somali people

{{main|proto-Somali}}

Samaale, the legendary common ancestor of several Somali clans, is generally regarded as the source of the ethnonym Somali. One other theory is that the name is held to be derived from the words {{Lang|so|soo}} and {{Lang|so|maal}}, which together mean "go and milk". This interpretation differs depending on region, with northern Somalis implying it refers to camel's milk,Who Cares about Somalia: Hassan's Ordeal; Reflections on a Nation's Future, By Hassan Ali Jama, page 92 while southern Somalis use the transliteration {{Lang|so|sa' maal}} which refers to cow's milk.{{Cite book|last=Ahmed|first=Ali Jimale|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XpdAzRYruCwC&q=northern+southern+soo+maal+invention&pg=PA85|title=The Invention of Somalia|date=1995|publisher=The Red Sea Press|isbn=978-0-932415-99-8|language=en}} This is a reference to the ubiquitous pastoralism of the Somali people.I. M. Lewis, A pastoral democracy: a study of pastoralism and politics among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa, (Oxford University Press : 1963), p.12. Another plausible etymology proposes that the term Somali is derived from the Arabic word for wealthy ({{Lang|ar-Latn|zāwamāl}}), referring to Somali riches in livestock.{{cite book|last=Lewis|first=I. M.|author2=Said Samatar|title=A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa|publisher=LIT Verlag Berlin-Hamburg-Münster|year=1999|pages=11–13|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2vXPfRsf04C| isbn = 978-3-8258-3084-7}}{{Cite book|last=Suleiman|first=Anita|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kREOAQAAMAAJ&q=Somali+studies+zu+maal|title=Somali studies: early history|date=1991|publisher=HAAN Associates|isbn=9781874209157|language=en}} Alternatively, the ethnonym is believed to have been derived from the Automoli (Asmach), a group of warriors from ancient Egypt described by Herodotus. Asmach is thought to have been their Egyptian name, with Automoli being a Greek derivative of the Hebrew word {{Lang|he-Latn|S’mali}} (meaning 'on the left hand side').{{cite book|title=Journal of the East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society, Issues 24–30|date=1926|publisher=The Society|page=103|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vwccAAAAMAAJ|access-date=17 April 2018}} However, historian Mohamed A. Rirash maintains that the most accurate etymology of the ethnonym derives from the compound term {{Lang|so|soofmaal}}—with {{Lang|so|soof}} meaning 'to herd' and {{Lang|so|maal}} referring to 'livestock'—initially serving as an occupational label for Somali pastoralists before evolving into the collective name for all ethnic Somalis.Rirash, Mohamed Abdillahi (1988). "Effects of Sixteenth Century Upheavals on the History of the Horn" (PDF). Proceedings of the Third International Congress of Somali Studies: 253.

A Tang Chinese document from the 9th century CE referred to the northern Somalia coast—which was then part of a broader region in Northeast Africa known as Barbaria, in reference to the area's Barbar (Cushitic) inhabitantsDavid D. Laitin, Said S. Samatar, Somalia: Nation in Search of a State, (Westview Press: 1987), p. 5.—as Po-pa-li.Lee V. Cassanelli, The shaping of Somali society: reconstructing the history of a pastoral people, 1600–1900, (University of Pennsylvania Press: 1982), p.9.Nagendra Kr Singh, International encyclopaedia of Islamic dynasties, (Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 2002), p. 524.

The first clear written reference of the sobriquet Somali dates back to the early 15th century CE during the reign of Ethiopian Emperor Yeshaq I who had one of his court officials compose a hymn celebrating a military victory over the Sultanate of Ifat.I.M. Lewis, A modern history of the Somali: nation and state in the Horn of Africa, 4, illustrated edition, (James Currey: 2002), p.25. Simur was also an ancient Harari alias for the Somali people.{{cite book|last1=Fage|first1=J.D|title=The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 3|date=1975|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=154|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GWjxR61xAe0C&q=simur+harari&pg=PA154|access-date=10 March 2017|isbn=9780521209816}}

Somalis overwhelmingly prefer the demonym Somali over the incorrect Somalian since the former is an endonym, while the latter is an exonym with double suffixes.Michel, A. D. A. M. "Panorama of Socio-Religious Communities1." Indian Africa: Minorities of Indian-Pakistani Origin in Eastern Africa (2015): 69. The hypernym of the term Somali from a geopolitical sense is Horner and from an ethnic sense, it is Cushite.Woldu, Demelash. Exploring language uses and policy processes in Karat Town of Konso Woreda, Ethiopia. Diss. University of East Anglia, 2018.

{{History_of Somalia}}

{{History_of Somaliland}}

{{Main|History of Somalia|History of Somaliland|Maritime history of Somalia}}

File:Zeila ruins.jpeg in Zeila, a kingdom led in the 16th century by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi (Ahmed Gurey).]]

The origin of the Somali people which was previously theorized to have been from Southern Ethiopia since 1000 BC or from the Arabian Peninsula in the eleventh century has now been overturned by newer archeological and linguistic studies which puts the original homeland of the Somali people in Somaliland region, which concludes that the Somalis are the indigenous inhabitants of the Horn of Africa for the last 7000 years.{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X1dDDwAAQBAJ&q=Making+Sense+of+Somali+History:+Volume+1 | title=Making Sense of Somali History: Volume 1| page= 65|isbn=9781909112797| last1=Abdullahi| first1=Abdurahman| date=2017-09-18| publisher=Adonis and Abbey Publishers}}

Ancient rock paintings, which date back 5000 years (estimated), have been found in Somaliland region. These engravings depict early life in the territory. The most famous of these is the Laas Geel complex. It contains some of the earliest known rock art on the African continent and features many elaborate pastoralist sketches of animal and human figures. In other places, such as the Dhambalin region, a depiction of a man on a horse is postulated as being one of the earliest known examples of a mounted huntsman.{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/26/grotto-galleries-show-early-somali-life.html|title=Grotto galleries show early Somali life|author=AFP|date=26 April 2011}}

Inscriptions have been found beneath many of the rock paintings, but archaeologists have so far been unable to decipher this form of ancient writing.Susan M. Hassig, Zawiah Abdul Latif, Somalia, (Marshall Cavendish: 2007), p.22 During the Stone Age, the Doian and Hargeisan cultures flourished here with their respective industries and factories.pg 105 – A History of African archaeology By Peter Robertshaw

The oldest evidence of burial customs in the Horn of Africa comes from cemeteries in Somalia dating back to 4th millennium BC.pg 40 – Early Holocene Mortuary Practices and Hunter-Gatherer Adaptations in Southern Somalia, by Steven A. Brandt World Archaeology © 1988 The stone implements from the Jalelo site in Somalia are said to be the most important link in evidence of the universality in palaeolithic times between the East and the West.Prehistoric Implements from Somalia by H. W. Seton-Karr pg 183

In antiquity, the ancestors of the Somali people were an important link in the Horn of Africa connecting the region's commerce with the rest of the ancient world. Somali sailors and merchants were the main suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and spices, items which were considered valuable luxuries by the Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Mycenaeans and Babylonians.Phoenicia pg 199The Aromatherapy Book by Jeanne Rose and John Hulburd pg 94File:Queen_of_punt2.jpg]]According to most scholars, the ancient Land of Punt and its native inhabitants formed part of the ethnogenesis of the Somali people. The ancient Puntites were a nation of people that had close relations with Pharaonic Egypt during the times of Pharaoh Sahure and Queen Hatshepsut. The pyramidal structures, temples and ancient houses of dressed stone littered around Somalia may date from this period.Man, God and Civilization pg 216

In classical antiquity, the Macrobians, who may have been ancestral to the Automoli or ancient Somalis, established a powerful tribal kingdom that ruled large parts of modern Somalia. They were reputed for their longevity and wealth, and were said to be the "tallest and handsomest of all men".[https://archive.org/stream/geographyofherod00whee/geographyofherod00whee_djvu.txt The Geography of Herodotus: Illustrated from Modern Researches and Discoveries] by James Talboys Wheeler, pg 1xvi, 315, 526 The Macrobians were warrior herders and seafarers. According to Herodotus' account, the Achaemenid emperor Cambyses II, upon his conquest of Egypt in 525 BCE, sent ambassadors to Macrobia, bringing luxury gifts for the Macrobian king to entice his submission. The Macrobian ruler, who was elected based on his stature and beauty, replied instead with a challenge for his Persian counterpart in the form of an unstrung bow: if the Persians could manage to draw it, they would have the right to invade his country; but until then, they should thank the gods that the Macrobians never decided to invade their empire.John Kitto, James Taylor, The popular cyclopædia of Biblical literature: condensed from the larger work, (Gould and Lincoln: 1856), p.302. The Macrobians were a regional power reputed for their advanced architecture and gold wealth, which was so plentiful that they shackled their prisoners in golden chains.

Several ancient city-states, such as Opone, Essina, Sarapion, Nikon, Malao, Damo and Mosylon near Cape Guardafui, which competed with the Sabaeans, Parthians and Axumites for the wealthy Indo-Greco-Roman trade, also flourished in Somalia.Oman in history By Peter Vine Page 324

File:Ifat.png's realm in the 14th century.]]

Islam was introduced to the area early on by the first Muslims of Mecca fleeing prosecution during the first Hejira with Masjid al-Qiblatayn being built before the Qiblah faced towards Mecca. The town of Zeila's two-mihrab Masjid al-Qiblatayn dates to the 7th century, and is one of the oldest mosques in Africa.{{cite book |last=Briggs |first=Phillip |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M6NI2FejIuwC |title=Somaliland |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |year=2012 |isbn=978-1841623719 |page=7}}

Consequently the Somalis were some of the earliest non-Arabs that converted to Islam.{{cite book|title=The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture (African Expressive Cultures)|first=Heather|last=Akou|publisher=Indiana University Press; 1st Paperback Edition|year=2011}} The peaceful conversion of the Somali population by Somali Muslim scholars in the following centuries, the ancient city-states eventually transformed into Islamic Mogadishu, Berbera, Zeila, Barawa, Hafun and Merca, which were part of the Berberi civilization. The city of Mogadishu came to be known as the City of Islam,Society, security, sovereignty and the state in Somalia – Page 116 and controlled the East African gold trade for several centuries.East Africa: Its Peoples and Resources – Page 18

The Sultanate of Ifat, led by the Walashma dynasty with its capital at Zeila, ruled over parts of what is now eastern Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somaliland. The historian al-Umari records that Ifat was situated near the Red Sea coast, and states its size as 15 days travel by 20 days travel. Its army numbered 15,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers. Al-Umari also credits Ifat with seven "mother cities": Belqulzar, Kuljura, Shimi, Shewa, Adal, Jamme and Laboo.G.W.B. Huntingford, The Glorious Victories of Ameda Seyon, King of Ethiopia (Oxford: University Press, 1965), p. 20.

In the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade including the Ajuran Sultanate, which excelled in hydraulic engineering and fortress building,Shaping of Somali society Lee Cassanelli pg.92 the Adal Sultanate, whose general Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (Ahmed Gurey) was the first commander to use cannon warfare on the continent during Adal's conquest of the Ethiopian Empire,Futuh Al Habash Shibab ad Din and the Sultanate of the Geledi, whose military dominance forced governors of the Omani empire north of the city of Lamu to pay tribute to the Somali Sultan Ahmed Yusuf.Sudan Notes and Records – Page 147 The Harla, an early group who inhabited parts of Somalia, Tchertcher and other areas in the Horn, also erected various tumuli.{{cite journal|last1=Joussaume|first1=Roger|title=Fouille d'un tumulus à Ganda Hassan Abdi dans les monts du Harar|journal=Annales d'Ethiopie|date=1976|volume=10|pages=25–39|doi=10.3406/ethio.1976.1157}} These masons are believed to have been ancestral to the Somalis ("proto-Somali").{{cite book|last=Braukämper|first=Ulrich|title=Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia: Collected Essays|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HGnyk8Pg9NgC&pg=PA18|year=2002|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|isbn=978-3-8258-5671-7}}File:Gondereshe2008.jpg of Gondershe was an important site in the medieval Ajuran Empire.]]Berbera was the most important port in the Horn of Africa between the 18th–19th centuries.{{cite book|last1=Prichard|first1=J. C.|title= Researches Into the Physical History of Mankind: Ethnography of the African races.|date=1837|publisher= Sherwood, Gilbert & Piper|page=160|language=en}} For centuries, Berbera had extensive trade relations with several historic ports in the Arabian Peninsula. Additionally, the Somali and Ethiopian interiors were very dependent on Berbera for trade, where most of the goods for export arrived from. During the 1833 trading season, the port town swelled to over 70,000 people, and upwards of 6,000 camels laden with goods arrived from the interior within a single day. Berbera was the main marketplace in the entire Somali seaboard for various goods procured from the interior, such as livestock, coffee, frankincense, myrrh, acacia gum, saffron, feathers, ghee, hide (skin), gold and ivory.{{cite book|title=The Colonial Magazine and Commercial-maritime Journal, Volume 2|date=1840|page=22|language=en}} Historically, the port of Berbera was controlled indigenously between the mercantile Reer Ahmed Nur and Reer Yunis Nuh sub-clans of the Habar Awal.{{cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=I. M.|title= A Modern History of Somalia: Nation and State in the Horn of Africa|date=1988|publisher=Westview Press|page=35|language=en}}

File:Berbera, 1884.png

According to a trade journal published in 1856, Berbera was described as "the freest port in the world, and the most important trading place on the whole Arabian Gulf.":

{{cquote|“The only seaports of importance on this coast are Feyla [Zeila] and Berbera; the former is an Arabian colony, dependent of Mocha, but Berbera is independent of any foreign power. It is, without having the name, the freest port in the world, and the most important trading place on the whole Arabian Gulf. From the beginning of November to the end of April, a large fair assembles in Berbera, and caravans of 6,000 camels at a time come from the interior loaded with coffee, (considered superior to Mocha in Bombay), gum, ivory, hides, skins, grain, cattle, and sour milk, the substitute of fermented drinks in these regions; also much cattle is brought there for the Aden market.”{{cite book|last1=Hunt|first1=Freeman|title=The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review, Volume 34|date=1856|page=694|language=en}}}}

As a tributary of Mocha, which in turn was part of the Ottoman possessions in Western Arabia, the port of Zeila had seen several men placed as governors over the years. The Ottomans based in Yemen held nominal authority of Zeila when Sharmarke Ali Saleh, who was a successful and ambitious Somali merchant, purchased the rights of the town from the Ottoman governor of Mocha and Hodeida.{{Cite book|last=Omar|first=Mohamed Osman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_RAOAQAAMAAJ&q=farmed+out+to|title=The scramble in the Horn of Africa: history of Somalia, 1827–1977|date=2001|publisher=Somali Publications|isbn=9781874209638|language=en}}

Allee Shurmalkee [Ali Sharmarke] has since my visit either seized or purchased this town, and hoisted independent colours upon its walls; but as I know little or nothing save the mere fact of its possession by that Soumaulee chief, and as this change occurred whilst I was in Abyssinia, I shall not say anything more upon the subject.{{Cite book |title=Travels in Southern Abyssinia: Through the Country of Adal to the Kingdom of Shoa|first1=Charles|last1=Johnston|author-link1=Charles Johnston (travel writer)|year=1844|publisher= Madden|page=33}}

However, the previous governor was not eager to relinquish his control of Zeila. Hence in 1841, Sharmarke chartered two dhows (ships) along with fifty Somali Matchlock men and two cannons to target Zeila and depose its Arab Governor, Syed Mohammed Al Barr. Sharmarke initially directed his cannons at the city walls which frightened Al Barr's followers and caused them to abandon their posts and succeeded Al Barr as the ruler of Zeila. Sharmarke's governorship had an instant effect on the city, as he maneuvered to monopolize as much of the regional trade as possible, with his sights set as far as Harar and the Ogaden.{{cite book|last1=Cornwallis Harris |first1=William|title=The Highlands of Æthiopia, Volume 1|date=1844|page=39|publisher=Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans|language=en}}{{Cite book|last=Rayne|first=Major.H|title=Sun, Sand and Somals – Leaves from the Note-Book of a District Commissioner|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ubd8CgAAQBAJ&q=sharmarki+chartered+two+dhows+and+returned+with+his+army+to+zeila&pg=PT10|date=1921|publisher=Read Books Ltd|page=75|isbn=9781447485438|language=en}}

In 1845, Sharmarke deployed a few matchlock men to wrest control of neighboring Berbera from that town's then feuding Somali local authorities.Abir, Mordechai (1968). Ethiopia: the era of the princes: the challenge of Islam and re-unification of the Christian Empire, 1769–1855. Praeger. p. 18.First Footsteps in East Africa, by Richard Burton, p. 16-p. 30Sun, Sand and Somals; leaves from the note-book of a district commissioner in British Somaliland, by Rayne Henry. pp. 15–16 Sharmarke's influence was not limited to the Somali coast as he had allies and influence in the interior of the Somali country, the Danakil coast and even further afield in Abyssinia. Among his allies were the Kings of Shewa. When there was tension between the Amir of Harar Abu Bakr II ibn `Abd al-Munan and Sharmarke, as a result of the Amir arresting one of his agents in Harar, Sharmarke persuaded the son of Sahle Selassie, ruler of Shewa, to imprison on his behalf about 300 citizens of Harar then resident in Shewa, for a length of two years.{{cite book|last1=Burton. F.|first1=Richard|title= First Footsteps in East Africa |date=1856|page=302|language=en}}

File:XaajiSuudicropped2.png on the left with his brother in-law Duale Idres. Aden, 1892.]]

In the late 19th century, after the Berlin Conference had ended, the Scramble for Africa reached the Horn of Africa. Increasing foreign influence in the region culminated in the creation of the first Darawiish, an armed resistance movement calling for the independence from the European powers.{{cite book |last1=Abdi |first1=Abdulqadir |title=Divine Madness |date=1993 |publisher=Zed Books |page=101 |quote=to the Dervish cause, such as the Ali Gheri, the Mullah's maternal kinsmen and his first converts. In fact, Swayne had instructions to fine the Ali Gheri 1000 camels for possible use in the upcoming campaign}}*{{cite book |last1=Bartram |first1=R |title=The annihilation of Colonel Plunkett's force |date=1903 |publisher=The Marion Star |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/296280296/ |quote=By his marriage he extended his influence from Abyssinia, on the west, to the borders of Italian Somaliland, on the east. The Ali Gheri were his first followers.}}
*{{cite book |last1=Hamilton |first1=Angus |title=Field Force |publisher= Hutchinson & Co |date=1911 |page=50 |url=https://archive.org/stream/dli.ministry.06400/209.94.A.61_djvu.txt |quote=it appeared for the nonce as if he were content with the homage paid to his learnings and devotional sincerity by the Ogaden and Dolbahanta tribes. The Ali Gheri were his first followers}}
*{{cite book |last1=Leys |first1=Thomson |title=The British Sphere |publisher=Auckland Star |date=1903 |page=5 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/imageserver/newspapers/P29pZD1BUzE5MDMwNDI0LjEuNSZnZXRwZGY9dHJ1ZQ== |quote=Ali Gheri were his first followers, while these were presently joined by two sections of the Ogaden}} The Dervish had their leaders, Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, Haji Sudi and Sultan Nur Ahmed Aman, who sought a state in the Nugaal{{cite book |last1=Samatar |first1=Said |title=In the Shadow of Conquest |date=1992 |publisher=The Red Sea Press |page=68 |quote=this letter comes from ... the Dervishes to General Swayne ... They also informed us that you said you would leave the country, I mean the country of the Nugaal and Buuhoodle and its neighborhoods. This news made us extremely joyous.}} and began one of the longest African conflicts in modern history.Foreign Department-External-B, August 1899, N. 33-234, NAI, New Delhi, Inclosure 2 in No. 1. And inclosure 3 in No. 1.F.O.78/5031, Sayyid Mohamad To The Aidagalla, Enclosed Sadler To Salisbury. 69, 20 August 1899

The news of the incident that sparked the 21 year long Dervish rebellion, according to the consul-general James Hayes Sadler, was spread or as he claimed was concocted by Sultan Nur of the Habr Yunis. The incident in question was that of a group of Somali children who were converted to Christianity and adopted by the French Catholic Mission at Berbera in 1899. Whether Sultan Nur experienced the incident first hand or whether he was told of it is not clear but what is known is that he propagated the incident in June 1899, precipitating the religious rebellion of the Dervishes.F.O.78/5031, Sayyid Mohamad To The Aidagalla, Enclosed Sadler To Salisbury. 69, 20 August 1899.

The Dervish movement successfully stymied British forces four times and forced them to retreat to the coastal region.Encyclopedia of African history – Page 1406 As a result of its successes against the British, the Dervish movement received support from the Ottomans and Germans. The Ottoman government also named Hassan Emir of the Somali nation,I.M. Lewis, The modern history of Somalia: from nation to state, (Weidenfeld & Nicolson: 1965), p. 78 and the German government promised to officially recognise any territories the Dervishes were to acquire.Thomas P. Ofcansky, Historical dictionary of Ethiopia, (The Scarecrow Press, Inc.: 2004), p.405

After a quarter of a century of military successes against the British, the Dervishes were finally defeated by Britain in 1920 in part due to the successful deployment of the newly-formed Royal Air Force by the British government.{{Cite book |last=Irons |first=Roy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_8YVBAAAQBAJ |title=Churchill and the Mad Mullah of Somaliland: Betrayal and Redemption 1899–1921 |date=2013-11-04 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-4738-3155-1 |language=en}}

File:Sultan Ali Yusuf Kenadid.jpg, 2nd Sultan of the Hobyo Sultanate.]]

Majeerteen Sultanate was founded in the early-1700s and rose to prominence in the following century, under the reign of the resourceful Boqor (King) Osman Mahamuud.Helen Chapin Metz, ed., Somalia: a country study, (The Division: 1993), p.10. His Kingdom controlled Bari Karkaar, Nugaaal, and also central Somalia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Majeerteen Sultanate maintained a robust trading network, entered into treaties with foreign powers, and exerted strong centralized authority on the domestic front.Horn of Africa, Volume 15, Issues 1–4, (Horn of Africa Journal: 1997), p.130.Transformation towards a regulated economy, (WSP Transition Programme, Somali Programme: 2000) p.62.

The Majeerteen Sultanate was nearly dismantled in the late-1800s by a power struggle between Boqor Osman Mahamuud and his ambitious cousin, Yusuf Ali Kenadid who founded the Sultanate of Hobyo in 1878. Initially Kenadid wanted to seize control of the neighbouring Sultanate. However, he was unsuccessful in this endeavour, and was eventually forced into exile in Yemen.

African Studies Center, Northeast African studies, Volumes 11–12, (Michigan State University Press: 1989), p. 32. Both sultanates maintained written records of their activities, which still exist.{{cite book|title=Sub-Saharan Africa Report, Issues 57–67|year=1986|publisher=Foreign Broadcast Information Service|page=34|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8FlEAQAAIAAJ}}

File:Sultan Abdillahi Sultan Deria.jpg, a prominent Grand Sultan of British Somaliland of the delegation sent from British Somaliland Protectorate to the British government in London to appeal for the return of Haud Reserve Area, a territory ceded by the British to Ethiopia in 1954.]]

In late 1888, Sultan Yusuf Ali Kenadid entered into a treaty with the Italian government, making his Sultanate of Hobyo an Italian protectorate known as Italian Somalia. His rival Boqor Osman Mahamuud was to sign a similar agreement vis-a-vis his own Majeerteen Sultanate the following year. In signing the agreements, both rulers also hoped to exploit the rival objectives of the European imperial powers so as to more effectively assure the continued independence of their territories.{{cite book |first=Abdisalam M. |last=Issa-Salwe |author-link=Abdisalam Issa-Salwe|title=The Collapse of the Somali State: The Impact of the Colonial Legacy|pages=34–35|publisher=Haan Associates |year=1996|isbn=978-1874209911|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GxMOAQAAMAAJ}} The Italians, for their part, were interested in the territories mainly because of its ports specifically Port of Bosaso which could grant them access to the strategically important Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden.Fitzgerald, Nina J. Somalia (New York: Nova Science, 2002), p 33 The terms of each treaty specified that Italy was to steer clear of any interference in the Sultanates' respective administrations. In return for Italian arms and an annual subsidy, the Sultans conceded to a minimum of oversight and economic concessions.{{cite book|last1=Hess|first1=Robert L.|title=Italian Colonialism in Somalia|date=1966|publisher=University of Chicago|pages=416–417}} The Italians also agreed to dispatch a few ambassadors to promote both the Sultanates' and their own interests. The new protectorates were thereafter managed by Vincenzo Filonardi through a chartered company. An Anglo-Italian border protocol was later signed on 5 May 1894, followed by an agreement in 1906 between Cavalier Pestalozza and General Swaine acknowledging that Baran fell under the Majeerteen Sultanate's administration. With the gradual extension into northern Somalia of Italian colonial rule, both Kingdoms were eventually annexed in the early 20th century.The Majeerteen Sultanates However, unlike the southern territories, the northern sultanates were not subject to direct rule due to the earlier treaties they had signed with the Italians.{{cite book|last=Ismail|first=Ismail Ali|title=Governance: The Scourge and Hope of Somalia|date=2010|publisher=Trafford Publishing|isbn=978-1426983740|page=xxiii|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V4urpVdlScAC}}

By the end of 1927, following a two year military campaign against Somali rebels, Rome finally asserted full authority over the entirety of Italian Somaliland.Tripodi, Paolo (1999). The Colonial Legacy in Somalia. p=16 In 1936, the region was integrated into Italian East Africa as the Somalia Governorate.

In urban areas, "Somalia italiana" was one of the most developed on the continent in terms of standard of living.Gallo, Adriano. Memories from Somalia (http://www.hiiraan.com/op2/2011/july/memories_from_somalia_part_one.aspx) In the late 1930s the triangle area between Mogadishu, Merca and Villabruzzi was fully developed in agriculture (with a growing export of bananas to all western Europe), and was even experiencing an initial industrial development.

File:Saba Anglana.jpg, an italian Somalian singer very famous in Italy]]

The Italian Somalis, descendants of Italian colonists and somali girls were nearly 50,000 in 1940 and were concentrated in the capital Mogadishu.An Italian ambassador in the 1990s believed that the wide practice of concubinage during the colonial years had created a kind of "ethnic community" with nearly 50,000 Somalis who had at least one grandfather or a great-grandfather Italian-born

During the late 1930s the area around Mogadishu had a huge development (with new roads, railways, airport, etc..), becoming one of the best in all Africa. The British conquest of Italian Somalia in 1941 destroyed part of the infrastructure created, like the Mogadishu–Villabruzzi Railway.

Following World War II, Britain retained control of both British Somaliland and Italian Somalia as protectorates. In 1945, during the Potsdam Conference, the United Nations granted Italy trusteeship of Italian Somalia, but only under close supervision and on the condition — first proposed by the Somali Youth League (SYL) and other nascent Somali political organizations, such as Hizbia Digil Mirifle Somali (HDMS) and the Somali National League (SNL) — that Somalia achieve independence within ten years.Gates, Henry Louis, Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, (Oxford University Press: 1999), p.1749 British Somalia remained a protectorate of Britain until 1960.Tripodi, Paolo. The Colonial Legacy in Somalia p. 68 New York, 1999.

To the extent that Italy held the territory by UN mandate, the trusteeship provisions gave the Somalis the opportunity to gain experience in political education and self-government. These were advantages that British Somaliland, which was to be incorporated into the new Somali Republic state, did not have. Although in the 1950s British colonial officials attempted, through various administrative development efforts, to make up for past neglect, the protectorate stagnated. The disparity between the two territories in economic development and political experience would cause serious difficulties when it came time to integrate the two parts.Helen Chapin Metz, ed. Somalia: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1992. [http://countrystudies.us/somalia countrystudies.us]

Meanwhile, in 1948, under pressure from their World War II allies and to the dismay of the Somalis,Federal Research Division, Somalia: A Country Study, (Kessinger Publishing, LLC: 2004), p.38 the British ceded official control of the Haud (an important Somali grazing area that was brought under British protection via treaties with the Somalis in 1884 and 1886) and the Ogaden to Ethiopia, based on a treaty they signed in 1897 in which the British ceded Somali territory to the Ethiopian Emperor Menelik in exchange for his help against raids by Somali clans.David D. Laitin, Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience, (University Of Chicago Press: 1977), p.73 Britain included the proviso that the Somali nomads would retain their autonomy, but Ethiopia immediately claimed sovereignty over them.Zolberg, Aristide R., et al., Escape from Violence: Conflict and the Refugee Crisis in the Developing World, (Oxford University Press: 1992), p.106 This prompted an unsuccessful bid by Britain in 1956 to purchase back the Somali lands it had turned over. The British government also granted administration of the almost exclusively Somali-inhabitedFrancis Vallat, First report on succession of states in respect of treaties: International Law Commission twenty-sixth session 6 May-26 July 1974, (United Nations: 1974), p.20 Northern Frontier District (NFD) to the Kenyan government despite an informal plebiscite demonstrating the overwhelming desire of the region's population to join the newly formed Somali Republic.David D. Laitin, Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience, (University Of Chicago Press: 1977), p.75

{{History_of Djibouti}}

File:Mahmoud Harbi.jpg to join a united Somali state.]]

A referendum was held in neighboring Djibouti (then known as French Somaliland) in 1958, on the eve of Somalia's independence in 1960, to decide whether or not to join the Somali Republic or to remain with France. The referendum turned out in favour of a continued association with France, largely due to a combined yes vote by the sizable Afar ethnic group and resident Europeans. There was also widespread vote rigging, with the French expelling thousands of Somalis before the referendum reached the polls.Kevin Shillington, Encyclopedia of African history, (CRC Press: 2005), p.360. The majority of those who voted no were Somalis who were strongly in favour of joining a united Somalia, as had been proposed by Mahmoud Harbi, Vice President of the Government Council. Harbi was killed in a plane crash two years later.Barrington, Lowell, After Independence: Making and Protecting the Nation in Postcolonial and Postcommunist States, (University of Michigan Press: 2006), p.115 Djibouti finally gained its independence from France in 1977, and Hassan Gouled Aptidon, a Somali who had campaigned for a yes vote in the referendum of 1958, eventually wound up as Djibouti's first president (1977–1991).

British Somaliland became independent on 26 June 1960 as the State of Somaliland, and the Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somalia) followed suit five days later.Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica, (Encyclopædia Britannica: 2002), p.835 On 1 July 1960, the two territories united to form the Somali Republic, albeit within boundaries drawn up by Italy and Britain.{{cite web |url=http://www.buluugleey.com/warkiidanbe/Governance.htm |title=The dawn of the Somali nation-state in 1960 |publisher=Buluugleey.com |access-date=25 February 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116055005/http://www.buluugleey.com/warkiidanbe/Governance.htm |archive-date=16 January 2009 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htwin/articles/20060809.aspx |title=The making of a Somalia state |publisher=Strategypage.com |date=9 August 2006 |access-date=25 February 2009}} A government was formed by Abdullahi Issa Mohamud and Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal other members of the trusteeship and protectorate governments, with Haji Bashir Ismail Yusuf as president of the Somali National Assembly, Aden Abdullah Osman Daar as the president of the Somali Republic and Abdirashid Ali Shermarke as Prime Minister (later to become president from 1967 to 1969). On 20 July 1961 and through a popular referendum, the people of Somalia ratified a new constitution, which was first drafted in 1960. The constitution was rejected by the people of Somaliland.Greystone Press Staff, The Illustrated Library of The World and Its Peoples: Africa, North and East, (Greystone Press: 1967), p.338 In 1967, Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal became Prime Minister, a position to which he was appointed by Shermarke.

On 15 October 1969, while paying a visit to the northern town of Las Anod, Somalia's then President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was shot dead by one of his own bodyguards. His assassination was quickly followed by a military coup d'état on 21 October 1969 (the day after his funeral), in which the Somali Army seized power without encountering armed opposition — essentially a bloodless takeover. The putsch was spearheaded by Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, who at the time commanded the army.Moshe Y. Sachs, Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Volume 2, (Worldmark Press: 1988), p.290.

Alongside Barre, the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC) that assumed power after President Sharmarke's assassination was led by Lieutenant Colonel Salaad Gabeyre Kediye and Chief of Police Jama Korshel. The SRC subsequently renamed the country the Somali Democratic Republic,J. D. Fage, Roland Anthony Oliver, The Cambridge history of Africa, Volume 8, (Cambridge University Press: 1985), p.478.The Encyclopedia Americana: complete in thirty volumes. Skin to Sumac, Volume 25, (Grolier: 1995), p.214. dissolved the parliament and the Supreme Court, and suspended the constitution.Peter John de la Fosse Wiles, The New Communist Third World: an essay in political economy, (Taylor & Francis: 1982), p.279.

The revolutionary army established large-scale public works programs and successfully implemented an urban and rural literacy campaign, which helped dramatically increase the literacy rate. In addition to a nationalization program of industry and land, the new regime's foreign policy placed an emphasis on Somalia's traditional and religious links with the Arab world, eventually joining the Arab League (AL) in 1974.Benjamin Frankel, The Cold War, 1945–1991: Leaders and other important figures in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, and the Third World, (Gale Research: 1992), p.306. That same year, Barre also served as chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor of the African Union (AU).Oihe Yang, Africa South of the Sahara 2001, 30th Ed., (Taylor and Francis: 2000), p.1025.

{{Main|Somali clans|}}

{{Somali clans}}

File:Habr Awal nomad.png

Somali clans ({{langx|so|Qabaa'ilka Soomaalida}}; {{langx|ar|القبائل الصومالية|translit=al-Qabā'il al-Sūmāliyya}}) are patrilineal kinship groups based on agnatic descent of the Somali people.{{Cite journal |last=Lewis |first=Ioan |date=2004 |title=Visible and Invisible Differences: The Somali Paradox |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/africa/article/abs/visible-and-invisible-differences-the-somali-paradox/5E8CC79BF1CED20D4FD4152201D6D86D |journal=Africa |language=en |volume=74 |issue=4 |pages=489–515 |doi=10.3366/afr.2004.74.4.489 |issn=1750-0184}}{{sfn|Lewis|Samatar|1999|p=11}}{{cite book |author=Marian Aguiar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0XNvklcqbwC |title=Encyclopedia of Africa |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-19-533770-9 |editor=Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates |page=395}} Tradition and folklore connects the origin of the Somali population by language and way of life, and societal organisations, by customs, and by a feeling of belonging to a broader family among individuals from the Arabian Peninsula.{{Cite book |last=Touval |first=Saadia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=24QGAQAAIAAJ |title=Somali Nationalism: International Politics and the Drive for Unity in the Horn of Africa |date=1963 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-59435-7 |pages=15 |language=en}}

The Somali people are mainly divided among five patrilineal clans, the Hawiye, Darod, Rahanweyn, Dir, and Isaaq.{{Cite web |title=Somali networks - structures of clan and society (GSDRC Helpdesk Research Report 949) |url=https://www.gov.uk/research-for-development-outputs/somali-networks-structures-of-clan-and-society-gsdrc-helpdesk-research-report-949 |access-date=2024-07-16 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} The average person is able to trace his/her ancestry generations back. Somali clans in contemporary times have an established official structure in the country's political system, acknowledged by a mathematical formula for equitably distributing seats between the clans in the Federal Parliament of Somalia.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-22 |title=The role of 4.5 in democratization and governance in Somalia: Implications and considerations for the way forward (May 2023) - Somalia {{!}} ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/role-45-democratization-and-governance-somalia-implications-and-considerations-way-forward-may-2023 |access-date=2024-07-16 |website=reliefweb.int |language=en}}{{Cite journal |last=Ahmed |first=Nasteha |date=2019-02-01 |title=Somalia's struggle to integrate traditional and modern governance: The 4.5 formula and 2012 provisional constitution |url=https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/511 |journal=Theses and Dissertations}}{{Cite book |last=Osman |first=Abdulahi A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ScxEDwAAQBAJ&dq=info:rUWuOGUXLcQJ:scholar.google.com/&pg=PA58 |title=Somalia at the Crossroads: Challenges and Perspectives inReconstituting a Failed State |date=2007-07-31 |publisher=Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd |isbn=978-1-909112-87-2 |language=en}} Minor Somali clans include Asharaf.{{cite book|last=Abdullahi|first=Mohamed Diriye|title=Culture and Customs of Somalia|date=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0313313332|pages=[https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/8 8–10]|url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/8}}

The clan represents the highest degree of familial affiliation. It holds territorial properties and is typically overseen by a Sultan. Clans possess ancestral lands, which are associated with the migratory patterns of the Somali people throughout their historical narrative. Each clan is administered by its designated leader and supported by its council of elders, with land being communally owned and overseen.{{Cite book |last=Ssero |first=Florence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xQj-zgEACAAJ |title=Global Review of Ethnopolitics |volume=2 |pages=25–40 |language=en}} Various Somali clans utilise distinct titles for their leaders, including Sultan,{{sfn|Lewis|Samatar|1999|pp=203–204}} Emir, Imam,Mohamed Haji Muktar, Historical Dictionary of Somalia, (Scarecrow Press: 2003), p.35 Ughaz,{{sfn|Lewis|Samatar|1999|pp=203–204}} and Garaad.{{cite book |url=https://en.sewasew.com/phrases/4612?withDetails=1 |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Gärad}} Clan leadership may be hereditary, or leaders may be elected by the council of elders composed of representatives from diverse clan lineages. The leaders of these clans fulfill both religious and political responsibilities.

Certain clans are traditionally classed as noble clans, referring to their pastoral lifestyle in contrast to the sedentary "Sab".{{sfn|Lewis|Samatar|1999|pp=11–14}} The noble clans are the Dir, Darod, Hawiye and Isaaq.{{cite journal |last=Pham |first=J. Peter |year=2011 |title=State Collapse, Insurgency, and Famine in the Horn of Africa: Legitimacy and the Ongoing Somali Crisis |journal=The Journal of the Middle East and Africa |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=153–187 |doi=10.1080/21520844.2011.617238 |s2cid=154845182}}{{cite web |date=January 2019 |title=Country Policy and Information Note Somalia: Majority clans and minority groups in south and central Somalia |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/773526/Somalia_-_Clans_-_CPIN_V3.0e.pdf |accessdate=6 October 2022 |publisher=Home Office |pages=13–14}} Out of these clans, Dir and Hawiye are regarded as descended from Samaale, the likely source of the ethnonym Somali (soomaali).{{sfn|Lewis|Samatar|1999|pp=11–13}}The Hawiye are descended from Samaale through his grandson Ahmed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Uthman.{{Cite book |last=محمود |first=زيلعي، عبد الرحمن شيخ |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OAIyzgEACAAJ |title=الصومال عروبتها وحضارتها الإسلامية |date=2018 |publisher=قنديل للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع، |isbn=978-9948-39-903-2 |language=ar}}{{Cite book |last=الشريف عيدروس النضيري العلوي |url=http://archive.org/details/BughiyatalAamalfeTarikhalSomal |title=بغية الآمال في تاريخ الصومال للشريف عيدروس |date=1954 |language=Arabic}} Darod and Isaaq have separate agnatic traditions of descent from Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti and Ishaaq bin Ahmed respectively.I.M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali, fourth edition (Oxford: James Currey, 2002), p. 23 Sheikh Darod and Sheikh Ishaaq are asserted to have married women from the Dir clan, thus establishing matrilateral ties with the Samaale main stem.{{sfn|Lewis|Samatar|1999|pp=11–13}} "Sab" is a term used to refer to the agricultural clans such as the Rahanweyn, in contrast to "Samaale".Laitin, David D. & Samatar, Said S. (1987). Somalia: Nation in Search of a State, Colorado: Westview Press. {{ISBN|0-86531-555-8}}

The traditions of descent from noble elite forefathers who settled on the littoral are debated, although they are based on early Arab documents and folklore.{{Cite book |last=Lewis |first=I. M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NsoNDgAAQBAJ&q=Quraysh |title=Islam in Tropical Africa |date=2017-02-03 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-31139-5 |language=en}}{{cite book|author=Marian Aguiar|editor=Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates|title=Encyclopedia of Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0XNvklcqbwC| year=2010| publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-533770-9|page=395}}{{Cite journal |last=Hamilton |first=David |date=1967 |title=Imperialism Ancient and Modern: A Study of British Attitudes to the Claims to Sovereignty to the Northern Somali Coastline. |url=https://arcadia.sba.uniroma3.it/bitstream/2307/6139/1/15_Imperialism%20Ancient%20and%20Modern_a%20study%20of%20British%20attitudes%20to%20the%20claims%20to%20Sovereignty%20to%20the%20Northern%20Somali%20coastline.pdf |journal=Journal of Ethiopian Studies |pages=11–12}} The tombs of the founders of Darod, Dir, Isaaq as well as the Abgaal subclan of Hawiye are all located in northern Somalia. Tradition holds this area as the ancestral homeland of the Somali people.

File:Mosislsol2.jpg in Mogadishu is the largest mosque in the Horn region.]]

According to data from the Pew Research Center, the creed breakdown of Muslims in the Somali-majority Djibouti is as follows: 77% adhere to Sunnism, 8% are non-denominational Muslim, 2% are Shia and 13% declined to answer, and a further report inclusive of Somali Region stipulating 2% adherence to a minority sect (e.g. Ibadism, Quranism etc.).{{cite web|author=USA |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2012/08/09/the-worlds-muslims-unity-and-diversity-1-religious-affiliation/#identity |title=Religious Identity Among Muslims | Pew Research Center |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=2012-08-09 |access-date=2021-11-19}} In the neighboring country of Somalia, 99.8% of the population is Muslim according to the Pew Research Center.{{cite web |title=The Global Religious Landscape |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/files/2012/12/globalReligion-full.pdf |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=27 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806002044/http://www.pewforum.org/files/2012/12/globalReligion-full.pdf |archive-date=6 August 2013 |page=49}} The majority belong to the Sunni branch of Islam and the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence.{{cite book |last1=Diriye Abdullahi |first1=Mohamed |title=Culture and customs of Somalia |date=2001 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Conn. |isbn=978-0-313-31333-2}} Sufism, the mystical sect of Islam, is also well established, with many local jama'a (zawiya) or congregations of the various tariiqa or Sufi orders.I. M. Lewis (1998) Saints and Somalis: Popular Islam in a Clan-based Society, The Red Sea Press, pp. 8–9, {{ISBN|1-56902-103-1}}. The constitution of Somalia likewise defines Islam as the state religion of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and Islamic sharia law as the basic source for national legislation. It also stipulates that no law that is inconsistent with the basic tenets of Shari'a can be enacted.{{cite web |title=The Federal Republic of Somalia Provisional Constitution |url=http://www.somaliweyn.com/pages/news/Aug_12/Somalia_Constitution_English_FOR_WEB.pdf |access-date=13 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003021031/http://somaliweyn.com/pages/news/Aug_12/Somalia_Constitution_English_FOR_WEB.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2012}}

There are some nobles who believe with great pride that they are of Arabian ancestry, and trace their stirp to Muhammad's lineage of Quraysh and those of his companions. Although they do not consider themselves culturally Arabs, except for the shared religion, their presumed noble Arabian origins genealogically unite them.{{cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=I. M.|title=A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa|date=1999|publisher=James Currey Publishers|isbn=978-0852552803|pages=11–12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eK6SBJIckIsC&pg=PA11|quote=But it is their Arabian ancestry which traditionally is their greatest pride. Ultimately all Somali genealogies go back to Arabian origins, to the Prophet's lineage of Quraysh and those of his companions. (...) Nevertheless, it is their proud pretensions to noble Arabian origins which unite all the Somali clans and lineages into one vast genealogical system.}} The purpose behind claiming genealogical traditions of descent from the Arabian Peninsula is used to reinforce one's lineage and the various associated patriarchs with the spread of Islam.{{cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=I. M.|title=A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa|date=1999|publisher=James Currey Publishers|isbn=978-0852552803|page=11|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eK6SBJIckIsC&pg=PA11|access-date=8 July 2016}}

{{Main|Somali language}}

File:Wadaad's-Writing.jpg had lost its ancient writing script,Ministry of Information and National Guidance, Somalia, The writing of the Somali language, (Ministry of Information and National Guidance: 1974), p.5 Somali scholars over the following centuries developed a writing system known as Wadaad writing to transcribe the language.]]

The Somali language (Af-Soomaali) is a member of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. Its nearest relatives are the Afar and Saho languages.I. M. Lewis, Peoples of the Horn of Africa: Somali, Afar and Saho, (Red Sea Press: 1998), p.11. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages{{cite journal|title=A software tool for research in linguistics and lexicography: Application to Somali | doi=10.1007/BF01540131 | volume=2|issue=1 |journal=Computers and Translation|pages=21–36|date=January 1987 |last1=Maury |first1=Carole |last2=Lecarme |first2=Jacqueline | s2cid=6515240 }} with academic studies dating from the 19th century.

File:Shaxmednuradc1.ogg.]]

The exact number of speakers of Somali is unknown. One source estimates that there are 16.3 million speakers of Somali within Somalia and 25.8 million speakers globally.{{Cite web |title=Somalia {{!}} Ethnologue Free |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/SO/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=Ethnologue (Free All) |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Somali - Worldwide distribution |url=https://www.worlddata.info/languages/somali.php |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=Worlddata.info |language=en}} Recent estimates had approximately 24 million speakers of Somali, spread in Greater Somalia of which around 17 million resided in Somalia.{{cite web |date=2021 |title=Somali |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/language/som |access-date=June 28, 2021 |publisher=SIL International}} The Somali language is spoken by ethnic Somalis in Greater Somalia and the Somali diaspora.

File:Somlangbooks.jpg books on display.]]

Somali dialects are divided into three main groups: Northern, Benadiri, and Maay. Northern Somali (or Northern-Central Somali) forms the basis for Standard Somali. Benadiri (also known as Coastal Somali) is spoken on the Benadir coast from Adale to south of Merca, including Mogadishu, as well as in the immediate hinterland. The coastal dialects have additional phonemes which do not exist in Standard Somali. Maay is principally spoken by the Digil and Mirifle (Rahanweyn) clans in the southwestern areas of Somalia.Andrew Dalby, Dictionary of languages: the definitive reference to more than 400 languages, (Columbia University Press: 1998), p.571.

A number of writing systems have been used over the years for transcribing the Somali language. Of these, the Somali Latin alphabet is the most widely used, and has been the official writing script in Somalia since the government of former President of Somalia Mohamed Siad Barre formally introduced it in October 1972.Economist Intelligence Unit (Great Britain), Middle East annual review, (1975), p. 229 The script was developed by the Somali linguist Shire Jama Ahmed specifically for the Somali language. It uses all letters of the Latin alphabet, except p, v, and z. Besides the Latin script, other orthographies that have been used for centuries for writing Somali include the long-established Arabic script and Wadaad writing. Other writing systems developed in the twentieth century including the Osmanya, Borama and Kaddare scripts, which were invented by Osman Yusuf Kenadid, Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur and Hussein Sheikh Ahmed Kaddare respectively.David D. Laitin, Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience, (University Of Chicago Press: 1977), pp. 86–87

In addition to Somali, Arabic, which is also an Afro-Asiatic tongue, is an official national language in Somalia and Djibouti. Many Somalis speak it due to millennia-old ties with the Arab world, the far-reaching influence of the Arabic media, and religious education.Helena Dubnov, A grammatical sketch of Somali, (Kِppe: 2003), pp. 70–71. Somalia and Djibouti are also both members of the Arab League.[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/djibouti/ CIA World Factbook – Djibouti – People and Society]; *N.B. ~60% of 774,389 total pop.

{{Culture of Somalia}}

{{Main|Culture of Somalia}}

File:A Somali woman shows traditional incense during an event to showcase traditional Somali culture week.jpg

File:Somali_women_building_a_somali_house.jpg

The culture of Somalia is an amalgamation of traditions developed independently and through interaction with neighbouring and far away civilizations, such as other parts of Northeast Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India and Southeast Asia.Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi, Culture and Customs of Somalia, (Greenwood Press: 2001), p.155.

The textile-making communities in Somalia are a continuation of an ancient textile industry, as is the culture of wood carving, pottery and monumental architecture that dominates Somali interiors and landscapes. The cultural diffusion of Somali commercial enterprise can be detected in its cuisine, which contains Southeast Asian influences. Due to the Somali people's passionate love for and facility with poetry, Somalia has often been referred to by scholars as a "Nation of Poets" and a "Nation of Bards" including, among others, the Canadian novelist Margaret Laurence.Diriye, p. 75

According to Canadian novelist and scholar Margaret Laurence, who originally coined the term "Nation of Poets" to describe the Somali Peninsular, the Eidagale clan were viewed as "the recognized experts in the composition of poetry" by their fellow Somali contemporaries:

Among the tribes, the Eidagalla are the recognized experts in the composition of poetry. One individual poet of the Eidagalla may be no better than a good poet of another tribe, but the Eidagalla appear to have more poets than any other tribe. "if you had a hundred Eidagalla men here," Hersi Jama once told me, "And asked which of them could sing his own gabei ninety-five would be able to sing. The others would still be learning."{{Cite book|title=A tree for poverty: Somali poetry and prose|last=Laurance|first=Margaret|publisher=McMaster University Library Press|page=27}}

All of these traditions, including festivals, martial arts, dress, literature, sport and games such as Shax, have immensely contributed to the enrichment of Somali heritage.

{{Main|Music of Somalia}}

Somalis have a rich musical heritage centered on traditional Somali folklore. Most Somali songs are pentatonic. That is, they only use five pitches per octave in contrast to a heptatonic (seven note) scale, such as the major scale. At first listen, Somali music might be mistaken for the sounds of nearby regions such as Ethiopia, Sudan or Arabia, but it is ultimately recognizable by its own unique tunes and styles. Somali songs are usually the product of collaboration between lyricists (midho), songwriters (laxan) and singers (Codka or "voice").Diriye, pp. 170–171

File:Saadoaliw1.jpg.]]

• Aar Maanta – UK-based Somali singer, composer, writer and music producer.
• Abdi Sinimo – Prominent Somali artist and inventor of the Balwo musical style.
• Abdullahi Qarshe – Somali musician, poet and playwright known for his innovative styles of music, which included a wide variety of musical instruments such as the guitar, piano and oud.
• Ali Feiruz – Somali musician from Djibouti; part of the Radio Hargeisa generation of Somali artists.
• Dur-Dur – Somali band active during the 1980s and 1990s in Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia.
• Hasan Adan Samatar – popular male artist during the 1970s and 80s.
• Hibo Nuura – popular Somali singer.
• Jonis Bashir – Somali-Italian actor and singer
• Khadija Qalanjo – popular Somali singer in the 1970s and 1980s.
• K'naan – award-winning Somali-Canadian hip hop artist.
• Magool (2 May 1948 – 19 March 2004) – prominent Somali singer considered in Somalia as one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
• Maryam Mursal (born 1950) – Somali musician, composer and vocalist whose work has been produced by the record label Real World.
• Mohammed Mooge – Prominent Somali artist from the Radio Hargeisa generation.
• Poly Styrene – Somali-British punk rock singer; best known as being the lead singer of X Ray Spex.
• Saado Ali Warsame – Somali singer-songwriter and modern Qaraami exponent.
• Waaberi – Somalia's foremost musical group that toured through several countries in Northeast Africa and Asia, including Egypt, Sudan and China.
• Waayaha Cusub – Somali music collective. Organized the international Reconciliation Music Festival in 2013 in Mogadishu.

{{Main|Cinema of Somalia}}

File:Ali Said Hassan in an Event.png.]]

Growing out of the Somali people's rich storytelling tradition, the first few feature-length Somali films and cinematic festivals emerged in the early 1960s, immediately after independence. Following the creation of the Somali Film Agency (SFA) regulatory body in 1975, the local film scene began to expand rapidly. Hassan Sheikh Mumin was considered one of the most prolific and early playwrights and composers in Somali literature. Mumin's most important work is Shabeel Naagood (1965), a piece that touches on the social position of women, urbanization, changing traditional practices, and the importance of education during the early pre-independence period. Although the issues it describes were later to some degree redressed, the work remains a mainstay of Somali literature.{{cite journal|last=African Studies Center|first=University of California|journal=African Arts|year=1973|volume=7–8|page=84|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=smBUAAAAMAAJ|access-date=29 June 2012|title=African Arts}} Shabeel Naagood was translated into English in 1974 under the title Leopard Among the Women by the Somali Studies pioneer Bogumił W. Andrzejewski, who also wrote the introduction. Mumin composed both the play itself and the music used in it.{{cite book|last=R. J. Hayward|first=I. M. Lewis|title=Voice and Power: The Culture of Language in North-East Africa : Essays in Honour of B.W. Andrzejewski|year=1996|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=0728602571|pages=Appendix xv|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SFfdmXY9X0UC&pg=PP18}} The piece is regularly featured in various school curricula, including Oxford University, which first published the English translation under its press house.

During one decisive passage in the play, the heroine, Shallaayo, laments that she has been tricked into a false marriage by the Leopard in the title:

The Somali filmmaker Ali Said Hassan concurrently served as the SFA's representative in Rome. In the 1970s and early 1980s, popular musicals known as riwaayado were the main driving force behind the Somali movie industry.

Epic and period films as well as international co-productions followed suit, facilitated by the proliferation of video technology and national television networks. Said Salah Ahmed during this period directed his first feature film, The Somali Darwish (The Somalia Dervishes), devoted to the Dervish movement. In the 1990s and 2000s, a new wave of more entertainment-oriented movies emerged. Referred to as Somaliwood, this upstart, youth-based cinematic movement has energized the Somali film industry and in the process introduced innovative storylines, marketing strategies and production techniques. The young directors Abdisalam Aato of Olol Films and Abdi Malik Isak are at the forefront of this quiet revolution.{{cite news|url=http://www.hiiraan.com/news2/2007/may/somaliwood_columbus_has_become_a_haven_for_somali_filmmaking.aspx|title=Somaliwood: Columbus Has Become A Haven for Somali Filmmaking|publisher=The Other Paper|date=19 April 2007|access-date=25 January 2008}}

{{Main|Somali art}}

File:Ucidlhd29.png eyes.]]

File:A Somali woman shows traditional items during an event to showcase traditional Somali culture week.jpg

Somalis have old visual art traditions, which include pottery, jewelry and wood carving. In the medieval period, affluent urbanites commissioned local wood and marble carvers to work on their interiors and houses. Intricate patterns also adorn the mihrabs and pillars of ancient Somali mosques. Artistic carving was considered the province of men, whereas the textile industry was mainly that of women. Among the nomads, carving, especially woodwork, was widespread and could be found on the most basic objects such as spoons, combs and bowls. It also included more complex structures, such as the portable nomadic house, the aqal. In the last several decades, traditional carving of windows, doors and furniture have given way to workshops employing electrical machinery, which deliver the same results in a far shorter time period.{{cite book|last=Abdullahi|first=Mohamed Diriye|title=Culture and Customs of Somalia|date=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0313313332|pages=[https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/97 97]|url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/97}}

Additionally, henna is an important part of Somali culture. It is worn by Somali women on their hands, arms, feet and neck during wedding ceremonies, Eid, Ramadan and other festive occasions. Somali henna designs are similar to those in the Arabian peninsula, often featuring flower motifs and triangular shapes. The palm is also frequently decorated with a dot of henna and the fingertips are dipped in the dye. Henna parties are usually held before the wedding takes place. Somali women have likewise traditionally applied kohl (kuul) to their eyes.Katheryne S. Loughran, Somalia in word and image, (Foundation for Cross Cultural Understanding: 1986), p.166. Usage of the eye cosmetic in the Horn region is believed to date to the ancient Land of Punt.Studies in Ancient Technology, Volume III, (Brill Archive), p. 18.

{{main|Sports in Somalia}}

File:MoPodiumRio2016.png the most decorated athlete in British athletics history]]

Football is the most popular sport amongst Somalis. Important competitions are the Somalia League and Somalia Cup. The Ocean Stars is Somalia's multi-ethnic national team.{{cite book|last1=Minahan|first1=James|title=The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems|date=2009|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0313344978|page=909|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jfrWCQAAQBAJ|access-date=14 November 2016}}

Basketball is also played in the country. The FIBA Africa Championship 1981 was hosted in Mogadishu from 15 to 23 December December 1981, during which the national basketball team received the bronze medal.{{cite web |title=1981 African Championship for Men|url=https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/event/p/cid/AFMSM/sid/2399/_/1981_African_Championship_for_Men/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907182902/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/event/p/cid/AFMSM/sid/2399/_/1981_African_Championship_for_Men/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 September 2009|publisher=FIBA}} The squad also takes part in the basketball event at the Pan Arab Games. Other team sports include badminton, baseball, table tennis, and volleyball.

In the martial arts, Faisal Jeylani Aweys and Mohamed Deq Abdulle also took home a silver medal and fourth place, respectively, at the 2013 Open World Taekwondo Challenge Cup in Tongeren. The Somali National Olympic committee has devised a special support program to ensure continued success in future tournaments.{{cite news|title=Somalia moves forward at world Taekwondo|url=http://horseedmedia.net/2013/03/06/somalia-moves-forward-at-world-taekwondo-pictures/|access-date=19 October 2013|newspaper=Horseed Media|date=6 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022175949/http://horseedmedia.net/2013/03/06/somalia-moves-forward-at-world-taekwondo-pictures/|archive-date=22 October 2013|url-status=dead}} Additionally, Mohamed Jama has won both world and European titles in K1 and Thai Boxing.{{cite news|title=Great Victory for Malta in K1 Kickboxing|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2010-02-10/others/great-victory-for-malta-in-k1-kickboxing-270164/|access-date=18 October 2013|newspaper=Malta Independent|date=10 February 2010}} Other individuals sports include judo, boxing, athletics, weight lifting, swimming, rowing, fencing and wrestling. Somalis have also produced many world-class distance runners like their neighboring countries with Mo Farah, Abdi Bile and Mohammed Ahmed.

File:A Somali man stands in front of a group of camels in the town of Adale, Somalia. Burundian soldiers, as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia, yesterday liberated the town of Adale in the (15411750086).jpg.]]

Traditionally, Somali men typically wear the macawis. It is a sarong that is worn around the waist. On their heads, they often wrap a colorful turban or wear the koofiyad, which is an embroidered fez.{{cite book|last=Abdullahi|first=Mohamed Diriye|title=Culture and Customs of Somalia|date=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0313313332|pages=[https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/117 117–118]|url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/117}}

Due to Somalia's proximity to and close ties with the Arabian Peninsula, many Somali men also wear the jellabiya (jellabiyad or qamiis). The costume is a long white garment common in the Arab world.Michigan State University. Northeast African Studies Committee, Northeast African Studies, Volume 8, (African Studies Center, Michigan State University: 2001), p.66.

File:Somali woman in traditional dress Circa 1940.jpg

During regular, day-to-day activities, Somali women usually wear the guntiino. It is a long stretch of cloth tied over the shoulder and draped around the waist. The cloth is usually made out of alandi, which is a textile that is common in the Horn region and some parts of North Africa. The garment can be worn in different styles. It can also be made with other fabrics, including white cloth with gold borders. For more formal settings, such as at weddings or religious celebrations like Eid, women wear the dirac. It is a long, light, diaphanous voile dress made of silk, chiffon, taffeta or saree fabric. The gown is worn over a full-length half-slip and a brassiere. Known as the gorgorad, the underskirt is made out of silk and serves as a key part of the overall outfit. The dirac is usually sparkly and very colorful, the most popular styles being those with gilded borders or threads.

Married women tend to wear headscarves referred to as shaash. They also often cover their upper body with a shawl, which is known as garbasaar. Unmarried or young women, however, do not always cover their heads. Traditional Arabian garb, such as the jilbab and abaya, is also commonly worn.

Additionally, Somali women have a long tradition of wearing gold jewelry, particularly bangles. During weddings, the bride is frequently adorned in gold. Many Somali women by tradition also wear gold necklaces and anklets.

File:Somohralhd1a.png dress.]]

The Somali flag is an ethnic flag conceived to represent ethnic Somalis.{{cite book|last1=Costantino|first1=Maria|title=The Illustrated Flag Handbook|date=2002|publisher=Silverdale Books|isbn=978-1856056694|page=185|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sGYhngEACAAJ|access-date=20 October 2014}} It was created in 1954 by the Somali scholar Mohammed Awale Liban, after he had been selected by the labour trade union of the Trust Territory of Somalia to come up with a design.{{cite web|title=History of the flag|url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/so.html#history|publisher=CRW Flags|access-date=20 October 2014}} Upon independence in 1960, the flag was adopted as the national flag of the nascent Somali Republic.{{cite web|title=Somalia Flag|url=http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/africa/somalia.htm|publisher=World Atlas|access-date=20 October 2014}} The five-pointed Star of Unity in the flag's center represents the Somali ethnic group inhabiting the five territories in Greater Somalia.{{cite web|title=The World Factbook – Somalia|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/flagtemplate_so.html|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=20 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915100458/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/flagtemplate_so.html|archive-date=15 September 2012}}

{{Main|Somali cuisine}}

File:Somregcammil.jpg

The Somali staple food comes from their livestock, however, the Somali cuisine varies from region to region and consists of a fusion of diverse culinary influences. In the interiors, the cuisine is mainly local with usage of Ethiopian grains and vegetables while in the coast it is the product of Somalia's rich tradition of trade and commerce. Despite the variety, there remains one thing that unites the various regional cuisines: all food is served halal. There are therefore no pork dishes, alcohol is not served, nothing that died on its own is eaten, and no blood is incorporated.{{cite book|last=Abdullahi|first=Mohamed Diriye|title=Culture and Customs of Somalia|date=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0313313332|pages=[https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/110 110–117]|url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/110}}

Breakfast (quraac) is an important meal for Somalis, some drink tea (shahie or shaah) others coffee (qaxwa or bun). The tea is often in the form of haleeb shai (Yemeni milk tea) in the north. The main dish is typically a pancake-like bread (canjeero or canjeelo) similar to Ethiopian injera, but smaller and thinner, or muufo a Somali flat bread traditionally baked on a clay oven. These breads might also be eaten with a stew (maraqe) or soup at lunch or dinner.Abdullahi, pp. 111–114. Qado or lunch is often elaborate, varieties of bariis (rice), the most popular being basmati are usually served as the main dish alongside goat, lamb or fish. Spices like cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and garden sage are used to aromatize these different rice delicacies. Somalis eat dinner as late as 9 pm. During Ramadan, supper is often served after Tarawih prayers; sometimes as late as 11 pm.

In some regions, xalwo (halva) is a popular confection eaten during festive occasions such as Eid celebrations or wedding receptions. It is made from sugar, corn starch, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and ghee. Peanuts are also sometimes added to enhance texture and flavor.Barlin Ali, Somali Cuisine, (AuthorHouse: 2007), p.79 After meals, homes are traditionally perfumed using frankincense (lubaan) or incense (cuunsi), which is prepared inside an incense burner referred to as a dabqaad.

{{Main|Somali literature}}

File:Nadifa Mohamed.jpg.]]

Somali scholars have for centuries produced many notable examples of Islamic literature ranging from poetry to Hadith. With the adoption of the Latin alphabet in 1972 to transcribe the Somali language, numerous contemporary Somali authors have also released novels, some of which have gone on to receive worldwide acclaim. Most of the early Somali literature is in the Arabic script and Wadaad writing.{{cite web|title=Omniglot – Somali writing scripts|url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/somali.htm|publisher=Omniglot}} This usage was limited to Somali clerics and their associates, as sheikhs preferred to write in the liturgical Arabic language. Various such historical manuscripts in Somali nonetheless exist, which mainly consist of Islamic poems (qasidas), recitations and chants.{{cite book|last1=Andrezewski|first1=B. W.|title=In Praise of Somali Literature|publisher=Lulu|isbn=978-1291454536|pages=130–131|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=90CdBQAAQBAJ|date=July 2013}} Among these texts are the Somali poems by Sheikh Uways and Sheikh Ismaaciil Faarah. The rest of the existing historical literature in Somali principally consists of translations of documents from Arabic.{{cite book|last1=Andrezewski|first1=B. W.|title=In Praise of Somali Literature|publisher=Lulu|isbn=978-1291454536|page=232|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=90CdBQAAQBAJ|date=July 2013}}

• Elmi Boodhari (1908–1940) – Early 20th century poet and pioneer in the genre of Somali love poems. He is popularly known by Somalis as the King of romance (Boqorki Jacaylka){{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=2Nu918tYMB8C&q=Elmi+Boodhari+clan&pg=PA79|title= Moahmed Diiriye Abdulahi : Culture and Customs of Somalia, p.76|isbn= 9780313313332|last1= Abdullahi|first1= Mohamed Diriye|year= 2001|publisher= Greenwood Publishing}}
• Abdillahi Diiriye Guled - Literary scholar and discoverer of the Somali prosodic system
• Ali Bu'ul (Cali Bucul) – 19th century poet, military leader and sultan, many of the most well known geeraar (short styled poems recited on a horse) came from his tongue and are still known today.
• Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame 'Hadrawi' – songwriter, philosopher, and Somali Poet Laureate; also dubbed the Somali Shakespeare.
• Hassan Sheikh Mumin – 20th century poet, playwright, broadcaster, actor and composer.
• Nuruddin Farah (born 1943) – Somali writer and winner of the 1998 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
• Abdillahi Suldaan Mohammed Timacade (1920–1973) – prominent Somali poet known for his nationalist poems such as Kana siib Kana Saar.
• Mohamud Siad Togane (born 1943) – Somali-Canadian poet, professor, and political activist.
• Maxamed Daahir Afrax – Somali novelist and playwright. Afrax has published several novels and short stories in Somali and Arabic, and has also written two plays, the first being Durbaan Been ah ("A Deceptive Drum"), which was staged in Somalia in 1979. His major contribution in the field of theatre criticism is Somali Drama: Historical and Critical Study (1987).
• Gaarriye (1949–2012) – Somali poet, most notable for his famous poem Hagarlaawe.
• Nadifa Mohamed – Somali novelist. Winner of the 2010 Betty Trask Prize.
• Musa Haji Ismail Galal (1917–1980) – was a Somali writer, scholar, linguist, historian and polymath
• Farah Mohamed Jama Awl – Somali author best known for his historical fiction novels.
• Diriye Osman – Somali writer and visual artist. Winner of the 2014 Polari First Book Prize.
• Sofia Samatar – Somali professor and writer. Winner of the 2014 World Fantasy Award.

{{Main|Xeer}}

File:2016 16 Youth Workshop-6 (30821301124).jpg chairing a political workshop.]]

Somalis for centuries have practiced a form of customary law, which they call xeer. Xeer is a polycentric legal system where there is no monopolistic agent that determines what the law should be or how it should be interpreted. It is assumed to have developed exclusively in the Horn of Africa since approximately the 7th century. Given the dearth of loan words from foreign languages within the xeer's nomenclature, the customary law appears to have evolved in situ.{{cite web|url=https://www.mises.org/story/2701|title=Mises Daily|work=Mises Institute|date=4 September 2007}}

File:Jawari.png, speaker of the Federal Parliament.]]

Xeer is defined by a few fundamental tenets that are immutable and which closely approximate the principle of jus cogens in international law: payment of blood money (locally referred to as diya or mag), assuring good inter-clan relations by treating women justly, negotiating with "peace emissaries" in good faith, and sparing the lives of socially protected groups (e.g. children, women, the pious, poets and guests), family obligations such as the payment of dowry, and sanctions for eloping, rules pertaining to the management of resources such as the use of pasture land, water, and other natural resources, providing financial support to married female relatives and newlyweds, donating livestock and other assets to the poor.{{cite web|title=Stateless Justice in Somalia|url=http://www.hdcentre.org/files/Somalia%20report.pdf|date=1 June 2005|author=Dr Andre Le Sage|publisher=Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118151830/http://www.hdcentre.org/files/Somalia%20report.pdf|archive-date=18 January 2012}} The Xeer legal system also requires a certain amount of specialization of different functions within the legal framework. Thus, one can find odayal (judges), xeer boggeyaal (jurists), guurtiyaal (detectives), garxajiyaal (attorneys), murkhaatiyal (witnesses) and waranle (police officers) to enforce the law.{{cite web|url=http://www.hiiraan.com/op2/2008/oct/back_to_somali_roots.aspx|title=Back to Somali roots|work=hiiraan.com}}

{{Somali Architecture}}

{{Main|Somali architecture}}

Somali architecture is a rich and diverse tradition of engineering and designing. It involves multiple different construction types, such as stone cities, castles, citadels, fortresses, mosques, mausoleums, towers, tombs, tumuli, cairns, megaliths, menhirs, stelae, dolmens, stone circles, monuments, temples, enclosures, cisterns, aqueducts, and lighthouses. Spanning the ancient, medieval and early modern periods in Greater Somalia, it also includes the fusion of Somali architecture with Western designs in contemporary times.{{cite book|last=Abdullahi|first=Mohamed Diriye|title=Culture and Customs of Somalia|date=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0313313332|page=[https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/105 105]|url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/105}}

In ancient Somalia, pyramidical structures known in Somali as taalo were a popular burial style. Hundreds of these dry stone monuments are found around the country today. Houses were built of dressed stone similar to the ones in Ancient Egypt. There are also examples of courtyards and large stone walls enclosing settlements, such as the Wargaade Wall.

The peaceful introduction of Islam in the early medieval era of Somalia's history brought Islamic architectural influences from Arabia and Persia. This had the effect of stimulating a shift in construction from drystone and other related materials 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. This practice would continue over and over again throughout the following centuries.Diriye, p. 102

{{Main|Somali diaspora}}

File:Buckeye Market and Halal Meats.jpg.]]

Somalis constitute the largest ethnic group in Somalia, at approximately 85% of the nation's inhabitants. They also comprise around 60% of the inhabitants in Djibouti.{{cite web|title=Djibouti|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/djibouti/|publisher=CIA World Factbook|access-date=30 April 2016}}

Civil strife in the early 1990s greatly increased the size of the Somali diaspora, as many of the best educated Somalis left for the Middle East, Europe and North America.[http://www.innercitypress.com/UNPOSstrategy.doc Somali Diaspora] – Inner City Press In Canada, the cities of Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Hamilton all harbor Somali populations. Statistics Canada's 2006 census ranks people of Somali descent as the 69th largest ethnic group in Canada.{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Data=Count&Table=2&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000|title=Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada – Data table|date=2 April 2008|work=statcan.ca|access-date=5 November 2008|archive-date=6 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106221808/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-562/pages/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Table=2&Data=Count&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000|url-status=dead}}

UN migration estimates of the international migrant stock 2015 suggest that 1,998,764 people from Somalia were living abroad.{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/data/UN_MigrantStockByOriginAndDestination_2015.xlsx|title=Table 16. Total migrant stock at mid-year by origin and by major area, region, country or area of destination, 2015|publisher=United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs|work=Trends in International Migrant Stock: Migrants by Destination and Origin|date=2015|access-date=17 June 2020}}{{cite news|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/06/01/5-facts-about-the-global-somali-diaspora/|title=5 facts about the global Somali diaspora|first1=Phillip|last1=Connor|first2=Jens Manuel|last2=Krogstad|publisher=Pew Research Center|work=Fact Tank|date=1 June 2016|access-date=17 June 2020}}

File:Faisalhawhd3.png, United Arab Emirates.]]

While the distribution of Somalis per country in Europe is hard to measure because the Somali community on the continent has grown so quickly in recent years, the Office for National Statistics estimates that 98,000 people born in Somalia were living in the United Kingdom in 2016.{{ONSCoB2016|access-date=9 December 2017}} This includes secondary migration of Somalis from mainland European countries.{{Cite journal|last=van Heelsum|first=A|date=2011|title=Why Somalis move? An investigation into migratory processes among Somalis|url=https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/1412527/148905_2011_Why_Somalis_move.pdf|journal=Paper Presented at ECAS 4: 4th European Conference on African Studies, 15–18 June 2011, Uppsala, Sweden: African Engagements: On Whose Terms?}} Somalis in Britain are largely concentrated in the cities of London, Sheffield, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, and Leicester, with London alone accounting for roughly 78% of Britain's Somali population in 2001.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/born_abroad/countries/html/somalia.stm|title=BBC NEWS – UK – Born Abroad – Somalia|work=bbc.co.uk}} There are also significant Somali communities in continental Europe such as Sweden: 63,853 (2016); Norway: 42,217 (2016); the Netherlands: 39,465 (2016); Germany: 33,900 (2016); Denmark: 21,050 (2016); and Finland: 20,007 (2017).

In the United States, Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Columbus, San Diego, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Portland, Denver, Nashville, Green Bay, Lewiston, Portland, Maine and Cedar Rapids have the largest Somali populations.

File:016 ONLF rebellion.JPG separatist rebels fighting for the right to self-determination for Somalis in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. ]]

File:Somali Road.jpg.]]

An estimated 20,000 Somalis emigrated to the U.S. state of Minnesota in the mid-1990s and the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and Saint Paul) now have the highest population of Somalis in North America.Mosedale, Mike (18 February 2004), [http://www.citypages.com/2004-02-18/news/the-mall-of-somalia/ "The Mall of Somalia"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619211021/http://www.citypages.com/2004-02-18/news/the-mall-of-somalia |date=19 June 2010 }}, City Pages The city of Minneapolis hosts hundreds of Somali-owned and operated businesses offering a variety of products, including leather shoes, jewelry and other fashion items, halal meat, and hawala or money transfer services. Community-based video rental stores likewise carry the latest Somali films and music."[http://www.banadir.com/somalis_in_america.shtml Talking Point] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525132041/http://www.banadir.com/somalis_in_america.shtml |date=25 May 2017 }}" by M. M. Afrah Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA) Aug., 12. 2004. The number of Somalis has especially surged in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis.

File:Somgirlegyhs.jpg, Egypt.]]

There is a sizable Somali community in the United Arab Emirates. Somali-owned businesses line the streets of Deira, the Dubai city centre,{{cite news|title=Somalis cash in on Dubai boom|url=http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4535642.stm|access-date=29 January 2015|agency=BBC|archive-date=7 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107163723/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4535642.stm|url-status=dead}} with only Iranians exporting more products from the city at large.{{cite news|title=Forget piracy, Somalia's whole 'global' economy is booming – to Kenya's benefit|url=http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/914994/-/view/printVersion/-/yvxnho/-/index.html|access-date=29 January 2015|agency=TEA|archive-date=22 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122222606/http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/914994/-/view/printVersion/-/yvxnho/-/index.html|url-status=dead}} Internet cafés, hotels, coffee shops, restaurants and import-export businesses are all testimony to the Somalis' entrepreneurial spirit. Star African Air is also one of three Somali-owned airlines which are based in Dubai.

Besides their traditional areas of inhabitation in Greater Somalia, a Somali community mainly consisting of entrepreneurs, academics, and students also exists in Egypt.{{cite web|url=http://www.docstoc.com/docs/49925766/Forging-Partnerships-with-the-So|title=Docstoc is Closed}}[http://www.somaliweyn.org/pages/news/Feb_11/5Feb15.html Somalia: How is the fate of the Somalis in Egypt?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506172142/http://www.somaliweyn.org/pages/news/Feb_11/5Feb15.html |date=6 May 2011 }} In addition, there is an historical Somali community in the general Sudan area. Primarily concentrated in the north and Khartoum, the expatriate community mainly consists of students as well as some businesspeople.[https://www.angelfire.com/ma2/yoss/Somalicom.doc The History of Somali Communities in the Sudan since the First World War] More recently, Somali entrepreneurs have established themselves in Kenya, investing over $1.5 billion in the Somali enclave of Eastleigh alone.[http://allafrica.com/stories/201105310558.html Help Locals Rebuild Their Country By Ensuring World Attention And Peace] In South Africa, Somali businesspeople also provide most of the retail trade in informal settlements around the Western Cape province.{{cite web|url=http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/local-xenophobes-still-plague-foreigners-1.489819?ot=inmsa.ArticlePrintPageLayout.ot|title=IOL – News for South Africa and the world|work=iol.co.za}}

{{Clear}}

• Abdulrahim Abby Farah Undersecretary General of the United Nations 1979–1990, Permanent Representative of Somalia to the United Nations 1965–1972.

File:Abdisalamomer1.png.]]

• Abdusalam H. Omer – Somali economist and politician. Former Foreign Affairs Minister of Somalia and Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia.
• Abdi Yusuf Hassan – Somali politician, diplomat and journalist. Former director of IRIN and UNHCR Head of External and Media Relations in Southwest and Central Asia.

File:Rageh Omaar.jpg.]]

• Ahmed Hussen – Somali lawyer. Minister of Immigration of Canada. President of the Canadian Somali Congress.
• Abdulqawi Yusuf – Prominent Somali international lawyer and current president of the International Court of Justice.
• Abdirahim Hussein Mohamed – Somali politician. Elected Chairman of the Helsinki Centre Youth in 2007 and chairman of the Moniheli cooperation network for multicultural organizations.
• Abdirashid Duale – award-winning Somali entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the CEO of the multinational enterprise Dahabshiil.
• Adan Mohammed – Somali banker, entrepreneur and politician. He previously served as the managing director of Barclays Bank in East and West Africa and is currently the Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization of Kenya.

File:Ilhan Omar - 2016 (cropped).jpg, the first Somali elected to the United States Congress.]]

• Ali Said Faqi – Somali scientist and the leading researcher on the design and interpretation of toxicology studies at the MPI research center in Mattawan, Michigan.
• Amina Moghe Hersi – Award-winning Somali entrepreneur that has launched several multimillion-dollar projects in Kampala, Uganda, such as the Oasis Centre luxury mall and the Laburnam Courts. She also runs Kingstone Enterprises Limited, one of the largest distributors of cement and other hardware materials in Kampala.
• Amina Mohamed – Somali lawyer and politician. Former Chairman of the International Organization for Migration and the World Trade Organisation's General Council, and current Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya.
• Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim – Somali twin fashion designers and owners of the Mataano brand.
• Ayaan Hirsi Ali – Feminist and atheist activist, writer and politician known for her views critical of Islam and female circumcision.

File:Ayaan Hirsi Ali by Gage Skidmore.jpg]]

• Ayub Daud – Somali international footballer who plays as a forward/attacking midfielder for FC Crotone on loan from Juventus.
• Faisal Hawar – Somali engineer and entrepreneur. Chairman of the International Somalia Development Foundation and the Maakhir Resource Company.
• Halima Ahmed – Somali political activist with the Youth Rehabilitation Center and prospective candidate in the Federal Parliament of Somalia.
• Halima Aden – Somali american model. minnesota first woman to wear a hijab in Miss Minnesota USA pageant
• Hanan Ibrahim – Somali social activist. Received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2004 and was made an MBE in 2010.
• Hassan Abdillahi – Somali journalist. President of Ogaal Radio, the largest Somali community station in Canada.
• Hibaaq Osman – Somali political strategist. Founder and Chairperson of the ThinkTank for Arab Women, the Dignity Fund, and Karama.
• Hodan Ahmed – Somali political activist and Senior Program Officer at the National Democratic Institute.
• Hodan Nalayeh – Somali media executive and entrepreneur. President of the Cultural Integration Agency and the Vice President of Sales & Programming Development of Cameraworks Productions International.
• Idil Ibrahim – Somali American film director, writer and producer. Founder of Zeila Films.

File:Amina Mohamed.jpg.]]

• Ilhan Omar – Somali American politician, the first Somali Member of Congress in the United States. Omar currently represents Minnesota's 5th congressional district.
• Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid – international fashion icon, supermodel, actress and entrepreneur; professionally known as Iman.
• Jawahir Ahmed – Somali American model. Served as Miss Somalia in 2013 Miss United Nations USA pageant.
• Leila Abukar – Somali-Australian political activist. Recipient of Centenary Medal.
• Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Farmajo) – Somali politician and diplomat. Former Prime Minister of Somalia and founder of the Tayo Political Party.
• Mo Farah – Somali-British Olympic gold medalist and world champion long distance runner.
• Musse Olol – Somali American social activist. Recipient of the 2011 Director's Community Leadership Award.
• Mustafa Mohamed – Somali-Swedish long-distance runner who mainly competes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Won gold in the 2006 Nordic Cross Country Championships and at the 1st SPAR European Team Championships in Leiria, Portugal, in 2009. Beat the 31-year-old Swedish record in 2007.
• Nathif Jama Adam – Somali banker and politician. Former senior vice president and the head of the Sharjah Islamic Bank's Investments & International Banking Division, and Governor of Garissa County.
• Shadya Yasin – Somali-Canadian social activist, poet and teacher.
• Omar Abdi Ali – Somali entrepreneur, accountant, financial consultant, philanthropist, and specialist on Islamic finance. Was formerly CEO of Dar al-Maal al-Islami (DMI Trust), which under his management increased its assets from $1.6 billion to $4.0 billion. He is currently the chairman and founder of the multinational real estate corporation Integrated Property Investments Limited and its sister company Quadron investments.
• Rageh Omaar – Somali-British television news presenter and writer. Formerly a BBC news correspondent in 2009, he moved to a new post at Al Jazeera English, where he currently presents the nightly weekday documentary series Witness.
• Sulekha Ali, a Somali-Canadian musician.
• Waris Dirie – Somali model, author, actress, and social activist. UN Special Ambassador from 1997 to 2003.
• Yasmin Warsame – Somali-Canadian model who was named "The Most Alluring Canadian" in a poll by Fashion magazine.
• Zahra Abdulla – Somali politician in Finland and member of the Helsinki City Council representing the Green League.

According to Y chromosome studies by Sanchez et al. (2005), Cruciani et al. (2004, 2007), the Somalis are paternally closely related to other Afro-Asiatic-speaking groups in Northeast Africa.{{Cite journal|last1=Sanchez|first1=Juan J.|last2=Hallenberg|first2=Charlotte|last3=Børsting|first3=Claus|last4=Hernandez|first4=Alexis|last5=Morling|first5=Niels|date=July 2005|title= High frequencies of Y chromosome lineages characterized by E3b1, DYS19-11, DYS392-12 in Somali males|journal=European Journal of Human Genetics|volume=13|issue=7|pages=856–866|doi=10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201390|issn=1018-4813|pmid=15756297|doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal|last1=Cruciani|first1=Fulvio|last2=Fratta|first2=Roberta La|last3=Santolamazza|first3=Piero|last4=Sellitto|first4=Daniele|last5=Pascone|first5=Roberto|last6=Moral|first6=Pedro|last7=Watson|first7=Elizabeth|last8=Guida|first8=Valentina|last9=Colomb|first9=Eliane Beraud|date=1 May 2004|title=Phylogeographic Analysis of Haplogroup E3b (E-M215) Y Chromosomes Reveals Multiple Migratory Events Within and Out Of Africa|journal=The American Journal of Human Genetics|language=en|volume=74|issue=5|pages=1014–1022|doi=10.1086/386294|issn=0002-9297|pmc=1181964|pmid=15042509}}{{Cite journal|last1=Cruciani|first1=Fulvio|last2=La Fratta|first2=Roberta|last3=Trombetta|first3=Beniamino|last4=Santolamazza|first4=Piero|last5=Sellitto|first5=Daniele|last6=Colomb|first6=Eliane Beraud|last7=Dugoujon|first7=Jean-Michel|last8=Crivellaro|first8=Federica|last9=Benincasa|first9=Tamara|date=June 2007|title=Tracing past human male movements in northern/eastern Africa and western Eurasia: new clues from Y-chromosomal haplogroups E-M78 and J-M12|journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution|volume=24|issue=6|pages=1300–1311|doi=10.1093/molbev/msm049|issn=0737-4038|pmid=17351267|doi-access=free}} Besides comprising the majority of the Y-DNA in Somalis, the E1b1b (formerly E3b) haplogroup also makes up a significant proportion of the paternal DNA of Ethiopians, Sudanese, Egyptians, Berbers, North African Arabs, as well as many Mediterranean populations.{{Cite journal|last1=Hassan|first1=Hisham Y.|last2=Underhill|first2=Peter A.|last3=Cavalli-Sforza|first3=Luca L.|last4=Ibrahim|first4=Muntaser E.|date=November 2008|title=Y-chromosome variation among Sudanese: restricted gene flow, concordance with language, geography, and history|journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology|volume=137|issue=3|pages=316–323|doi=10.1002/ajpa.20876|issn=1096-8644|pmid=18618658|s2cid=26519766}} Sanchez et al. (2005) observed the E-M78 subclade of E1b1b1a in about 70.6% of their Somali male samples. According to Cruciani et al. (2007), the presence of this subhaplogroup in the Horn region may represent the traces of an ancient migration from Egypt/Libya.{{harvnb|Cruciani|La Fratta|Trombetta|Santolamazza|2007}} use the term Northeastern Africa to refer to Egypt and Libya, as shown in Table 1 of the study. Prior to {{harvnb|Cruciani|La Fratta|Trombetta|Santolamazza|2007}}, {{harvnb|Semino et al.|2004}} East Africa as a possible place of origin of E-M78, based upon Ethiopian testing. This was because of the high frequency and diversity of E-M78 lineages in the region of Ethiopia. However, {{harvnb|Cruciani|La Fratta|Trombetta|Santolamazza|2007}} were able to study more data, including populations from North Africa who were not represented in the {{harvnb|Semino|Magri|Benuzzi|Lin|2004}} study, and found evidence that the E-M78 lineages which make up a significant proportion of some populations in that region, were relatively young branches (see E-V32 below). They therefore concluded that "Northeast Africa" was the likely place of origin of E-M78 based on "the peripheral geographic distribution of the most derived subhaplogroups with respect to northeastern Africa, as well as the results of quantitative analysis of UEP and microsatellite diversity". So according to {{harvnb|Cruciani|La Fratta|Trombetta|Santolamazza|2007}} E-M35, the parent clade of E-M78, originated in East Africa, subsequently spread to Northeast Africa, and then there was a "back migration" of E-M215 chromosomes that had acquired the E-M78 mutation. {{harvnb|Cruciani|La Fratta|Trombetta|Santolamazza|2007}} therefore note this as evidence for "a corridor for bidirectional migrations" between Northeast Africa (Egypt and Libya in their data) on the one hand and East Africa on the other. The authors believe there were "at least 2 episodes between 23.9–17.3 ky and 18.0–5.9 ky ago".

After haplogroup E1b1b, the second most frequently occurring Y-DNA haplogroup among Somalis is the West Asian haplogroup T (M184).{{cite journal | doi = 10.1086/382286 | last1 = Underhill | first1 = JR|name-list-style=vanc| last2 = Rowold | first2 = DJ| year = 2004 | last3 = Regueiro | first3 = M | last4 = Caeiro | first4 = B | last5 = Cinnioğlu | first5 = C | last6 = Roseman | first6 = C | last7 = Underhill | first7 = PA | last8 = Cavalli-Sforza | first8 = LL | last9 = Herrera | first9 = RJ | title = The Levant versus the Horn of Africa: Evidence for Bidirectional Corridors of Human Migrations | journal = American Journal of Human Genetics | volume = 74 | issue = 3| pages = 532–544 | pmid = 14973781 | pmc = 1182266}} The clade is observed in more than 10% of Somali males generally, with a peak frequency amongst the Somali Dir clan members in Djibouti (100%){{cite journal|last1=Iacovacci|first1=Giuseppe|last2=D’Atanasio|first2=Eugenia|last3=Marini|first3=Ornella|last4=Coppa|first4=Alfredo|last5=Sellitto|first5=Daniele|last6=Trombetta|first6=Beniamino|last7=Berti|first7=Andrea|last8=Cruciani|first8=Fulvio|date=1 March 2017|title=Forensic data and microvariant sequence characterization of 27 Y-STR loci analyzed in four Eastern African countries|url=https://www.docdroid.net/Dedb2N1/forensic-data-and-microvariant-sequence0acharacterization-of-27-y-str-loci-analyzed-in-four-eastern0aafrican-countries-iacovacci-et-al-2016.pdf.html|journal=Forensic Science International: Genetics|language=en|volume=27|pages=123–131|doi=10.1016/j.fsigen.2016.12.015|issn=1872-4973|pmid=28068531}}; 25/34 total local samples belonged to haplogroup T (24/24 Dir, 1/1 Hawiye, 0/9 Isaak). and Somalis in Dire Dawa (82.4%), a city with a majority Dir population.{{cite thesis|last1=Plaster|first1=Christopher Andrew|year=2011|title=Variation in Y chromosome, mitochondrial DNA and labels of identity in Ethiopia|type=PhD thesis|publisher=University College London|via=UCL Discovery|url=http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1331901/3/1331901_CP_Thesis-SUBMITTED-DRAFT-POST-VIVA.pdf}} Haplogroup T, like haplogroup E1b1b, is also typically found among other populations of Northeast Africa, the Maghreb, the Near East and the Mediterranean.{{Cite book|title=The Evolution of Human Populations in Arabia|last1=Cabrera|first1=Vicente M.|last2=Abu-Amero|first2=Khaled K.|last3=Larruga|first3=José M.|last4=González|first4=Ana M.|date=2010|publisher=Springer, Dordrecht|pages=79–87|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-90-481-2719-1_6|chapter = The Arabian peninsula: Gate for Human Migrations Out of Africa or Cul-de-Sac? A Mitochondrial DNA Phylogeographic Perspective|series = Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology|isbn = 978-90-481-2718-4}}

In Somalis, the Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA) was estimated to be 4000–5000 years (2,500 BCE) for the haplogroup E-M78 cluster γ and 2100–2200 years (150 BCE) for Somali T-M184 bearers.

Deep subclade E-Y18629 is commonly found in Somalis and has a formation date of 3,700 YBP (years before present) and a TMRCA of 3,300 YBP.{{cite web|url=https://www.yfull.com/tree/E-Y18629/|title=E-Y18629 YTree|website=www.yfull.com|access-date=9 September 2019}}

File:Little Somali girl.jpeg

According to mtDNA studies a significant proportion of the maternal lineages of Somali females consists of sub saharan clades such as L haplogroup, the most frequently observed haplogroups are L0a1d, L2a1h and L3f.{{Cite journal |last1=Mikkelsen |first1=Martin |last2=Fendt |first2=Liane |last3=Röck |first3=Alexander W. |last4=Zimmermann |first4=Bettina |last5=Rockenbauer |first5=Eszter |last6=Hansen |first6=Anders J. |last7=Parson |first7=Walther |last8=Morling |first8=Niels |date=July 2012 |title=Forensic and phylogeographic characterisation of mtDNA lineages from Somalia |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22527188/ |journal=International Journal of Legal Medicine |volume=126 |issue=4 |pages=573–579 |doi=10.1007/s00414-012-0694-6 |issn=1437-1596 |pmid=22527188}}

African mitochondrial (mt) phylogeny is coarsely resolved but the majority of population data generated so far is limited to the analysis of the first hypervariable segment (HVS-1) of the control region (CR). Therefore, this study aimed on the investigation of the entire CR of 190 unrelated Somali individuals to enrich the severely underrepresented African mtDNA pool. The majority (60.5 %) of the haplotypes were of sub-Saharan origin with L0a1d, L2a1h and L3f being the most frequently observed haplogroups.

Our sub-Saharan samples consisted almost entirely of the L1 or L2 haplogroups only. In addition, there existed a significant amount of homogeneity within the M1 haplogroup. This sharp cline indicates a history of little admixture between these regions. This could imply a more recent ancestry for M1 in Africa, as older lineages are more diverse and widespread by nature, and may be an indication of a back-migration into Africa from the Middle East."

"We analysed mtDNA variation in ~250 persons from Libya, Somalia, and Congo/Zambia, as representatives of the three regions of interest. Our initial results indicate a sharp cline in M1 frequencies that generally does not extend into sub-Saharan Africa. While our North and especially East African samples contained frequencies of M1 over 20%,

File:Ethio-Somali component.png

File:Northeast_African_genomic_variation_ADMIXTURE_plot.PNG

File:Young Somali man2a.jpg

Research shows that Somalis have a mixture of a type of native African ancestry unique and autochthonous to the Horn of Africa, as well as ancestry originating from a non-African back-migration. A medical genomics study concluded that its data reveal a remarkably homogeneous Somali population that shares an ancient origin with Afro-Asiatic-speaking groups in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.

According to an autosomal DNA study by Hodgson et al. (2014), the Afro-Asiatic languages were likely spread across Africa and the Near East by an ancestral population(s) carrying a newly identified non-African genetic component, which the researchers dub as the "Ethio-Somali". This component today is most common among Afro-Asiatic-speaking populations in the Horn of Africa. It reaches a frequency peak among ethnic Somalis, representing the majority of their ancestry. The Ethio-Somali component is most closely related to the Maghrebi non-African genetic component, and is believed to have diverged from all other non-African ancestries at least 23,000 years ago. On this basis, the researchers suggest that the original Ethio-Somali carrying population(s) probably arrived in the pre-agricultural period from the Near East, having crossed over into northeastern Africa via the Sinai Peninsula. The population then likely split into two branches, with one group heading westward toward the Maghreb and the other moving south into the Horn.{{Cite journal|last1=Hodgson|first1=Jason A.|last2=Mulligan|first2=Connie J.|last3=Al-Meeri|first3=Ali|last4=Raaum|first4=Ryan L.|date=12 June 2014|title=Early Back-to-Africa Migration into the Horn of Africa|journal=PLOS Genetics|volume=10|issue=6|pages=e1004393|doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.1004393|issn=1553-7404|pmc=4055572|pmid=24921250 |doi-access=free }} Ancient DNA analysis indicates that this foundational ancestry in the Horn region is akin to that of Neolithic farmers of the southern Levant.{{cite journal|last1=Lazaridis|first1=Iosif|last2=Nadel|first2=Dani|last3=Rollefson|first3=Gary|last4=Merrett|first4=Deborah C.|last5=Rohland|first5=Nadin|last6=Mallick|first6=Swapan|last7=Fernandes|first7=Daniel|last8=Novak|first8=Mario|last9=Gamarra|first9=Beatriz|title=The genetic structure of the world's first farmers|journal=Nature|year=2016|volume=536|issue=7617|pages=419–24|biorxiv=10.1101/059311|doi=10.1038/nature19310|pmid=27459054|pmc=5003663|bibcode=2016Natur.536..419L }}

Furthermore, according to Hodgson et al. both the African ancestry (Ethiopic) and the non-African ancestry (Ethio-Somali) in Cushitic speaking populations is significantly differentiated from all neighboring African and non-African ancestries today. The overall genetic ancestry of Cushitic and Semitic speaking populations in the Horn of Africa represents ancestries not found outside of HOA populations. The researchers state:

"The African Ethiopic ancestry is tightly restricted to HOA populations and likely represents an autochthonous HOA population. The non-African ancestry in the HOA, which is primarily attributed to a novel Ethio-Somali inferred ancestry component, is significantly differentiated from all neighboring non-African ancestries in North Africa, the Levant, and Arabia."{{Cite journal|last1=Hodgson|first1=Jason A.|last2=Mulligan|first2=Connie J.|last3=Al-Meeri|first3=Ali|last4=Raaum|first4=Ryan L.|date=2014-06-12|title=Early Back-to-Africa Migration into the Horn of Africa|journal=PLOS Genetics|volume=10|issue=6|pages=e1004393|doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.1004393|issn=1553-7404|pmc=4055572|pmid=24921250|quote=The African Ethiopic ancestry is tightly restricted to HOA populations and likely represents an autochthonous HOA population. The non-African ancestry in the HOA, which is primarily attributed to a novel Ethio-Somali inferred ancestry component, is significantly differentiated from all neighboring non-African ancestries in North Africa, the Levant, and Arabia. |doi-access=free }}

Moreover, Hodgson et al. (2014) elaborates further:

"We find that most of the non-African ancestry in the HOA can be assigned to a distinct non-African origin Ethio-Somali ancestry component, which is found at its highest frequencies in Cushitic and Semitic speaking HOA populations."{{Cite journal|last1=Hodgson|first1=Jason A.|last2=Mulligan|first2=Connie J.|last3=Al-Meeri|first3=Ali|last4=Raaum|first4=Ryan L.|date=2014-06-12|title=Early Back-to-Africa Migration into the Horn of Africa|journal=PLOS Genetics|volume=10|issue=6|pages=e1004393|doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.1004393|issn=1553-7404|pmc=4055572|pmid=24921250|quote=We find that most of the non-African ancestry in the HOA can be assigned to a distinct non-African origin Ethio-Somali ancestry component, which is found at its highest frequencies in Cushitic and Semitic speaking HOA populations. |doi-access=free }}

File:Osman Yuusuf Keenadiid.gif scholar, Osman Yusuf Kenadid.]]

{{Main|Somali studies}}

The scholarly term for research concerning Somalis and Greater Somalia is Somali studies. It consists of several disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, linguistics, historiography and archaeology. The field draws from old Somali chronicles, records and oral literature, in addition to written accounts and traditions about Somalis from explorers and geographers in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. Since 1980, prominent Somalist scholars from around the world have also gathered annually to hold the International Congress of Somali Studies.

• Somalia
• Somaliland
• Afar people
• Culture of Somalia
• Demographics of Somalia
• Greater Somalia

{{Reflist|group=Note}}

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• Hanley, Gerald, Warriors: Life and Death Among the Somalis, (Eland Publishing Ltd, 2004)
• Tripodi, Paolo (1999). The Colonial Legacy in Somalia. New York: St. Martin's Press Inc.

{{Wiktionary|Wikisaurus:Somali}}

{{commons category}}

{{Scholia|topic}}

• [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=som Ethnologue population estimates for Somali speakers]
• [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/sotoc.html US Library of Congress Country Study of Somalia]
• {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Somaliland | volume= 25 |last= Cana |first= Frank Richardson |author-link= | pages = 378–384;see page 379 |quote= Inhabitants.—The Somali belong to the Eastern (Abyssinia) Hamitic family....|short= 1}}

{{Ethnic groups in Somalia}}

{{Ethnic groups in Ethiopia}}

{{Ethnic groups in Djibouti}}

{{Ethnic groups in Kenya}}

{{Ethnic groups in Yemen}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somali People}}

Category:Cushitic-speaking peoples

Category:Indigenous peoples of East Africa

Category:Ethnic groups in Djibouti

Category:Ethnic groups in Ethiopia

Category:Ethnic groups in Kenya

Category:Muslim communities in Africa

Category:Pastoralists

Category:Female genital mutilation