Architecture of Somalia is the
engineering and
designing of multiple different
construction types such as
stone cities,
castles,
citadels,
fortresses,
mosques,
temples,
aqueducts,
lighthouses, towers and
tombs during the ancient,
medieval and
early modern periods in
Somalia, as well as the fusion of Somalo-Islamic architecture with Western designs in
contemporary times.
Ancient
Walled settlements, temples and tombs
The ancient city of
Ainabo contains many ruins of tombs and settlements.
In ancient Somalia pyramidical structures known in
Somali as
taalo were a popular burial style with hundreds of these
drystone monuments scattered around Somalia today. Houses were build of
dressed stone similar to the ones in
Ancient Egypt[1] and there are examples of courtyards and large stone walls such as the
Wargaade Wall enclosing settlements. There were two patterns of monumental architecture in ancient Somalia, the platform monument style and the enclosed platform style. The platform monuments are rectangular structures low in height formed by a drystone wall with large
phallic stones set upright at the corners, assumed to be grave stones.
The largest platform monument observed measured 24m x 17m and was situated on the coastal plain east of Alula (
Somali:
Caluula). The enclosed platform style is smaller in size but more complex in construction with a retangular design surrounded by an enclosure wall.
[2]
Medieval
The peaceful introduction of
Islam in the early medieval era of Somalia's history brought
Islamic architectural influences from
Arabia and
Persia, which stimulated a shift from
drystone and other related materials in construction to
coral stone,
sundried bricks, and the widespread use of
limestone in Somali architecture. Many of the new architectural designs such as
mosques were built on the ruins of older structures, a practice that would continue over and over again throughout the following centuries.
[3]
Stone cities
The lucrative
commercial networks of successive medieval
Somali empires and
kingdoms such as the
Mogadishan Sultanate, the
Ajuuraan State, the
Empire of Adal, the
Geledi Sultanate and the
Warsangali Sultanate saw the establishment of several dozen
stone cities in the interior of Somalia as well as the coastal regions.
Ibn Battuta visiting
Mogadishu in the early
14th century called it a town
endless in size [4] and
Vasco Da Gama who passed by Mogadishu in the
15th century noted that it was a large city with houses of four or five storeys high and big palaces in its centre
[5]
Somali traders were an integral part of a long distance caravan trade network connecting major Somali cities such as
Merka,
Mogadishu,
Zeila,
Barawa and
Qandala with other business centers in
East Africa. The numerous ruined and abandoned towns throughout the interior of Somalia can be explained as the remains of a once booming inland trade dating back to the Medieval period.
[6]
Castles and fortresses
Throughout the
medieval era,
castles and
fortresses known as
Qalcads were built by
Somali Sultans for protection against both foreign and domestic threats. The major medieval Somali power engaging in castle building was the
Ajuuraan State, and many of the hundreds of ruined fortifications dotting the landscapes of Somalia today are attributed to Ajuuraan
engineers.
[7]
Other castle building powers were the
Gerad Kingdom and the
Bari Sultanate. The many castles and fortresses such as the Sha'a Castle, the Bandar Qassim Castles and the Botiala Fortress Complex and dozens of others in towns such as
Qandala,
Bosaso and
Las Khorey were built under their rule.
The
Dervish State in the late
19th century and early
20th century was another prolific fortress building power in the
Somali Peninsula. In
1913, after the
British withdrawal to the coast, the permanent capital and headquarters of the Dervishes was constructed at
Taleh, a large walled town with fourteen fortresses. The main fortress,
Silsilat, included a walled garden and a guard house. It became the residence of
Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, his wives, family, prominent Somali military leaders, and also hosted several
Turkish,
Yemeni and
German dignitaries,
architects,
masons and
arms manufacturers.
[8]. Several dozen other fortresses were build in
Illig,
Eyl,
Shimbiris and other parts of the
Horn of Africa.
Citadels and city walls
City walls were established around the coastal cities of
Merka,
Barawa and
Mogadishu to defend the cities against powers such as the
Portuguese Empire. During the
Adal Age, many of the inland cities such as
Amud and
Abasa in the northern part of Somalia were built on hills high above
sea level with large defensive stone walls enclosing them. The Bardera
militants during their struggle with the
Gobroon Dynasty had their main headquarters in the walled city of
Bardera that was reinforced by a large fortress overseeing the
Jubba river. In the early 19th century the citadel of Bardera was sacked by
Sultan Yusuf Mahamud Ibrahim and the city became a
ghost town.
Somali city walls also acted as a barrier against the proliferation of
arms usually carried by the
Somali and
Horn African nomads entering the cities with their
caravan trains. They had to leave behind their weapons at the
city gate before they could enter the markets with their goods and trade with the urban
Somalis,
Middle Easterners and
Asian merchants.
[9]
Mosques and shrines
Concordant with the ancient presence of Islam in the
Horn of Africa region, mosques in Somalia are some of the oldest on the entire continent. One architectural feature that made Somali mosques distinct from other mosques in Africa were
minarets.
For centuries, Arba Rukun (1269), the Friday mosque of
Merca (1609) and
Fakr ad-Din (1269) were, in fact, the only mosques in
East Africa to have minarets.
[10] Fakr ad-Din, which dates back to the
Mogadishan Golden Age, was built with
marble and
coral stone and included a compact rectangular plan with a domed
mihrab axis. Glazed tiles were also used in the decoration of the mihrab, one of which bears a dated inscription. The
13th century Al Gami University consisted of a rectangular base with a large cylindrical tower architecturally unique in the
Islamic world.
Shrines to honor
Somali patriarchs and
matriarchs evolved from ancient Somali burial customs. In Southern Somalia the preferred medieval shrine architecture was the
Pillar tomb style while the North predominantly built structures consisting of
domes and square plans.
[edit] Towers and lighthouses
Somalia's historical strategic location within the world's oldest and busiest
sealanes encouraged the construction of
lighthouses to co-ordinate shipping and to ensure the safe entrance of commercial vessels in the nation's many
port cities. In times of weak central
authority the
Somali civilizational matrix of interior cities and port cities was based on a
Clan formula that saw various clans in fierce competition over natural resources that led to chronic feuding between neighbours. Towers provided the
merchant class and the
urban population protection against potential raids from the nomadic regions.
Stone towers such as the
15th century Almnara tower in
Mogadishu and the Jamia tower of
Merka were also built for defense. The
Dar Ilalo stone towers though initially constructed to defend the fortress of
Taleex were also used as
granaries for the
Dervish State.
Early modern
The early modern period saw a continuation in the use of materials such as
coral stone,
sundried bricks and
limestone in Somali architecture which with the increasing European influence on the Somali peninsula was now being complimented by new construction materials such as
cement.
sumber : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_architecture
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