Great town of Amud, Adal 10km east of Borama.
The old section of Amud spans 25 acres (100,000 m2) and contains hundreds of ancient ruins of multi-roomed
courtyardhouses,
stone walls, complex
mosques, and other archaeological remains, including intricate colored glass bracelets and
Chinese ceramics.
According to
Sonia Mary Cole, the town features 250 to 300 houses and an ancient
temple. The temple was constructed of carefully
dressed stone, and was later transformed into a mosque. It also features
pottery lamps. Altogether, the building techniques, among other factors, point to a close association with
Aksumite archaeological sites from the 2nd to 5th centuries CE.
Amud is home to several historic
pilgrimagesites belonging to celebrated
Somali Saints, the most prominent being Saint Sau, Saint Amud and Saint Sharlagamadi. During his research in the area, the historian
G.W.B. Huntingford noticed that whenever a historic site had the prefix
Aw in its name (such as the ruins of
Aw Barre), it denoted the final resting place of a local Saint.
[4] The patron Saint
Amud is buried in the vicinity of the ancient town.
The
Amoud University in Borama is named after the archaeological site.
Note: Even the Aksumites were in Amud.