Somalian architecture

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Somalian architecture is the engineering and designing of multiple different construction types such as stone cities, castles, citadels, fortresses, mosques, temples, aqueducts, lighthouses, towers and tombs during the ancient, medieval and early modern periods in Somalia, as well as the fusion of Somalo-Islamic architecture with Western designs in contemporary times.


Walled settlements, temples and tombs[edit]

Ancient cairns in Qa’ableh.

Some of the oldest known structures in the territory of modern-day Somalia consist of burial cairns (taalo).[1] Although found throughout the country and the larger Horn of Africa region, northern Somalia in particular is home to numerous such archaeological structures, with many similar edifices found at Haylaan, Qa’ableh, Qombo'ul, Elaayo, Damo and Maydh, among other towns. However, many of these ancient structures have yet to be properly explored, a process which would help shed further light on local history and facilitate their preservation for posterity.[1]

Sheikh Darod's tomb in the ancient town of Haylaan.

Houses were constructed of dressed stone similar to the ones in Ancient Egypt.[2] There are also examples of courtyards and large stone walls enclosing settlements, such as the Wargaade Wall.

Near Bosaso, at the end of the Baladi valley, lies a 2 km to 3 km long earthwork.[1][3] Local tradition recounts that the massive embankment marks the grave of a community matriarch. It is the largest such structure in the wider Horn region.[3]

In addition, old temples situated in the northwestern town of Sheekh are reportedly similar to those in the Deccan Plateau in the Indian subcontinent.[4] There also exist several ancient necropolises in Somalia. One such structured area is found on the country's northeastern tip, in the Hafun peninsula.[5]

Menhirs and dolmens[edit]


The northern town of Aw Barkhadle, named in honour of the 13th century scholar and saint Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn (Aw Barkhadle), is surrounded by a number of ancient structures. Among these are menhirs (standing stones), burial mounds, and dolmens.[7]


Near the ancient northwestern town of Amud, whenever an old site had the prefix Aw in its name (such as the ruins of Aw Bare and Aw Bube[8]), it denoted the final resting place of a local saint.[9] Surveys by A.T. Curle in 1934 on several of these important ruined cities recovered various artefacts, such as pottery and coins, which point to a medieval period of activity at the tail end of the Adal Sultanate's reign.[8] Among these settlements, Aw Barkhadle is surrounded by a number of ancient stelae.[7] Burial sites near Burao likewise feature old stelae.[10]


Ruins of the Sultanate of Adal in Zeila.

The introduction of Islam in the early medieval era of Somalia's history brought Islamic architectural influences from the Arabian Peninsula and Persia. This stimulated a shift from drystone and other related materials in construction to coral stone, sundried bricks, and the widespread use of limestone in Somali architecture. Many of the new architectural designs such as mosques were built on the ruins of older structures, a practice that would continue over and over again throughout the following centuries.[11]

Stone cities[edit]

Whitewashed coral stone city of Merca.

The lucrative commercial networks of successive medieval Somali empires and kingdoms such as the Adal Sultanate, Sultanate of Mogadishu, Warsangali Sultanate, Ajuran Sultanate, and the Geledi Sultanate saw the establishment of several dozen stone cities in the interior of Somalia as well as the coastal regions. Ibn Battuta visiting Mogadishu in the early 14th century called it a town endless in size [12] and Vasco Da Gama who passed by Mogadishu in the 15th century noted that it was a large city with houses of four or five storeys high and big palaces in its centre[13]

Somali merchants were an integral part of a long distance caravan trade network connecting major Somali cities, such as Merca, Mogadishu, Zeila, Barawa and Qandala, with other business centers in the Horn of Africa. The numerous ruined and abandoned towns throughout the interior of Somalia can be explained as the remains of a once booming inland trade dating back to the medieval period.[14]

Castles and fortresses[edit]


Throughout the medieval era, castles and fortresses known as Qalcads were built by Somali Sultans for protection against both foreign and domestic threats. The major medieval Somali power engaging in castle building was the Ajuran Sultanate, and many of the hundreds of ruined fortifications dotting the landscapes of Somalia today are attributed to Ajuran engineers.[15]

Ruins of the Majeerteen Sultanate King Osman Mahamuud's castle in Bargal, built in 1878.

Other castle building powers were the Warsangali Sultanate and the Bari Sultanate. The many castles and fortresses such as the Sha'a Castle, the Bandar Qassim Castles and the Botiala Fortress Complex and dozens of others in towns such as Qandala, Bosaso and Las Khorey were built under their rule.

The Dervish State in the late 19th century and early 20th century was another prolific fortress building power in the Somali Peninsula. In 1913, after the British withdrawal to the coast, the permanent capital and headquarters of the Dervishes was constructed at Taleh, a large walled town with fourteen fortresses. The main fortress, Silsilat, included a walled garden and a guard house. It became the residence of Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, his wives, family, prominent Somali military leaders, and also hosted several Turkish, Yemeni and German dignitaries, architects, masons and arms manufacturers.[16] Several dozen other fortresses were built in Illig, Eyl, Shimbiris and other parts of the Horn of Africa.

Citadels and city walls[edit]

City walls were established around the coastal cities of Merca, Barawa and Mogadishu to defend the cities against powers such as the Portuguese Empire. During the Adal Age, many of the inland cities such as Amud and Abasa in the northern part of Somalia were built on hills high above sea level with large defensive stone walls enclosing them. The Bardera militants during their struggle with the Geledi Sultanate had their main headquarters in the walled city of Bardera that was reinforced by a large fortress overseeing the Jubba river. In the early 19th century the citadel of Bardera was sacked by Sultan Yusuf Mahamud Ibrahim and the city became a ghost town.

Somali city walls also acted as a barrier against the proliferation of arms usually carried by the Somali and Horn African nomads entering the cities with their caravan trains. They had to leave behind their weapons at the city gate before they could enter the markets with their goods and trade with the urban Somalis, Middle Easterners and Asian merchants.[17]

Mosques and shrines[edit]

17th-century mosque in Hafun, Somalia.



For centuries, Arba'a Rukun (1269), the Friday mosque of Merca (1609) and Fakr ad-Din (1269) were, in fact, the only mosques in East Africa to have minarets.[18] Arba Rukun's massive round coral tower of about 13 and a half meters high and over four meters in diameter at its base has a doorway that is narrow and surrounded by a multiple ordered recessed arch, which may be the first example of the recessed arch that was to become a prototype for the local mihrab style.

Constructed by and named after the first Sultan of the Mogadishu Sultanate, the Fakr-ad Din mosque dates back to the 1269. Built with marble and coral stone on a compact rectangular plan, it features a domed mihrab central azis. Glazed tiles were also used in the decoration of the mihrab, one of which bears a dated inscription. In addition, the masjid is characterized by a system of composite beams, alongside two main columns. This well-planned, sophisticated design is not replicated in mosques further south outside the Horn region.[19]


Almnara Tower in Mogadishu.

Shrines erected to house and honor Somali patriarchs and forefathers evolved from ancient Somali burial customs. Such tombs, which are predominantly found in northern Somalia (the suggested point of origin of the Somalia's majority Somali ethnic group), feature structures mainly consisting of domes and square plans.[20] In southern Somalia, the preferred medieval shrine architecture was the pillar tomb-style.

Towers and lighthouses[edit]

Somalia's historical strategic location within the world's oldest and busiest sealanes encouraged the construction of lighthouses to co-ordinate shipping and to ensure the safe entrance of commercial vessels in the nation's many port cities. In times of weak central authority the Somali civilizational matrix of interior cities and port cities was based on a clan formula that saw various clans in fierce competition over natural resources that led to chronic feuding between neighbours. Towers provided the merchant class and the urban population protection against potential raids from the nomadic regions. Stone towers such as the 15th century Almnara tower in Mogadishu and the Jamia tower of Merca were also built for defence. The Dar Ilalo stone towers though initially constructed to defend the fortress of Taleex were also used as granaries for the Dervish State.

Early modern[edit]

19th century castle town of Qandala.

The early modern period saw a continuation in the use of materials such as coral stone, sundried bricks and limestone in Somali architecture which with the increasing European influence on the Somali peninsula was now being complemented by new construction materials such as cement. The period was characterised by military architecture in the form of multi-purpose forts, and the construction of new ports. The Sultans of Aluula in the northern part of the country and the Geledi Sultanate in the south were at their peak during this period, and many of the castles, palaces and forts found in various Somali cities originate from that era.


A new hotel in Garowe.
A modern villa in Hargeisa.

In the modern period, several Somali cities such as Mogadishu, Hargeisa and Berbera received large projects, which saw construction in new styles that harmoniously blended in with the existing old architecture. Due to Italian influence, parts of Mogadishu are built in the classical style. The Somali government continued upon that legacy, while also opening the door to German, American and Chinese designers.

As a departure from the prevailing Somali architectural style, the National Theatre in Mogadishu was completely built from a Chinese perspective. The town-hall was constructed in the Moroccan style. Much of the new architecture also continued upon ancient tradition, the Al-Uruba Hotel, the pre-eminent hotel in Somalia and an iconic feature of Mogadishu's waterfront was entirely designed and constructed by Somalis in the Arabesque style.

In recent times, due to the civil war and the subsequent decentralization, many cities across the country have rapidly developed into urban hubs and have adopted their own architectural styles independently. In the cities of Garowe, Bosaso and Hargeisa, construction firms have built hotels, government facilities, airports and residential neighbourhoods in a modernist style, often utilizing chrome, steel and glass materials.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ a b c Hodd, Michael (1994). East African Handbook. Trade & Travel Publications. p. 640. ISBN 0-8442-8983-3. 
  2. ^ Man, God and Civilization pg 216
  4. ^ "Some account of Somaliland: With Notes on Journeys Through the Gadabürsi and Western Ogaden countries, 1896–1897". Scottish Geographical Magazine 14 (2). 98. doi:10.1080/00369229808732974. 
  5. ^ National Review (1965). Somalia Calling the World. p. 25. 
  7. ^ a b Briggs, Phillip (2012). Somaliland. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 98. ISBN 1-84162-371-7. 
  11. ^ Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi, Culture and Customs of Somalia, (Greenwood Press: 2001), p.102.
  12. ^ The Archaeology of Islam in Sub Saharan Africa pg 62
  13. ^ Da Gama's First Voyage pg.88
  14. ^ Shaping of Somali Society - Lee Cassanelli pg.149
  15. ^ Shaping of Somali Society pg 101
  17. ^ Tales which persist on the Tongue - Scott S. Reese pg 4
  18. ^ Studies in Islamic history and civilization By David Ayalon pg 370
  19. ^ Peter S. Garlake, Early art and architecture of Africa, (Oxford University Press US: 2002), p.176.
  20. ^ Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi, Culture and Customs of Somalia, (Greenwood Press: 2001), p.8.