Memories of Xamar/Mogadishu

[Qandalawi]

Xamar was once a beautiful and great city, I wasn't born there, balse anoo usoo socda ayay iga qaraxday, I was at the top of Samtareele heading for it and the civil war broke out, damn it. We are told iska laabta.

[Ashkiro]

I feel obliged to say thank you for those of you who were so kind to take the time and share with us your memories. Sadly mine aren't so clear or else I would have shared, more of reason why I enjoy reading and hearing the experiences of others. Thanks once again and God Bless.

[Ducaysane]

Ashkiro,

qaxii ma kaaga sheekeeyaa.

[Baluug]

As soon as it is safe enough for a whitey like myself to go, this will be the first place I visit insha Allah.

[Sophist]

Mogadishu, sadly the city that will never be.

 

I have both fond and morbidly horrid memories. In my formative years in Dugsi Quraan, it was the most enchanting time of my whole life- of course one continuously hopes to recapture/recreate those ephemeral moments of careless ciyaalmo without much luck. Damned are those who robbed us our childhood not to mention memories of that delightful age.

 

Fond memories?

 

Too long to list.

 

PS: I have noticed all the memories are associated with all well to do activities; Abay Dhaxan, Aran Hamburger (btw not Aran Burger), Xaraf etc. SOL is the place of the old Somali middle classes haye?

[Geel_jire]

My first visit to xamar ... was a few years ago.

 

I can only speak about what buildings are still standing .. and areas not yet completely destroyed.

 

the southern part of xamar looked very nice .. not too affected by the fighting .. madina & buulo xuubay.

 

shangani looked completely destroyed ... the government building, the central bank, the cathedral all in ruins.

 

Liido beach is still beatiful and so is jazeera. the port in shangaani near masjid c/casis is now called dekada duqda and is no longer in use.

 

tarabuunka was rebuilt under c/qasim ... isbartiibo is holding together nicely.

 

of course this was before the tigre ... so probably alot of changes.

 

it is like a before/after pic .... except i would prefer to be on the other side.

 

ps: not everyone can possibly be from xamar .. so my fellow geeljires/geeljirad please raise your hands .. reer magaalka ha isku dhex qarinanina !

 

serously though meesha yaan la igu cidlayn dee asxaabta ... imisaa wadanka ka soo tagay oo xamar iskaba dhaaf magaalo aan arag sidee u egtahay

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

 

That is Daljirka Dahsoon (The Unknown Soldier's monument) as the picture says.

 

 

Basaskii dowladeed ee Xamar. Waxa baska ku qoran 'Gaadiidka Dadweynaha - Gobolka Banaadir'.

 

 

Xamar in 1920s probably. That masaajid is Arbacarukun.

 

 

 

Ciyaal iskooleey, baranbaro fiimtooy...

 

 

[RaMpAgE]

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar:

 

That is Daljirka Dahsoon (The Unknown Soldier's monument) as the picture says.

 

 

Basaskii dowladeed ee Xamar. Waxa baska ku qoran 'Gaadiidka Dadweynaha - Gobolka Banaadir'.

 

 

Xamar in 1920s probably. That masaajid is Arbacarukun.

 

 

 

Ciyaal iskooleey, baranbaro fiimtooy...

 

 

With All Due Respect MMA

The Pictures are interesting, however this is not the Somalia I would like to see. A Somalia which is a playground for Gaalo. That was a time of utter humilation and one which by the grace of Allah(swt) we shall never see again.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

I guess some of the few pictures offended you. I am sorry laakiin this is a thread dedicated to Muqdisho's history and that colonial part of our history is also part of Muqdisho's history. I wasn't glorifying the colonialists, just showing the pictorial Muqdisho of long bygone eras.

 

Interesting question, though: If you had a choice to live Muqdisho of 1950s and Muqdisho of today, which one would you prefer?

 

And about humiliation? What are we experiencing now? The beauty of independence?

 

It is beyond humiliation. We are collectively the laughing-stock of the world today, meel walba oo aan joogno waa nagala nacay. It is true.

 

Anyway, this is not a thread for politics.

[Ismalura]

Muqdisho; the city that was and that will be inshAla.

 

Nice pictures MMA.

[Somalina]

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar:

Ninka ku jira pictureka ma taqaan Macruufow?

 

Odeygaan hada ciro iyo duqnimo aa ka muuqata, laakiin waa nin Soomali ah, kana shaqeeya danaha Soomaliya marwalba.

Sawirada oo Somaliya ka haayo weligey kuma arkin meel kale, IA waan ka soo bilileysan doonaa, halkaan ku soo dhejin doonaa.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Ma aqaani. Talyaani in uu yahay jeclahay.

 

Sawiro kale:

 

Sawiradaan waxaa la qaaday in late '80s, when Xamar was, how do you say it, cosmopolitan African city. Qofkii deganaa ayaa og. Aaah.

 

Qofka qaaday Hindi Xamar deganaa ayuu ahaa, that is why asxaabtiisa, reerkiisa iyo dadkuu la shaqeyn jiray muuqdaan.

 

 

Ninac iyo asxaabteeda ahaa. Waa kaas, nabad barwaaqada, nimcada ka muuqato walaalaheen sawirka ku jiro iyo dhalaalka iyo quruxda -- waxaas dhan nabad ayaa keento.

 

Ar maxee dumarkeena qurxoonyihiin, siiba markee dirac qabaan. Noo haaya quruxda iyo caqligaba.

 

Meesha laakiin yaaka maqan yaa kasaayo? Haa, kuwii Barbaarta la baxay ka maqan. Haddee joogi lahaayeen xiligas nimcadaas maka muuqateen sawirka.

 

 

Nuunka, Tuujka iyo asxaabtooda sabta kala... Meesha waa Baar Xaraf, by the way. Well, according to the original source, oo meel ayaa loo baneeye dhulka wada fadhiyaan.

 

 

This is what I meant when I wrote Xamar was a cosmopolitan city. International schools like this one ka furnaa. Reer Kanada iyo Finland ayaaba caruurtooda ku baran jirtay. Maantana boqolaal kun Soomaali ciyaalkooda ayaa dalalkaan ku barto wax. Ciraaq iyo Hindiya ciyaalkooda iyagana waa joogaan, so is Ingiriiska.

 

I think this particular school was the American school.

 

 

Shabeellaha Hoose.

 

 

[Somalina]

Laayseen baleetiis waa baaylinguwal xataa; Af-Somali iyo Af Carabi.

 

Sawirada kore, dad la yaqaana ku jiro.

 

Daankiis Aqiyaar.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Of course taargooyinka Afsoomaali iyo Carabi ku qornaan jireen. Ma xasuusatid yaah.

 

By the way, sawirkaan Lambarafar laga qaaday a few months ago arag. Si fiican loo kala arkaa oo meeshaa ka hadlaaye ku jirto.

 

 

Meeshaa ka hadlaaye habeen hore oo bushkuleetiyada iyo mootooyinka lagu ijaari jiray ku dhahaaye waa jidkaas qashinqubka in uu noqday u eg oo basaska taaganyihiin bidixdaada kaa qabaneyso oo bahalka dalada camal gaduudan ka muuqdo. Sarta gadaal kasii muuqatana, geedaha gadaashood, waa sartaa ka hadlaaye, I think Farsamada in la dhihi jiray.

 

Meesha sawirka laga qaaday waa safaaradii Masar.

 

Sawirka oo weyn inta ka arag, si fiican u kala arkee markaas. Dameerka dhintay jidka dhexdiisa iska yaalo iigu daran.

[Somalina]