Punt Land

[Hibo]

International travelers have written about Somalia over 5000 years before the Christian Era. The early Egyptians called them the "Land of Punt". THey believed that their gods were in the land of punt. Land of Punt means the land with had the great smell because of the myrreh and frankensense.

 

The name Somalia appeared to be first seen in History of 3000 years ago when the Phonecian (known today as Israel) travelers came down the red sea and wrote a lot about the Somalis. they wrote things like "tall, skinny people with beautiful narrow faces. they have camels, cattle and sheep. they are fierce fighters and make good friends as long as you don't offend them. When you offend them is there no friendship and the only thing besides friendship that they now is war". The British called them the "Irish of East AFrica".

 

Later on the Somalis grew up to be an empire under the Leadership of Ahmed Gurey in Zeyla. Ahmed Gurey captured all most all of Ethiopia. Later on the British Empire cooperated with Ethiopian kings to divide Somalia and I have a lot documents that Haile Selassie wrote to the Queen of England. I will send you those at a later date.

 

During the Ogaden war, when the Somali troops overran the Ethiopians in just 48 hours and captured all the way to Diri Dhawa, the Russians, the Cuban and the Yemenis, as you rightly said, came to their help. This is documented and both sided lost heavily but Somalia captured over 90% of Ogaden before the Russians, Cubans and Yemenis intervened.

 

Historically, Somalis used to sell Ethiopian Slaves to the Arabs. This was also reported in the Addis Ababa herald journal or magazine. Today, the black people in the Arabian peninsula are all former Ethiopian slaves sold by Somalis to the Arabs. I believe he is a young men like you who has no idea of what the history of the Horn of Africa is and was in the past. Ethiopia too had great achievement in its history. It is a remarkable nation, however, when it comes to war Ethiopia cannot face a Somali army and because of that they always cry to the Christians to help them. In fact, Haile Selasse used to say that "Ethiopia is a Christian Island in a sea of Muslims". This used to get the emotions of christians who always rushed to help him until they also gave him part of Somalia. That story is still going on today.

[SomaliaOnline-President]

Very interesting Article. You were accurate on most of the WAR part we had with ethiopia. But were did you get Somalis were involved in slave trading? Even if we've done such a thing, i dont think its something to be proud of. :-(

[Thinkerman]

Interesting post. i didnt know that '3000 years ago when the Phonecian (known today as Israel) travelers came down the red sea and wrote a lot about the Somalis. they wrote things like "tall, skinny people with beautiful narrow faces'no did i know that somalis where ever involved in the slave trade, thats quite a disturbing thought.

[Baydan]

I thought Phenicia was presend day Lebanon? :confused:

 

Interesting article, but how much of it is biased is the thing? and Somalis as slave traders that one is hard to swallow. Wont you cite your information source walaalo? just makes this nice work you've done more believable. Thanks

[BN]

Actually I read that not only did somalis trade in slaves with the arabs but they also kept slaves. These were mostly in the southern agricultural regions between the two rivers.

 

It was the Italians that abolished slavery in Somalia in the early 1900's.

 

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I think we should make a formal apology to these groups, make full reparations and intergrate them socially, politically, and economically.

 

****************. We all recall what happened in Baidoa when no food was allowed in to feed the drought sticken ppl.

 

1Luv

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Salaan...

 

Well, it seems now my response is irrelevant because the reply I intended to respond was edited, and hence I was forced to edit mine as well.

_______________

 

Macsalaama!!

[AUN]

This is interesting topic and there are some facts though also there are some questionable elements and needs to be verified

 

On the issue of slavery I dont think that Somalis were involved slave trade in principal but there were slaves in Somalia who were brough from south-east Africa by the Arab traders and they settled some areas of the south as well as northe east Somalia but there were no evidenceof somalis enslaving their fellow Somalis

 

Going back to the topic THE EARLY HISTORY OF SOMALIS here is a some research I have made long time ago about the history of Somalia

 

The history of Somali people goes back to at least 1500 BC, known as the Land of Punt; it had close commercial links with ancient Egyptians during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut. This relationship between Egyptians and Puntites is mentioned in the Temple of of Deir Al-Bahri as the queen sends an expedition to their land, on their arrival back from Land of Punt, they bring gifts to the pharaoh. The Phoenicians also had contacts with this land and called it as the ‘region of incense’. This shows that Somalis had always maintained trade relations with outside world. Numerous Chinese manuscripts are mentioned in Somalia as an important commercial centre as it imported ivory, cloths and spices.

 

It is believed that as early as the 7th century that Islam reached the Somali coast as Arabs started to settle the southern coastal areas of Mogadishu, Merca, Brava, Kismayu as well as Zeila, Berbera and Bandar Qasim in the north and Harar in the interior. These Arab immigrants brought the Islamic faith with them and since Islam became and essential part of day-to-day matters in Somalia. Some of the first scholars to write about Somalis were some of the most renowned writers of their time such al-Masudi 935AD, Al-Bakri 1067AD, Al-Idris 1154AD, and Ibn Batuta 1331AD. When Ibn Battuta visited Mogadishu reported seeing cloth being exported from Mogadishu to places as far off as Egypt and China.

 

The Sultanate of Ifat was one the earliest Somali sultanates and was found in 14th century in the area north of Awash Valley of what present day is Djibouti, Northwest Somalia and parts of Ogaden. Ifat’s neighbours on the west were Kingdom of Shoa in the highlands. As both states vied for supremacy and expansion, their relations were never affable. This meant that they were constant war at each other. Abyssinians defeated the sultanate and it moved its headquarters to Harar. Ifat was inherited by the state of Adal.

 

The Adal state with Zeila as its headquarters and whose influence at the height of its power and prosperity in the sixteenth century extended through the fertile valleys of the Jijiga and the Harar plateau to the Ethiopian highlands. Adal's fame derived not only from the prosperity and cosmopolitanism of its people, its architectural sophistication, graceful mosques, and high learning, but also from its conflicts with the expansionist Christian Abyssinians. This era is believed to when the first Somali Nationalism began as a result of confrontation erupted between the two states.

 

The Sultan of Adal at that time Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Ghazi (nicknamed Ahmed Gurey meaning ‘the left handed’) and his forces were able to repulse numerous attacks launched by Abyssinians and their Portuguese allies. Ahmed Gurey was able to penetrate the Abyssinian highlands and effectively occupied the whole of it in more than two decades. It was this joint Portuguese-Abyssinian force who used cannon to route out the Somalis, whose imam died on the battlefield. These historical events were recorded in the Somali and Abyssinian folklore and since then, there were animosity, mistrust and hatred between the Somalis and Amharic-speaking highlanders in Ethiopia.

 

Sir Richard Burton was the first British explorer to visit the Somali Peninsula when he visited in 1854. In his famous book ‘First Footsteps in East Africa’ he described the Somali country as occupying the whole of the Eastern Horn. On his travel to the interior, he described the Somali people as “Fierce and turbulence race of republicans”.

[BN]

Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar,

 

I wrote what I had read. It is not something I am proud of, or felt like writing. And I was not trying to "imply" anything. :mad:

 

You could just as easily have searched for facts online or in historical books instead of giving me your thoughts as "facts".

 

"I don't think any 'bilis' Soomaali were ever slave to another Soomaali. That is a fact." :confused:

 

Somehow if you dont think something is true, then that means it isnt true?

 

I also dont believe in a "pure" somali. Somalis are mixed of many groups, so how can any one claim to be "pure"?

 

A somali is someone who lives in somalia or speaks somali. Period.

 

Look at the USA, do they distinguish themselves as "pure" and non pure americans?

 

Kisima,

 

Very interesting article on somali history. But you forgot to mention the Majerteen Sultanates. Circa 1600-1927. It was destroyed fighting off the Italian fascists.

 

I actually read Richard Burtons book, very interesting. You should read margaret laurence's book The Prophet’s Camel Bell, written in the 1950's Somaliland protectorate. Includes pictures 2:D

 

ILuv 2 All Somalis.

[Xassan Nasra Allah]

bari_nomad, there was never a single bullet fired between the cusmaan maxamuud kingdom and the italians. infact there was a strong freindship between the two. as for slavery, i don't think that we participated it. as for the italians abolishing it, not at all. they were the ones using the bantus in kali asaay , janaale to cross rivers. the italians, being the gypsies of europe are very racist.

 

to the dude that posted the main thread, well, you have a very interesting article indeed.

[BN]

Xassan Nasra Allah,

 

You are right that there was a protection treaties between Majerteen Sultanates and Italy between 7 April 1889/December 1888 and renewed in April 1895. But facist Italy wanted to turn NE Somalia into a colony--not just a protectorate. So from 1925-1927 Italy and the Majerteen sultanates fought numerous bloody battles. Not to mention a blockade of NE Somalia by Italian ships and bombardement of coastal cities and heavy loss of civilian life.

Finally incorporating them into the Italian Somalia in 1927. For more info search online under "Majerteen Sultanate" or "Hobyo Sultanate".

 

 

Excerpt from an online source:

http://www.somaliawatch.org/archivefeb01/010411601.htm

 

"After two years of devastating war in which thousands of civilians died and the entire economy of the sultanate was ruined, razing all coastal towns and villages, the Italian colonial administration could boast that it had broken the Majeerteen resistance and put an end to an era in Somaliland. Boqor Osman fled to the British Somaliland, but was handed back to the Italians. In November the formal act of surrender took place in Hurdia, and Boqor Osman dramatically consigned his sword to Governor De Vecchi. Later Boqor Osman was exiled to Muqdisho. With the elimination of the north-eastern sultanates and the breaking of the Benaadir resistance, from this period henceforth, Italian Somaliland was to become a reality. The partition of Somaliland was already shaping during this period and the fate of the Somalis was at the mercy of the colonial powers."

 

 

As for slavery--this is just what I have read, and not what I think.

 

Here is an excerpt from one source:

 

http://www.unsomalia.org/presscenter/pressreleases/20021002_1.htm

 

"The Somali Bantu are living reminders of the once widespread and lucrative Indian Ocean slave trade. Their history as a distinct group began around the turn of the 18th century when the sultan of Zanzibar and other slave lords captured their forefathers in Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique and sold them into slavery in Somalia." For more information search online.

 

This is a another link:

http://www.refugees.org/world/articles/bantu_rr99_12.htm

 

 

1LUV