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Somali architecture is theengineering anddesigning of multiple differentconstruction types such as stone cities,castles,citadels,fortresses,mosques,temples,aqueducts,lighthouses, towers andtombs during the ancient,medieval andearly modern periods inSomalia and other regions inhabited by Somalis, as well as the fusion of Somalo-Islamic architecture with Western designs incontemporary times.
Some of the oldest known structures in the territory of modern-day Somalia consist of burialcairns (taalo).[1] Although found throughout the country and the largerHorn of Africa region,Somalia in particular is home to numerous such archaeological structures, with many similar edifices found atHaylan,Qa’ableh,Qombo'ul,El Ayo,Damo,Maydh andHeis among other towns. However, many of these ancient structures have yet to be properly explored, a process which would help shed further light on local history and facilitate their preservation for posterity.[1]
Houses were constructed ofdressed stone similar to the ones inAncient Egypt.[2] There are also examples ofcourtyards and large stone walls enclosing settlements, such as theWargaade Wall.
NearBosaso, at the end of the Baladi valley, lies a 2–3 km (1.2–1.9 mi) longearthwork.[1][3] Local tradition recounts that the massive embankment marks the grave of a community matriarch. It is the largest such structure in the wider Horn region.[3]In addition, old temples situated in the northwestern town ofSheekh are reportedly similar to those in theDeccan Plateau in theIndian subcontinent.[4] There also exist several ancientnecropolises in Somalia. One such structured area is found on the country's northeastern tip, in theHafun peninsula.[5]
Booco in theAluula District contains a number of ancient structures. Two of these are enclosed platform monuments set together, which are surrounded by smallstone circles. The circles of stone are believed to mark associated graves.[6]
Mudun is situated in the Wadi valley of theIskushuban District. The area features a number of ruins, which local tradition holds belong to an ancient, large town. Among the old structures are around 2,000 tombs, which possess high towers and are dome-shaped.[1][3]
Port Dunford in the southernLower Juba province contains a number of ancient ruins, including severalpillar tombs. Prior to its collapse, one these structures' pillars stood 11 meters (36 ft) high from the ground, making it the tallest tower of its kind in the wider region.[7] The site is believed to correspond with the ancient emporium ofNikon, which is described in the 1st century CE Greco-Roman travelogue thePeriplus of the Erythraean Sea.[8] In the southern town ofHannassa, ruins of houses with archways andcourtyards have been found along with other pillar tombs, including a rare octagonal tomb.[9] Additionally, various pillar tombs exist in the southeastern Marca area. Local tradition holds that these were built in the 16th century, when theAjuran Sultanate'snaa'ibs governed the district.[10]
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On the coastal plain 20 km toAlula's east are found ruins of an ancient monument in a platform style. The structure is formed by a rectangulardry stone wall that is low in height; the space in between is filled with rubble and manually covered with small stones. Relatively large standing stones are also positioned on the edifice's corners. Near the platform are graves, which are outlined in stones. 24 m by 17 m in dimension, the structure is the largest of a string of ancient platform and enclosed platform monuments exclusive to far northeastern Somalia.[11]
Around 200 stone monuments (taalos) are found in the northeasternBotiala site, most of which consist ofcairns. The bigger cairns are covered in shingles and tend to be more sturdily constructed. There are a number of rows of standing stones (menhirs) on the eastern side of the structures, which are similar to those atSalweyn, a great cairn-held situated close toHeis. Besides cairns, the Botiala area also features a few other drystone monuments. These include disc monuments with circular, ground-level features, as well as low, rectangular platform monuments.[12]
The northern town of Aw Barkhadle, named in honour of the 13th century scholar and saintYusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn (Aw Barkhadle), is surrounded by a number of ancient structures. Among these are menhirs, burial mounds, anddolmens.[13]
Near the ancient northwestern town ofAmud, whenever an old site had the prefixAw in its name (such as the ruins ofAwbare andAwbube[14]), it denoted the final resting place of a local saint.[15] Surveys by A.T. Curle in 1934 on several of these important ruined cities recovered variousartefacts, such aspottery andcoins, which point to a medieval period of activity at the tail end of theAdal Sultanate's reign.[14] Among these settlements, Aw Barkhadle is surrounded by a number of ancientstelae.[13] Burial sites nearBurao likewise feature old stelae.[16]
The introduction ofIslam in the early medieval era of Somalia's history broughtIslamic architectural influences from theArabian Peninsula andPersia. This stimulated a shift from drystone and other related materials in construction to coral stone,sundried bricks, and the widespread use oflimestone in Somali architecture. Many of the new architectural designs such as mosques were built on the ruins of older structures, a practice that would continue over and over again throughout the following centuries.[17]
The lucrativecommercial networks of successive medievalSomalikingdoms andcity-states such as theAdal Sultanate,Sultanate of Mogadishu,Ajuran Sultanate, and theSultanate of the Geledi saw the establishment of several dozen stone cities in the interior of Somalia as well as the coastal regions.Ibn Battuta visitingMogadishu in the early 14th century called it a townendless in size[18] andVasco Da Gama who passed by Mogadishu in the 15th century noted that it was a large city with houses of four or five storeys high and big palaces in its centre.[19]
Somali merchants were an integral part of a long distance caravan trade network connecting major Somali cities, such asMogadishu,Merca,Zeila,Berbera,Bulhar andBarawa, with other business centers in the Horn of Africa. The numerous ruined and abandoned towns throughout the interior of Somalia can be explained as the remains of a once booming inland trade dating back to the medieval period.[20]
The interior cities ofAmud andAbasa which flourished in the 15th century contained over 200 stone buildings of multiple stories and up to four rooms. The scattered ruins of the site cover an area of approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in circumference.[21]
Goan Bogame, situated in theLas Anod District, contains the ruins of a large ancient city with around two hundred buildings. The structures were built in an architectural style similar to that of the edifices in Mogadishu's old Hamar Weine and Shangani districts.[1][3]
City walls were established around the coastal cities of Merca,Barawa and Mogadishu to defend the cities against powers such as thePortuguese Empire. During theAdal Age, many of the inland cities such asAmud andAbasa in the northern part of Somalia were built on hills high abovesea level with large defensive stone walls enclosing them. The Barderamilitants during their struggle with the Geledi Sultanate had their main headquarters in the walled city ofBardera that was reinforced by a large fortress overseeing theJubba river. In the early 19th century the citadel of Bardera was sacked bySultanYusuf Mahamud Ibrahim and the city became aghost town.
Somali city walls also acted as a barrier against the proliferation ofarms usually carried by the Somali and Horn Africannomads entering the cities with theircaravan trains. They had to leave behind their weapons at thecity gate before they could enter the markets with their goods and trade with the urbanSomalis,Middle Easterners andAsianmerchants.[22]
Concordant with the ancient presence of Islam in the Horn of Africa region, mosques in Somalia are some of the oldest on the entire continent. One architectural feature distributing Somali mosques from other African mosques wereminarets.
For centuries,Arba'a Rukun (1269), the Friday mosque ofMerca (1609) andFakr ad-Din (1269) were the only mosques in East Africa to have minarets.[23][24] Arba Rukun's massive round coral tower of about 13.5 meters (44 ft) high and over 4 meters (13 ft) in diameter at its base has a doorway that is narrow and surrounded by a multiple ordered recessed arch, which may be the first example of the recessed arch that was to become a prototype for the local mihrab style.
Constructed by and named after the first Sultan of the Mogadishu Sultanate, the Fakr-ad Din mosque dates back to the 1269. Built withmarble andcoralstone on a compact rectangular plan, it features a domedmihrab (indicator of the direction of Mecca). Glazed tiles were also used in the decoration of the mihrab, one of which bears a dated inscription. In addition, the masjid is characterized by a system of composite beams, alongside two main columns. This well-planned, sophisticated design is not replicated in mosques further south outside the Horn region.[25]
The 13th centuryAl Gami University consisted of a rectangular base with a large cylindrical tower architecturally unique in theIslamic world.
Shrines erected to house and honor Somalipatriarchs and forefathers evolved from ancient Somali burial customs. Such tombs, which are predominantly found in northern Somalia (the suggested point of origin of the Somalia's majority Somali ethnic group), feature structures mainly consisting ofdomes and square plans.[26] In southern Somalia, the preferred medieval shrine architecture was thepillar tomb-style.
A number of ancient burial sites dated from the pre-Islamic period sit atop the peak ofBuur Heybe, a granitic inselberg in the southern Doi belt. They serve as a center of annual pilgrimage (siyaro). These burial sites on the mountain's summit were later made into Muslim holy sites in the ensuing Islamic period, including the Owol Qaasing (derived from the Arabic "Abul Qaasim", one of the names ofMuhammad) andSheikh Abdulqadir al-Jilaani (named for the founder of theQadiriyya order).[27]
Somalia's historical strategic location within the world's oldest and busiestsealanes encouraged the construction oflighthouses to co-ordinate shipping and to ensure the safe entrance of commercial vessels in the nation's manyport cities. In times of weak central authority theSomali civilizational matrix of interior cities and port cities was based on a clan formula that saw various clans in fierce competition over natural resources that led to chronic feuding between neighbours. Towers provided the merchant class and the urban population protection against potential raids from the nomadic regions.Stone towers such as the 15th century Almnara tower in Mogadishu and the Jamia tower of Merca were also built for defence.
The early modern or colonial period saw a continuation in the use of materials such as coral stone,sundried bricks andlimestone in Somali architecture which with the increasing European influence on the Somali peninsula was now being complemented by new construction materials such ascement. The period was characterised bymilitary architecture in the form of multi-purpose forts, and the construction of new ports. TheSultans ofAluula in the northern part of the country and theGeledi Sultanate in the south were at their peak during this period, and many of the castles, palaces and forts found in various Somali cities originate from that era.
Throughout themedieval era, castles and fortresses known asQalcads were built by SomaliSultans for protection against both foreign and domestic threats. The major medieval Somali power engaging in castle building was theAjuran Sultanate, and many of the hundreds of ruined fortifications dotting the landscapes of Somalia today are attributed to Ajuranengineers.[28]
In the year 1845, Haji Sharmarke Ali Saleh seizedBerbera, constructed fourMartello style forts within the vicinity of the town, and garrisoned each fort with thirtymatchlock men.[29]
Boqor Osman had residences in numerous cities across Majeerteenia, notably inBareeda,Bosasoo, andBargaal.
In the Sayid's description of the fall of Taleh in February 1920, in an April 1920 letter transcribed from the original Arabic script into Italian by the incumbentGovernatori della Somalia, the various Darawiish-built installations are described asgaresas taken from the Dhulbahante clan by the British:[30][31]
i Dulbohanta nella maggior parte si sono arresi agli inglesi e han loro consegnato ventisette garese (case) ricolme di fucili, munizioni e danaro.
the Dhulbahante surrendered for the most part to the British and handed twenty-sevengaresas (houses) full of guns, ammunition and money over to them.
TheDar Ilalo stone towers though initially constructed to defend the fortress ofTaleex were also used asgranaries for theDervish State.
TheDervish State in the late 19th century and early 20th century was another prolific fortress building power in theSomali Peninsula. In 1909, after the British withdrawal to the coast, the permanent capital and headquarters of the Dervishes was constructed atTaleh, a large walled town with fourteen fortresses. The main fortress,Silsilat, included a walled garden and a guard house. It became the residence of Diiriye Guure, his wives, family, prominent Somali military leaders, and also hosted severalTurkish,Yemeni and Germandignitaries, architects,masons andarmsmanufacturers.[32] Several dozen other Dhulbahante garesas were built inIllig,Eyl,Shimbiris and other parts of theHorn of Africa.
In the modern period, several Somali cities such asMogadishu,Hargeisa andGarowe received large projects, which saw construction in new styles that harmoniously blended in with the existing old architecture.
Due toItalian influence, parts of Mogadishu are built in theclassical style: from theVilla Somalia (official residency of the presidents of Somalia) to theGovernor's Palace of Mogadishu and the "Fiat Boero" building there are many examples of this architecture, that was developed whenMogadishu was under Italian rule.Other areas of Somalia show the Italian influence, like in the famous lighthouse in Guardafui cape.
The Somali government continued upon that legacy, while also opening the door toGerman,American andChinese designers.
As a departure from the prevailing Somali architectural style, theNational Theatre in Mogadishu was completely built from a Chinese perspective. The town-hall was constructed in theMoroccan style. Much of the new architecture also continued upon ancient tradition, theAl-Uruba Hotel, the pre-eminent hotel in Somalia and an iconic feature of Mogadishu's waterfront was entirely designed and constructed by Somalis in theArabesque style.
In recent times, due to the civil war and the subsequent decentralization, many cities across the country have rapidly developed into urban hubs and have adopted their own architectural styles independently.
In the cities ofMogadishu,Hargeisa,Berbera andBosaso, construction firms have built hotels, government facilities, airports and residential neighborhoods in amodernist style, often utilizingchrome,steel andglass materials.
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{{cite book}}:|first1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}:|last1= has generic name (help)The house are scattered around without any apparent plan; there are no streets and no trace of a surrounding wall. There is a mosque in the southern half of the dwelling area... [with a] rather oddly built mihrab facing the entrance... and immediately to the south... is the cemetery. There are upwards of two hundred houses, all well-built of stone [and] as much as 2.6m in height... The number of rooms ranges from two to four... there is sometimes no sign of an entrance to the inner rooms. This implies that entry was made from the roof, which was doubtless flat and reached by teps now vanished... There are many niches or cupboards in the inner walls.
Per tal fatto ci siamo sabandati e non c'e ' stato piu ' accordo fra di noi : i Dulbohanta nella maggior parte si sono arresi agli inglesi c han loro consegnato ventisette garese case ) ricolme di fucili , munizioni e danaro .
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