Some of the most famous ancient sites/ruins in Awdal, Borama district from Adal Sultanate

[Jas]

Famous sites in mainly today's Borama district:

1. Legendary Kafir's (Galla) grave in Awdal. Resembles more of an ancient Cushitic burial site.

2. Halimalah holy tree, Awdal where the the Ugaas (King) would tie his turban. Said to be the ancient place of prayer for Galla or proto Cushitic people.

3. Queen Kola's Fort, Awdal:
Queen Kola's castle was destroyed in the ensuing battles between the inhabitants of Aububah and the latter was also destroyed. Queen Kola was known to be a cruel wicked Queen.

4. Shaykh Aububah's tomb, the famous hero of the Adal wars mentioned in Fathul Habashah

^^Fathul Habasha


5. Awbare, near Borama. Huge ancient settlement.

 

[James Dahl]

Aububah may be Haboba, who was the first Amir of Harar.

Ao Barhe is clearly Aw Barre.

 

[Jas]

Aububah may be Haboba, who was the first Amir of Harar.

Ao Barhe is clearly Aw Barre.

Yes it's definitely Aw Barre, near Borama.

According to the Samarone locals who live there, when I was there on holiday they told me that both Saint Aw-Barre and Saint Aububah were both from the Gurgura Dir clan. They're graves are holy places.

 

[Bahal]

The Oromos were confined to southern Ethiopia until the 16th century, idiotic oritentalists confused gaalo with galla

 

[Xaagi-Cagmadigtee]

Proto-Cushitic people in the region were not Galla as in Oromos, but non-Islamic adherent society. I agree with the above post; there is a conflation of terms, - Galla (Oromo) and gaal (infidel).

 

[MARAQ DIGAAG]

The Oromos were confined to southern Ethiopia until the 16th century, idiotic oritentalists confused gaalo with galla

The confusion was also caused by Somalis themselves because they attributed any previous ruins/sites to the mysterious Gallo people due to wanting to preserve their Quraish genealogy . Scholars like IM Lewis pretty much regurgitated what Somali elders told him . That said , the Oromo oral traditions are actually somewhat reliable ( i.e. their migration from Southern Ethiopia into Southern Somalia, then being driven out ).

 

[Ricespot]

Has any pre islamic ruins been found in somalia I'm curious.

 

[Reer-Bari]

The Oromos were confined to southern Ethiopia until the 16th century, idiotic oritentalists confused gaalo with galla

than explain why hargaisa is a oromo name/word. i also believe the somali and oromo were originally one tribe but than the line got split in between the sub clans who converted to islam in the early years. than i believe they pushed the non muslims further towards the south. thats why the somali and oromo language borrow a lot from each other. the reason i say the religion of islam was what differentiated the two sides which ended up being called somali and oromo because the oromos didnt convert to islam untill hundreds of years later. how else do you explain rahanweyn. aaf maay is more similar to aaf oromo than to aaf somali. this in my opinion makes more sense than the story we copied from the habashi that we are ``half arab`` looooool

 

[Penguin]

than explain why hargaisa is a oromo name/word. i also believe the somali and oromo were originally one tribe but than the line got split in between the sub clans who converted to islam in the early years. than i believe they pushed the non muslims further towards the south. thats why the somali and oromo language borrow a lot from each other. the reason i say the religion of islam was what differentiated the two sides which ended up being called somali and oromo because the oromos didnt convert to islam untill hundreds of years later. how else do you explain rahanweyn. aaf maay is more similar to aaf oromo than to aaf somali. this in my opinion makes more sense than the story we copied from the habashi that we are ``half arab`` looooool

Somalis and Oromos do descend from a single proto-lowland cushitic population. But they diverged and differentiated way before Islam came onto the scene . Most identical/similar words that the Somali language shares with Oromo language are inherited from our shared Cushitic ancestors. These words are cognates that derive from the same root words. Very Little is actually due to loaning.

 

[Grant]

Has any pre islamic ruins been found in somalia I'm curious.

Most, but not all of this, is pre-Islamic. The oldest dated site is on Buur Heybe, linked to the Eyle.

http://www.wondermondo.com/Somalia.htm

Man made landmarks

Laas Gaal rock art / najeeb, Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Rock paintings
There are known hundreds of locations with rock art and many more still are waiting to be discovered.

• Buur Heybe rock paintings (Gogoshiis Qabe) - Bay. Rock paintings and remnants of prehistoric settlements from the Middle and Late Stone Age. Found skeletal remains of 14 people. Site is located at some 300 m tall granitic inselberg.
• Dhambalin - Togdheer. Rock shelter in sandstone with some of the best polychrome paintings in Africa, a testimony of one of the oldest pastoral societies in the world. Here are depicted different animals: bovines, goats, sheep, dogs, snake, turtle and also at least eight giraffes which are extinct here now. Site includes also paintings of humans with bow and arrows, one seems to be riding a horse. Many animals and people have white belts. Paintings were made 5000 - 3000 BC.
• Karin Heegan - Sanaag. Granitic hill with prehistoric rock art - more than 100 figures, mostly bovines, also goats, camels, three humans. Cave in the hill was inhabited roughly in 100 BC - 400 AD, but it is possible that drawings are older.
• Jilib Rihin and Haadh rock art - Sanaag. Rock paintings of cattle and human. Interesting detail is white belt on them.
• Laas Gaal - Togdheer. Group of 10 caves and shelters with beautiful, well preserved cave paintings, created 11 - 5 thousand years ago. Undeciphered inscriptions are under the drawings. In this region have been found numerous other caves with paintings.
  
  

Prehistoric sites

• Botiala necropolis - Bari. Ancient burial grounds next to Botiala fortress. Site includes some 200 stone cairns, some with standing stones.
• Jalelo site - Awdal. Paleolithic - Neolithic "factory" of stone tools - lanceheads, arrowheads, scrapers. Scientifically important site which links the Paleolite cultures of the West and East.

Prehistoric structures in Haylaan / Abdirisak, Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Ancient cities
List includes these cities where most of the visible structures were built before the medieval period.

• Abasa - Awdal. Ancient city with ruins of numerous old buildings, remnants of city walls. Here has been found pottery from the Middle East and China.
• Amud Old City - Awdal. Ruins of ancient city with ruins of hundreds of buildings, city walls. City flourished in the 15th - 16th century AD.
• Elaayo - Sanaag. Ancient coastal town, possible trade city in the times of Ancient Egypt and Greece. Town and its surroundings are rich with prehistoric burial cairns.
• Haylaan ruins and necropolis - Sanaag. Ruins of stone settings, cairns made by Kushitic people in prehistoric times.
• Maydh - Sanaag. Ancient port town, home of Sheikh Isaaq in the 12th or 13th century AD. Contains tombs of ancient rulers.
• Ras Hafun ruins (possibly - Opone) - Bari. Ruins of once important port city which flourished in the 1st century AD. Back in those times this port served trade ships from Malaysia, Indonesia and nearer places. Here have been found remnants of diverse buildings and megaliths, necropolis, Roman and Partho-Sassanid pottery, different coins.
• Qa’ableh - Sanaag. Ruins of ancient town with numerous archaeological landmarks, including purported tombs of former kings - megalithic stone settings.
• Qombo'ul - Sanaag. Historical town with ancient ruins, stone settings and cairns.
• Sheikh - Togdheer. Ancient town with numerous historical structures, including interesting ancient temples.
  
  Wargaade Wall - Bari (?). Ancient (possibly - 2000 years old) fortification wall built from dressed stones around Wargaade settlement, 230 by 210 m large. Abandoned after the coming of Islam.

 

[Ricespot]

If all these things truly exist how come no one has taken pictures. Btw the wargaade wall sounds like a myth.

 

[MARAQ DIGAAG]

than explain why hargaisa is a oromo name/word. i also believe the somali and oromo were originally one tribe but than the line got split in between the sub clans who converted to islam in the early years. than i believe they pushed the non muslims further towards the south. thats why the somali and oromo language borrow a lot from each other. the reason i say the religion of islam was what differentiated the two sides which ended up being called somali and oromo because the oromos didnt convert to islam untill hundreds of years later. how else do you explain rahanweyn. aaf maay is more similar to aaf oromo than to aaf somali. this in my opinion makes more sense than the story we copied from the habashi that we are ``half arab`` looooool

Hargeysa is not an Oromo word . Af maay is closer to Af Somali. Oromos were never present in Northern Somalia .

 

[MARAQ DIGAAG]

Aububah may be Haboba, who was the first Amir of Harar.

Ao Barhe is clearly Aw Barre.

The ancient Puntite king who was met by Hatesheput was called Perahu . Barhe ? Some Somalis claim his now was Baarahow .

 

[Jas]

If all these things truly exist how come no one has taken pictures. Btw the wargaade wall sounds like a myth.

I've been there myself, it exists. Especially the ones in Awdal and Hargeisa. Don't know about the others though

 

[Jas]

The ancient Puntite king who was met by Hatesheput was called Perahu . Barhe ? Some Somalis claim his now was Baarahow .

It's not possible that it's referring to a Puntite king because the Saint Patron Aw Barre is known and he is buried to the west of the town. His burial site is Islamic too. But the town is much older than the Saint himself, but he appropriated the name.

 

[Jas]

6. Amoud ruins:
This place is really old, Saint Amud himself was more contemporary than the town. The old town could be thousands of years old. There has been very minimal archaeology done.

 

[Jas]

7. Pre-Christian Qorgab ruins, Awdal.

 

[MARAQ DIGAAG]

It's not possible that it's referring to a Puntite king because the Saint Patron Aw Barre is known and he is buried to the west of the town. His burial site is Islamic too. But the town is much older than the Saint himself, but he appropriated the name.

What I meant was that the name of the Puntite King could have been an version of Barre or along those lines .

 

[Grant]

What I meant was that the name of the Puntite King could have been an version of Barre or along those lines .

Are we going to start calling it "Bunt" now? Oh wow, Buntland!

This thread should have been sticky as I asked:

https://www.somalispot.com/threads/land-of-punt-the-mysterious-land.28619/

The many Egyptian land and sea expeditions would have recorded any passage through the Bab al Mandeb and had no reason to go that far. True Frankincense and all the other products that interested the Egyptians were available much closer in the Sudan. Note where the Boswellia Papyrifera range touches the Red Sea.

 

[Sultan]

Aububah may be Haboba, who was the first Amir of Harar.

Ao Barhe is clearly Aw Barre.

OR it might be the son of Girri koombe Clan . Aw barre Girri