Abasa stone ruins, Somalia, c. 13th to 16th century.

[Hamzza]

Abasa stone ruins, Somalia, c. 13th to 16th century.

Abasa, in the Awdal region of Somaliland, northern Somalia, is a 43 hectare archaeological site roughly dated from the 13th to the 16th century. It features over 200 ruined stone structures, including 2 documented mosques, 2 cemeteries, wells and a building thought to be a stronghold or administrative building known as the “Darbyah Kola”, or “Fort of Queen Kola”. Abasa is the largest of several similar sites in this inland region of Somalia, associated with the former Adal Sultanate. Recorded pottery remains are overwhelmingly of a local type, though a small number of Chinese celadon shards, Persian wares and polished pottery from northern Ethiopia were also found, indicating Abasa’s participation in local, as well as long distance trade networks.

The Mosque

 

[Awdalite]

Abasa stone ruins, Somalia, c. 13th to 16th century.

Abasa, in the Awdal region of Somaliland, northern Somalia, is a 43 hectare archaeological site roughly dated from the 13th to the 16th century. It features over 200 ruined stone structures, including 2 documented mosques, 2 cemeteries, wells and a building thought to be a stronghold or administrative building known as the “Darbyah Kola”, or “Fort of Queen Kola”. Abasa is the largest of several similar sites in this inland region of Somalia, associated with the former Adal Sultanate. Recorded pottery remains are overwhelmingly of a local type, though a small number of Chinese celadon shards, Persian wares and polished pottery from northern Ethiopia were also found, indicating Abasa’s participation in local, as well as long distance trade networks.

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The Mosque
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The ancient site is around 50km north of Borama and east of the town of Boon and is associated with a legendary Queen called Kola. Her castle is still located there but in ruins.

 

[Arabsiyawi]

The ancient site is around 50km north of Borama and east of the town of Boon and is associated with a legendary Queen called Kola. Her castle is still located there but in ruins.

What’s her story ? I’ve never read or heard about her

 

[Cartan Boos]

The ancient site is around 50km north of Borama and east of the town of Boon and is associated with a legendary Queen called Kola. Her castle is still located there but in ruins.

@Barni @Xoriyo @Qeelbax @astr0veiled yall should take pride in queen Kola

 

[The alchemist]

I posted this earlier. A reconstruction attempt from the underlying constitution of that structure:

Reconstrucción virtual en 3D de la mezquita de Abasa (Somalilandia) (s. XVI)

En estos meses hemos estado trabajando en una nueva reconstrucción virtual desde 3D Stoa – Patrimonio y Tecnología, en colaboración con el CSIC, el Consejo Europeo de Investigación, el Incipi…

parpatrimonioytecnologia.wordpress.com

 

[Awdalite]

What’s her story ? I’ve never read or heard about her

Check this out:

Abasa – Statehorn

statehorn.com

These archaeologists went to the area and have some information on it.

Richard Burton mentioned she was a Queen who fought a neighboring town called Awbuube which is currently on the Ethiopian side of the border.

This is Richard Burton's account when he visited the area:

"This is the site of Darbiyah Kola — Kola’s Fort — so called from its Galla queen. It is said that this city and its neighbour Aububah fought like certain cats in Kilkenny till both were “eaten up:” the Gudabirsi fix the event at the period when their forefathers still inhabited Bulhar on the coast — about 300 years ago. If the date be correct, the substantial ruins have fought a stern fight with time. Remnants of houses cumber the soil, and the carefully built wells are filled with rubbish: the palace was pointed out to me with its walls of stone and clay intersected by layers of woodwork. The mosque is a large roofless building containing twelve square pillars of rude masonry, and the Mihrab, or prayer niche, is denoted by a circular arch of tolerable construction. But the voice of the Muezzin is hushed for ever, and creepers now twine around the ruined fane. The scene was still and dreary as the grave; for a mile and a half in length all was ruins — ruins — ruins."

First Footsteps in East Africa

 

[Awdalite]

I posted this earlier. A reconstruction attempt from the underlying constitution of that structure:

Reconstrucción virtual en 3D de la mezquita de Abasa (Somalilandia) (s. XVI)

En estos meses hemos estado trabajando en una nueva reconstrucción virtual desde 3D Stoa – Patrimonio y Tecnología, en colaboración con el CSIC, el Consejo Europeo de Investigación, el Incipi…

parpatrimonioytecnologia.wordpress.com

Abasa was a mega town in ancient times. The conflict between the Queen of Abasa and the people of Awbube destroyed the two ancient societies.

 

[kaahin13]

Abasa was a mega town in ancient times. The conflict between the Queen of Abasa and the people of Awbube destroyed the two ancient societies.

Who is queen abasa? First time hearing this

 

[Maintainnnin]

There's even similar ruins of once settled towns in Nugaal dating to around the 13-16th centuries coinciding with the Awdal Sultanate also.
The collapse of this of this Sultanate & the subsequent Oromo migrations northward really did a number on settled Somali & Harari peoples.
Link to article going over medieval Somali towns in Nugaal: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0067270X.2021.1925025



I wanted to share the paper where I have those same images from but I can't upload pdf files here. I'll just share where I found the book & images myself. In the tweet below it will link the source of the images.
Source of some of the posted images: https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...f-somaliland/3269BA65D3DB98E1AC17BFBBEED436DE

 

[Cartan Boos]

There's even similar ruins of once settled towns in Nugaal dating to around the 13-16th centuries coinciding with the Awdal Sultanate also.
The collapse of this of this Sultanate & the subsequent Oromo migrations northward really did a number on settled Somali & Harari peoples.


Link to article going over medieval Somali towns in Nugaal: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0067270X.2021.1925025



I wanted to share the paper where I have those same images from but I can't upload pdf files here. I'll just share where I found the book & images from myself. In the tweet below it will link the source of the images.

That Isaac guy is very anti Somali

 

[Awdalite]

Who is queen abasa? First time hearing this

Check my reply to @Arabsiyawi

Hers is the link by the archaeologists who visited the area:

https://statehorn.com/portfolio/abasa

Queen Kola who ruled Abasa was a powerful woman and she waged war against another big town called Awbube. Both communities were destroyed.

 

[kaahin13]

Check my reply to @Arabsiyawi

Hers is the link by the archaeologists who visited the area:

https://statehorn.com/portfolio/abasa

Queen Kola who ruled Abasa was a powerful woman and she waged war against another big town called Awbube. Both communities were destroyed.

Lmao can’t even imagine somalis being ruled by a queen
When’s the biopic gonna be released

 

[Arabsiyawi]

Check my reply to @Arabsiyawi

Hers is the link by the archaeologists who visited the area:

https://statehorn.com/portfolio/abasa

Queen Kola who ruled Abasa was a powerful woman and she waged war against another big town called Awbube. Both communities were destroyed.

I find so weird to hear that all of our clans (especially in that region) lived/were pushed all the way north/east of the Guban. Makes me feel like we actually are newcomers in the whole of northwest Somaliweyn

 

[Awdalite]

Pyramid Tomb of Awbube:

This place called Awbube which is on the Ethiopian Awdal border, 34km northwest of Borama and named after a famous Sheikh is mentioned in Futuh Al Habasha:

"When the two columns of soldiers that were proceeding on the road came into each other's view, the idol-worshippers mounted a charge against the rear guard of the Muslims. Those in the rear guard held their ground, and mounted their horses. Among those in the rear was Zaharbui Utman, the sharif Ahmad and the hegano 'Abd Allah, 'Ali Farasaham and the sheikh Kalil, a descendant of Aububah - may God bless us through him, Amen. They were ten knights, and the idol-worshippers were around two-hundred. The Muslims charged the idol-worshippers, and a bloody battle was engaged, until their forearms became exhausted."

Futuh Al Habashah


His grave was visited by Richard Burton:

"Feeling somewhat restored by repose, I started the next day, “with a tail on” to inspect the ruins of Aububah. After a rough ride over stony ground we arrived at a grassy hollow, near a line of hills, and dismounted to visit the Shaykh Aububah’s remains. He rests under a little conical dome of brick, clay and wood, similar in construction to that of Zayla: it is falling to pieces, and the adjoining mosque, long roofless, is overgrown with trees, that rustle melancholy sounds in the light joyous breeze."

First Footsteps in East Africa

 

[Awdalite]

I find so weird to hear that all of our clans (especially in that region) lived/were pushed all the way north/east of the Guban. Makes me feel like we actually are newcomers in the whole of northwest Somaliweyn

The modern day Somalis migrated from the coast and from Sanaag. I think the Haplogroup T-M184 descended Somalis from the North originated and migrated with one huge migration all at the same time and occupied the entire North.

It would be amazing to do some archaeology in the area. Imagine if the dead bodies turn out to be Haplogroup T-M184. It could teach us a little about our ancient history.

 

[Arabsiyawi]

The modern day Somalis migrated from the coast and from Sanaag. I think the Haplogroup T-M184 descended Somalis from the North originated and migrated with one huge migration all at the same time and occupied the entire North.

It would be amazing to do some archaeology in the area. Imagine if the dead bodies turn out to be Haplogroup T-M184. It could teach us a little about our ancient history.

Agreed. I’ve always believed that Somalis as a whole originated from the south and I still do. However Y-DNA seems to also confirm that the original T bearing tribe settled coastal central/East SL before migrating first into central Somalia (Surre) and the second (Isaaq, Gadabuursi, Ciise…) into most of North West Somalia+Sitti.
This story probably became popular amongst other Somali tribes to the point where it turned into their modern folktales.

 

[kaahin13]

The modern day Somalis migrated from the coast and from Sanaag. I think the Haplogroup T-M184 descended Somalis from the North originated and migrated with one huge migration all at the same time and occupied the entire North.

It would be amazing to do some archaeology in the area. Imagine if the dead bodies turn out to be Haplogroup T-M184. It could teach us a little about our ancient history.

you a believer of the Semitic hypothesis of t-m184?

 

[kaahin13]

Agreed. I’ve always believed that Somalis as a whole originated from the south and I still do. However Y-DNA seems to also confirm that the original T bearing tribe settled coastal central/East SL before migrating first into central Somalia (Surre) and the second (Isaaq, Gadabuursi, Ciise…) into most of North West Somalia+Sitti.
This story probably became popular amongst other Somali tribes to the point where it turned into their modern folktales.

I believe in this too. Dir were always viewed as the oldest and most indigenous somalis and there was always this dichotomy between dir iyo darood.

The origin story of the Darod clan, despite supposedly being about a Muslim saint, has clear Waqist themes often found in Ethiopia. Saint appears atop a sacred tree, local people give him a local daughter so he comes down, marries her and guides them. This is a common Waqist story and the "daughter" in this context is the daughter of the Dir clan chief. Darods, a clan rich in V32, according to oral tradition, intermarry with Dirs, a clan rich in T-M70, through the maternal line to become Somalis like them. I think what Somalis are recounting here is actually the Somalization of North-Central Somalia. Similar to Arabians with the "Adnan" & "Qahtan" story, Somalis probably have things assed backwards and the Somalized people are in fact Dir in this story and the Darod in this story are a representation of a people from further south and west in the Horn coming into North-Central Somali territories and bringing Proto-Coastal-Northern Somali with them. The prior inhabitants probably spoke some other form of Cushitic. I doubt it was that close to Saho-Afar like Ehret thinks cos I see no proof for this but I'm becoming somewhat convinced this more or less was the case

 

[Awdalite]

Agreed. I’ve always believed that Somalis as a whole originated from the south and I still do. However Y-DNA seems to also confirm that the original T bearing tribe settled coastal central/East SL before migrating first into central Somalia (Surre) and the second (Isaaq, Gadabuursi, Ciise…) into most of North West Somalia+Sitti.
This story probably became popular amongst other Somali tribes to the point where it turned into their modern folktales.

FKD aside, when we talk DNA facts Isaaq, Gadabursi and Ciise are all one tribe that assumed different identities 2-3 centuries ago. If you think about the Haplogroup T-BY181210, which is around 1500 years old. One man birthed the entire northwest including Djibouti, and north central Somaliland, sections of Ethiopia and Central Somalia which is really insane if you think about it lol.

Through extensive archaeology in Somaliland we can determine when and how this migration took place. I really hope there is some research into this because it would give a lot of answers.

 

[Cartan Boos]

I believe in this too. Dir were always viewed as the oldest and most indigenous somalis and there was always this dichotomy between dir iyo darood.

The origin story of the Darod clan, despite supposedly being about a Muslim saint, has clear Waqist themes often found in Ethiopia. Saint appears atop a sacred tree, local people give him a local daughter so he comes down, marries her and guides them. This is a common Waqist story and the "daughter" in this context is the daughter of the Dir clan chief. Darods, a clan rich in V32, according to oral tradition, intermarry with Dirs, a clan rich in T-M70, through the maternal line to become Somalis like them. I think what Somalis are recounting here is actually the Somalization of North-Central Somalia. Similar to Arabians with the "Adnan" & "Qahtan" story, Somalis probably have things assed backwards and the Somalized people are in fact Dir in this story and the Darod in this story are a representation of a people from further south and west in the Horn coming into North-Central Somali territories and bringing Proto-Coastal-Northern Somali with them. The prior inhabitants probably spoke some other form of Cushitic. I doubt it was that close to Saho-Afar like Ehret thinks cos I see no proof for this but I'm becoming somewhat convinced this more or less was the case

Af maxaa tiri didn't originate from further south west kid, that's already debunked, the Somali language is northern one