawa is located in the Southwest of Somalia, and southernmost city of the Banadir coast. It lies approximately 200km south of Mogadishu and 100km south of Marka. Historically it makes up for one of the major ports in the…
Written by Allesandra Vianelo IntroductionBarawa is the southernmost of the Benadir ports, lying approximately 200 km. south of Mogadishu and 100 km. south of Merka. Despite these comparatively short distances, during the nineteenth century most travellers and traders reached the…
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…
Barawa has long been a hub of the Qadiriya Sufi tariqa and was a preeminent centre of ‘ilm and scholarship in Somalia. With the advent of European colonialism the Italians occupied the Banadir coast and soon formed ‘Italian Somaliland’ in…
Barawa, with its culture, traditional clothing, dishes and language, have always stood out in it’s distinction with her respective neighbours in the Banadir Coast, although customs and traditions were always shared and the apparent relations was always present in the…
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…
Below are some sayings and idioms (also known as Mahmah) that are commonly used by the Barawa people. “Menza chirenza” A friend is a razor Probably one of the most famous Barawa saying often heard even today, it is aimed…
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…
Sheikh Umar bin Qulatayn (also spelled as Kulatein, Kulatayn, Qulatein) bin Mudhir was an Islamic scholar following the Sufi Order of Qadariyah. Coming from Barawa, he traces his lineage to Hadramaut in Yemen and belonged to the Nadhiri family. He…
Mwana Fatima Hadji Mbarawa was the grandmother of Mwana Fatima (photo) bint Said Abdallah ibn Said Bakar ibn Mwigni M’kou. The name “Mbarawa” on her surname which was associated with his father Hadji’s first name, seems to refer to the…
He was born in Barāwa around the year 1915 CE. Early in life, he was a trader and had a shop that imports goods from Italy. Around the age of 24 or 25 he closed all his businesses and exclusively…
Sheikh Muhideen bin Sheikh Abd Sheikh al Qahtani was a great grand mufti of Shaf’i in East Africa, he was born in Barawa, in 1790 where he grew up and started his studies there. He carried on studying religious science…
Haatim also known as Raa Hatimu (People of Haatim) are a Benaadiri/Bravenese clan from southern coastal cities of Barawa, Marka, Kismayo and Mogadishu, they can also be found in the hinterland towns in the inter-riverine of Somalia and further down the Swahili coast. The Haatim clan are synonymous with the town they…
Bida are a clan confederacy based in Barawa, there are seven main groups or clans in Barawa which are called “todobo Tol” (roughly translates to 7 clans), the collation of the seven groups consists of 7 Tunni clans, Biida and…
Main Field: Jurist, Islamic Scholar Sheikh Nurein was born in Barawa where he received all his islamic knowledge. He was born from the Hatimi clan (major clan in Barawa), and a follower of the Ahmadiyah Tariqah (Sufi Tariqa). He studied…
Field: Poetry, Islamic Scholar, Teacher Ahmed Nur ibn Haji Abdulqadir ibn Abd’ Hassan (1881-1959), (also known as Mu’alim Nuuri) was a prominent scholar that was born in the city of Barawa, he studied under Sheikh Qassim Al Barawi and Sheikh Nurein Sabiri…
Bravanese People are known for their passiveness and apolitical approach in current affairs, their commitment in teaching and serving the religion influenced their social interaction as a people, in hindsight because of this, there are no known cases of clan…
