Coastal Somalia 2006

[Maf Kees]

Personal images of the Tsunami-struck coastal areas of Somalia. I'd like to share the beauty of our country back home.

 

mogadishu, farming settlement near no. 50 airport (lambar konton)

 

sunset in garacad

 

ostriches walking like supermodels in the friggin desert

 

ilig (tooth), view of the indian ocean

Its view is as beautiful as its history is horrific. In 1903, Seyid Mohamed and 700 local clansmen loyal to his Dervish movement tied the inhabitants to each other, beat them up and threw them off the cliffs to either drown or be eaten by sharks.

 

pastoralism and fishing can go hand in hand

 

antilopes in an enclosure

 

baby shark

 

this is salmon right?

[Maf Kees]

eyl, unique village with a lot of proud history

You'll forget that you're in Africa sometimes, it looks more like the Middle East or even Southern Europe

 

beach of eyl (italians changed the name in to baia del negro during their colonial rule)

 

dry riverbed

My granddad's birthplace, the family used to own potato farms there in the 50s

 

indian ocean

 

camels

I can understand why many gabay poems were dedicated to these beautiful creatures

[-Lily-]

Breath-takingly beautiful pictures Maf Kees. Who took them?

[Fiqikhayre]

Some beautiful images, you got their Maf Kees!

 

Congratulations, you can only be really proud of yourself for those wonderfully taken pictues. I'm amazed. Maashaallaah!

 

 

Eyl or Madiinatu Salaam is my hometown!

 

 

Beautiful Illig Daldala! Yes this is the place, where 300 of my close family (clans-men) have been mascared due to a alleged betrayal to the cause of the Sayid Maxamed Cabdulle Xassan! In those days 300 hundred people were alot. The survivors from that day all emigrated to other parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and as far as the NFD.

 

Actually my fault, it was due to a lady of my clan, who made a poem, in which she described and boasted about the stength, quantatiy of the clan in numbers and the many livestock! She finished the poem with the words 'Ala yara ma noqonaa'. Which translated means 'Shall we better become a less, smaller and insignificant clan'?

 

She asked, and when the Sayid heard those words, he sent his army to tie my clan together and throw them off the ilig daldala cliff, only to drown and die in the ocean.

[Maf Kees]

^ I learned that the perpetrators were local people and not an attack from one clan on another. I'll have to check your claims.

 

Waterlily.

 

Thanks. Somebody I know who travelled to Somalia recently took these photos.

[sheherazade]

Love the pics, thanks.

[N.O.R.F]

I heard of sharks roaming the Somali water but now i have proof :eek:

 

Some great pics

[Didi Kong]

Simply gorgeous. I love seeing pics of Somalia. Lets see some more.

[Maf Kees]

Thanks North, Sheh and Didi. It means a lot.

 

Northerner.

 

The Indian Ocean is full with sharks. This is the first time for me to see a Somali shark as well. Even though its just a dead baby.

 

 

For those who saved the pics on their computer but didn't bother to leave a message: its fine, but just don't take pics like these for granted aight! Somebody had put some time and effort in shooting them.

[ElPunto]

^I hope this is not the extent of your coastal Somalia photo collection - that would be camera stingy indeed Otherwise - please keep them coming.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Sawiro lala dhaco waaye, oo picture perfect ah.

 

About the coast and saxara-like environment kinda reminds me this sawir I took three years ago at outskirts of Xamar:

 

 

It is where the undisturbed sea, land, sky and living meet. I sorta fell in love with it. If you haven't noticed, the sea is up there, in the dark blue behind the geel. Cloudless azure sky is almost perfect too.

[Maf Kees]

^ That photo of yours looks like it was shot at the same location as the second image I posted.

 

Slideshow with those that didn't make the cut on SOL

 

NowPublic.com was even interested in using these photos to cover stories on Somalia. Damn.