The clan are the largest tribe in theJubaland state and make the majority of theGedo,Middle Juba andLower Juba states, some major cities in these states owned by the tribe areBeled Hawo,Jilib,Saakow,Kismayo,Bardhere andBurgabo. They are primarily concentrated on the western part ofMiddle Juba primarily inBu'aale where their camels graze deep into theLower Shabelle and the coasts ofLower Juba. They live as far south as the townsBilis Qooqaani, Bibi and Midi and the town Diff. The tribe are single handedly the majority of theKismayo district, with a territory extending as far as theBadhadhe District region, dominating it almost completely comprisng the most territory followed by the Degodi and Gaaljecel tribes, primarily living in the coastal plains, with their main population centres being Ras Marehan andBurgabo. Some major towns/districts of the tribe include Birta Dheer, Istanbul, Qudus, Goobweyn, Berhan and Buulo xaaji.
The tribe can also be found inGalmudug, where they constitute the largest tribe inGalgaduud, owning the largest city and most urban districtAbudwak. The tribe also make up the majority clan of theWajir East Constituency, living all the way up to the road and have a huge presence inMandera andGarissa. The tribe are also one of the largest in theSouth West State of Somalia, constituting the majority of theYeed,Qansahdhere,Dinsoor districts. The grazing boundaries of the tribe also extend from the cities ofBurgabo inBadhadhe District, toBarawe. TheHubeer and Yantar tribes are of Marehan origin and dominate theDinsoor andQansahdhere regions where they live with the unrahanweynized brothers the Yabar Husayn.
The tribe also own the majority of the Bajuuni islands including Kooyama.The Marehan settled in Raas Mareexaan during the early 1900s establishing it near the Bajuuni islands.
The tribe are also the majority of the city ofDire Dawa which was founded by them, however the majority have been Oromized, however there are still a huge number of Somalis in the city.
They can also be found inBale in places such asGinir (woreda), andShewa, mainly in the city ofAdama. The tribe can also be found scattered all overAmhara,Tigray andGurage, the majority of which are descendants of remnants from the Adal wars.
Overview
Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the Marehan were reported to have lived in an area that extended from theBandar Siyada on the Gulf of Aden to beyond Ras el-Khail on the Indian Ocean, or much of northern Somalia.[4] The clan are recorded as having played a significant role inImamAhmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi's campaigns againstEthiopia during the 16th century. The commander of the Somali forces and the closest deputy of the Imam was a Marehan commander,Garad Hirabu Goita Tedros.Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi was also a member of the clan, and his descendants can be found inGedoSomalia and are part of the Reer Garaad sub clans. His descendants inAmhara andGurage also claim descent from the tribe.[5][6][7] Together they helped push westward the enemies into the plains ofHarar and farther, helping destabilize the highlandChristian empire. Evident in these battles were the Somaliarchers, namely the Marehan and the Gerri archers, through whom al-Ghazi was able to defeat the numerically superior Ethiopian Army that consisted of 16,000cavalry and more than 200,000infantry. After the fall of theSultanate, the tribe would go on to rule theImamate of Aussa[8]
Another major ruler wasEmirNur ibn Mujahid who was the second conqueror of Ethiopia, he was the commander of the elite Melesay unit, and he would capture the south eastern provinces ofEthiopia. He successfully defeated the forces ofGelawdewos and killed him in the battle ofFatagar. He also built the walls ofHarar spanning a whooping 3.9 km, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the longest fortified walls in east Africa. His son aidedTalha ibn Abbas, the son of Wazir Abbas in his war against the grand sons ofUthman the Abyssinian and his sub clan would go on to rule theEmirate of Harar.[9][10]
He was the son of Goyta Ali (Tedros, a title given by the local Harla) which is the highest role in the sultanate, his father controlled all trading routes in the kingdom and held the keys to the gates of Harar during nocturnal periods, the title Goyta was third only toEmir andSultan and was the title of the highest general.Garad Hirabu Goita Tedros successfully captured the provinces ofBale andTigray.[13]
There is no clear agreement on the clan and sub-clan structures and many lineages are omitted. The following listing is taken from theWorld Bank'sConflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics from 2005 and theUnited Kingdom'sHome Office publication,Somalia Assessment 2001.[20][21]
In the Marehan clan-family, component clans are divided into two uterine divisions Marehan InJubaland,Galgaduud andMudug Somalia the World Bank shows the following clan tree:[22] In the World Bank shows the following Marehan clan tree.
Mohamed Omar Salihi, Was amarine scientist, engineer, and maritime advisor to the Somali presidency credited for the protection of Somalia's maritime database during the civil war that broke in 1991.
Dr. Mohamed Said Samatar, Somali Architects and Strategist Designer, Founder of the Somali National Front.
EmirNur ibn Mujahid, the second conqueror of Adal Sultanate [Reign1550–1567] After Imam Ahmed Gurey Ethiopia and the Patron Saint of Harar was one of rulers of parts of the Horn of Africa.
Fatimo Isaak Bihi, First Somali female Ambassador to Geneva, Director of the African Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[25]
Khalif Farah Hayir, a poet who mainly creates patriotic poems as well as poems that address Somali social issues.
Ahmed Warsame, Former Head of the Somali Military Academy.
Aden Ibrahim Aw Hirsi, An author and politician – helped with planning of the Jubaland State and the current Minister of State for Environment & Climate Change of Somalia.
Abdullahi Anod, Former Head Commander of the Somali Military Forces.
Somali
Ethiopia
Yemen
Arabic
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