New Research: "Ruined Towns in Nugaal: A Forgotten Medieval Civilisation"

[Webb]

ABSTRACT

The existence of ruined towns in interior Somalia, most of them in the northwest, has been known to Western observers since 1854. Some were briefly surveyed during the last century. Although new investigations have been undertaken recently in northwest Somalia and on the neighbouring Somali plateau of eastern Ethiopia, northeastern Somalia has mostly remained unexplored. However, several ruined towns, three of them relatively large, have recently been discovered in the Nugaal Valley. These new discoveries enhance our current limited knowledge of the history of these towns. The three larger towns are located in the same region where the first interior city in Somalia was reported in 1154. It is possible that one of the newly reported sites represents that forgotten city. This paper presents preliminary data from a surface investigation of the three sites and then explores their ramifications for the history of the region.

Ruined towns in Nugaal: a forgotten medieval civilisation in interior Somalia

Download Citation | Ruined towns in Nugaal: a forgotten medieval civilisation in interior Somalia | The existence of ruined towns in interior Somalia, most of them in the northwest, has been known to Western observers since 1854. Some were... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on...

www.researchgate.net

Anyone know how to get access to the article?

 

[Webb]

 

[World]

What caused Somalis to abandon these interior towns by the 19th century?

 

[𐒁𐒚𐒒𐒂𐒘𐒂𐒗 𐒎𐒚𐒗𐒗𐒒]

Of course there were towns in Puntland since ancient towns, how else did the "Cape of Spices" aka "Aromata" exist which traded spices etc, to traders from all over the world. Not all Somalis are from Nomadic roots, most Bari and Nugaal coastal towns were centres of trade.

Nobody forgot about anything, it's just that our history is mostly oral. Here is more on the ancient trading Centres in North Somalia and beyond.

Aromata - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Dima&Damo]

Many Ruins In Dhul Udug We Most Uncover Our Ancient Past And Thats For All Of Somaliweyn

 

[World]

Of course there were towns in Puntland since ancient towns, how else did the "Cape of Spices" aka "Aromata" exist which traded spices etc, to traders from all over the world. Not all Somalis are from Nomadic roots, most Bari and Nugaal coastal towns were centres of trade.

Nobody forgot about anything, it's just that our history is mostly oral. Here is more on the ancient trading Centres in North Somalia and beyond.

Aromata - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This article is not talking about coastal or trading towns, but inland towns deep inside the interior around the Nugaal Valley.

 

[World]

"At Badwein, in the centre of that part of the Nogal Valley which is occupied by the Arasama sub-tribe, we discovered extensive ruins of an ancient city, and close by a large tank quarried out of the gypsum rock. The deserted ruins covered an area of about 40,000 square yards, choked up with cactus and aloes, the haunt of leopards and hyasnas. Most of the houses have been reduced to mounds of stone and rubble, covered with straggling mimosa bushes, but here and there the walls of houses were better preserved. We rode into one house, whose walls stood some 10 feet high, and found it divided into many partitions, the building being in the form of a parallelogram, with sides 200 feet long and 100 feet wide. Curious niches hero and there would seem to have been used as fire-places.

Seeing these things, we listened with respect to the Somali legend of a civilised people who had long passed away before the onset of the savages whose guests we now were. The Somalis said this civilised people cultivated all the lands around, and occupied large cities, that they could read and write, and that when their (the Somalis') fathers came to the country, many buildings bore traces of writing which had long since been worn away by the work of time. They called the people " Harli," and said they were there prior to the Gallas.

The latter had dug the rocky wells at Kirrid which we saw on first entering the country, and had cut a rude Christian cross in the face of the cave—■ the only ancient sign existing of a rude form of Christianity in the land. We tried to decipher what was said to be writing on the pillar of a doorway ; but it waB impossible to make out any lotters, as the surface of the gypsum stones, of which all the houses were built, had become much decomposed by the action of rain, and looked spongy, like pumice-stone. We rode with our party of Dulbahantas in amongst the ruins, out of one house into another, and, standing on high heaps of debris, let our eyes range over a landscape dotted with crumbling grey walls imbedded in clumps of aloes and cactus. As we picked our way among the fallenblocks, we disturbed a herd of deer feeding inside the remains of an old building, and everywhere guinea-fowl, of the species called vulturine, scuttled out of our path. We wished much to dig amongst the ruins for ancient pottery, etc., but wero prevented from doing so by the suspicion and prejudice of our hosts, who consider any tampering with these places as sacrilegious. There were many old graves, some of which seemed to be built in the form of a cross; they were plastered over with a mortar composed of pounded gypsum and water. The Dulbahantas now make their graves in the same manner, only Moslem in design; always in the vicinity of water, as certain rites, for which water is necessary, have to be carried out. In some cases dead men are carried, strapped on camels, long distances in order to be buried near water.

We much wished to remain some days and explore tbis dead city, but various sub-tribes of Dulbahantas were very uneasy and suspicious of our intentions, so we thought it advisable not to prolong our stay. They could not understand why we roamed about in desolate places instead of accepting the hospitality of their wandering camps, where the whole place was infested with camel-ticks ; and having seen us working the theodolite, they credited us with designs of presently bringing an army to take the country. They dissuaded us as well as they could from proceeding to tho out-of-the-way peaks we had fixed upon as points of observation, and placed many obstacles in the way, assuring us we should be attacked by savage tribes, and that we were going into a country utterly waterless, that our camels would be devoured by lions, etc. Seeing, however, that we went all the same, and discovered water in spite of them, they gave up the attempt, and we were better friends after."

Expedition to the Nogal Valley
Lieutenant E. J. Swayne
Published in London, by John Murray, 1893

These inland towns were deep inside Sool so I doubt non Somalis inhabited them, these colonial writers were definitely prejudiced against Somalis which is why they were quick to claim that any civilisation belonged to non Somalis.

 

[Curious-to-wonders]

ABSTRACT

The existence of ruined towns in interior Somalia, most of them in the northwest, has been known to Western observers since 1854. Some were briefly surveyed during the last century. Although new investigations have been undertaken recently in northwest Somalia and on the neighbouring Somali plateau of eastern Ethiopia, northeastern Somalia has mostly remained unexplored. However, several ruined towns, three of them relatively large, have recently been discovered in the Nugaal Valley. These new discoveries enhance our current limited knowledge of the history of these towns. The three larger towns are located in the same region where the first interior city in Somalia was reported in 1154. It is possible that one of the newly reported sites represents that forgotten city. This paper presents preliminary data from a surface investigation of the three sites and then explores their ramifications for the history of the region.

Ruined towns in Nugaal: a forgotten medieval civilisation in interior Somalia

Download Citation | Ruined towns in Nugaal: a forgotten medieval civilisation in interior Somalia | The existence of ruined towns in interior Somalia, most of them in the northwest, has been known to Western observers since 1854. Some were... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on...

www.researchgate.net

Anyone know how to get access to the article?

I used my University credentials to log in and download it. The file is too large to attach here but I can email it.

 

[Webb]

I used my University credentials to log in and download it. The file is too large to attach here but I can email it.

Please do!

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[Curious-to-wonders]

J

Please do!

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Yeah just let me know the email

 

[Webb]

J
Yeah just let me know the email

Click the spoiler

 

[Curious-to-wonders]

Click the spoiler

True just sent it.

 

[Factz]

Very interesting how they discovered three ruined towns on the Nugaal valley in Sool. Thanks for sharing the article I will download it and read it in the meantime.

As for anyone mentioning the outdated historians who injected non-Somalis to every Somali achievement has now been overturned. The discovered medieval towns in the hinterland were founded by Somali pastoral and trading communities in order to connect and protect the trading routes that linked with the coastal ports.

Awbare (near Jigjiga), Awbube (Awdal), Amud (Awdal), Abasa (Awdal), Qoorgaab (Awdal), Gogesa (near Gabiley), Aw-Barkhaadle (near Hargeisa) Fardowsa (near Sheikh), Maduna (Sanaag), Dakkar (near Babille), Derbiga, and Cad Cad. These discovered ruined towns used to be part of the Ifat and Adal Sultanates and were later abandoned after the fall of the Adal state. The only surviving interior settlements of today are Jinacsani (near Jigjiga) and Dire Dawa (Ethiopia).

Many historians believe an ancient kingdom once existed in modern-day Somaliland that communicated and traded with ancient Nubians, Sabaeans (ancient Yemenites) and D'mt Kingdom in Ethiopia. They even believe the Land of Punt extended towards this area. There needs to be more archaeological digging and findings if this is true.

 

[Dharbash]

Today in Godaalo there are old ruins and some say rock paintings in caves, carbon dating and other forms of dating measurements need to be done on the structures and paintings that are said to be there.

These inland towns were deep inside Sool so I doubt non Somalis inhabited them, these colonial writers were definitely prejudiced against Somalis which is why they were quick to claim that any civilisation belonged to non Somalis.

I remember saying this last year, I’m pretty sure godaalo is a very old town with possible ancient ruins and maybe even cave paintings if thoroughly investigated

 

[World]

True just sent it.

Hi can you send it to me also my email is in the spoiler

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[Webb]

Smallpdf.com

smallpdf.com

 

[angelplan]

 

[World]

The discovered medieval towns in the hinterland were founded by Somali pastoral and trading communities in order to connect and protect the trading routes that linked with the coastal ports.

Pastoral people are not able to create these type of settlements, they were definitely founded and settled by people who were farmers that irrigated the land with the water resources of the Nugaal Valley. Also what makes you think that these towns were founded to link trading routes? What trading would be going on past Sool/Nugaal?

I need to read this article

 

[Factz]

Pastoral people are not able to create these type of settlements, they were definitely founded and settled by people who were farmers that irrigated the land with the water resources of the Nugaal Valley. Also what makes you think that these towns were founded to link trading routes? What trading would be going on past Sool/Nugaal?


I need to read this article

According to archeological evidence these settlements were established by Somali pastoral and trading communities. It wasn't exclusively founded by nomads but the vicinity of these towns allowed these nomads to settle in and expand the settlements. The source I posted are talking about areas that are much greener than Nugaal area. That's not to say agriculture didn't exist in these areas of course. Hawd and even as far as western Ethiopia were linked to the Somali ports so I presumed that's how these three towns in Sool were founded. I was comparing them to other ruined towns in the interior. Honestly, we don't know yet until there are discoveries on how these towns were founded and who allegiance they pledge to.

 

[World]

According to archeological evidence these settlements were established by Somali pastoral and trading communities. It wasn't exclusively founded by nomads but the vicinity of these towns allowed these nomads to settle in and expand the settlements. The source I posted are talking about areas that are much greener than Nugaal area. That's not to say agriculture didn't exist in these areas of course. Hawd and even as far as western Ethiopia were linked to the Somali ports so I presumed that's how these three towns in Sool were founded. I was comparing them to other ruined towns in the interior. Honestly, we don't know yet until there are discoveries on how these towns were founded and who allegiance they pledge to.

Galbeed and the far Western parts of Somaliland were part of trading routes for the larger Ethiopian markets, not the Nugaal Valley which is quite isolated which is what my point is.

Furthermore, Hawd has no water resources it’s only grazing area during the wet season. We don’t know about the conditions of the region in the 10th-16th century which is when these towns were established, the region may have been more wetter than now. Most likely though as the Nugaal Valley has deeper water resources, I believe the land may have been irrigated from wells.

Next to the ancient city in Sool, a large tank quarried out of gypsum rock was discovered:

"At Badwein, in the centre of that part of the Nogal Valley which is occupied by the Arasama sub-tribe, we discovered extensive ruins of an ancient city, and close by a large tank quarried out of the gypsum rock