Gondershe, also known as Gandershe or El Torre, is an ancient landmark on the Somali Sea, as well as a town, in the Lower Shabelle region of Southwest State of

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...

. It is noted for its various historical structures.

Overview

Gendershe (also known as; Gendershe, Gandarshe, Gonderscia and Gondeurcheikh) is situated about 35 kilometers northeast of

Merca Merca ( so, Marka, Maay: ''Marky'', ar, مركة) is a historic port city in the southern Lower Shebelle province of Somalia. It is located approximately to the southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu. Merca is the traditional home territory ...

and about 45 kilometers southwest of

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

.Universität Frankfurt am Main. Frobenius-Institut, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kulturmorphologie, Frobenius Gesellschaft, Paideuma: Mitteilungen zur Kulturkunde, Volumes 26-28, (F. Steiner: 1980), p.202. It is an ancient stone city built on a coastal

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the ...

. The town's ruins consist of typical

Somali architecture Somali architecture is the engineering and designing of multiple different construction types such as stone cities, castles, citadels, fortresses, mosques, temples, aqueducts, lighthouses, towers and tombs during the ancient, medieval and early ...

, such as

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...

stone houses,

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere ...

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...

s and

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s. The town contains a shrine to Aw Garweyne. The town is said to date from the medieval Ajuran period, when it became a center of trade that handled smaller vessels sailing from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Pl ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The t ...

. This is supported by early maps, and an initial archaeological survey. Gondershe later evolved into a popular tourist attraction during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The film ''

La Conchiglia ''La Conchiglia'' (1992), or ''The Conch'', is a short film from Somali writer and director Abdulkadir Ahmed Said. Plot A female artist is painting a seascape on a deserted beach when she discovers a beautiful conch. Curious, she puts her ear t ...

'' (1992) by the award-winning Somali filmmaker

Abdulkadir Ahmed Said Abdulkadir Ahmed Said ( so, Cabdulkaadir Axmed Saciid, ar, عبد القادر أحمد سعيد) is a prominent Somali film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. Biography Said was born in 1953 in Mogadishu, the capita ...

was also shot here, and features the town's local residents.

Inside Gendershe

Gendershe is 45 km along the coast from

, on the east is the village of Dhanaane, the North is bordered by beautiful small valleys, the West is the bordered by Jilib marka and the South is the bordered by the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

with rows of coconuts trees lined along Gendershe Beach and a type of tree known as 'Geedka Showri' which Gendershe is famous for. There are thee main roads leading to Gendershe: Jaziira Beach to Gendershe - (Currently Closed Off), No.60 to Gendershe

to Gendershe. There are 8 villages (tuulo) within Gendershe these are: 1- Dooxa Qoryaale 2- Buulo Bishaar 3- Bocoreey 4- Timirteey 5- Yaaq-Bine 6- Cadeey Dheere 7- Aw-Caliyow 8- Maansaaleey There is one school in Gendershe consisting of a primary school and middle school built by the previous government of President Mohamed

Siad Barre Mohamed Siad Barre ( so, Maxamed Siyaad Barre, Osmanya script: ; ar, محمد سياد بري; c. 1910 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali head of state and general who served as the 3rd president of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 19 ...

. Since the

Somali Civil War (2009–present) The Somali Civil War (2009–present) is a phase of the Somali Civil War which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia. It began in late January 2009 with the conflict mainly between the forces of the Federal Government of Somalia ass ...

the school has been neglected. However, part of the school was rebuilt by UNHG a group of Gendershe natives currently residing in Norway.

Mosques

In Gendershe there are 4 main Mosques: 1- Jaamaca Mosque in Buulo Ceel 2- Nuuraani Mosque in Shacbaanka; the largest mosque in the area with two floors and a beautiful view. 3- Abiyo Abiikar Aw-asad in Buulo Hoose 4- Aw-Maki in Buulo Hoose There are 3 other mosques in the area, however these have not received proper care and are now abandoned.

Inhabitants

Gendershe is mostly inhabited by people of the

Sheekhaal The Sheekhaal (var. Sheikhaal ( ar, شيخال), also known as Fiqi Omar, is a Somali clan. They inhabit Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and with considerable numbers also found in the Northern Frontier District (NFD) in Kenya. Overview Sheekh ...

tribe, who are the direct descendants of Patron Aw Garweyne. They are known more specifically as the 'Sheekhaal Gendershe' as well as the 'Reer Aw Garweyne' and 'Reer Cusmaan Faqi Cumar' ( Abadir Umar ar-Rid)).

Notable Figures

Mohamed Sheekh Jamaal Cabdullahi AKA

Jamaal jibiye Jamaal is a masculine given name, from the Arabic, meaning "handsome" or "beauty". Notable people include: *Jamaal Anderson (born 1986), American football player *Jamaal Bowman (born 1976), American politician * Jamaal Branch (born 1981), American ...

- First Mayor of Mogadishu Ugaas Cabdulqaadir Xussen - President of Sheekhaal Gendershe Clan Maxamed Xusseen Cali (Shiiqaalow) - Somali National Football Player Cabduraxmaan Sheekh Maxamed (Aw Koombe) - Comedian Jaarlees Cadde - Comedian Sheekh Maxamed Sh. Cabduraxmaan Abba Xaakji - First Teacher at

Somali Youth League The Somali Youth League (SYL) ( so, Ururka Dhalinyarada Soomaaliyeed رابطة الشباب الصومالي, it, Lega dei Giovani Somali or ''Lega Somala della Gioventù''), initially known as the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was the first polit ...

school. Sheekh Cusmaan Sheekh Cabdiqaadir - First Somali Pilot Maxamed Sheekh Aanis - Somali Singer Amiinullaahi Maxamed Sh. Jamaal - First Translator for the

Federal Parliament of Somalia The Federal Parliament of Somalia ( so, Golaha Shacabka Soomaaliya; often ''Baarlamaanka Federaalka Soomaaliya''; ar, البرلمان الاتحادي في الصومال) is the national parliament of Somalia. Formed in August 2012, it is ba ...

Sheekh Muxyidiin Sheekh Maxamed Sheekh Isaaq Al Gendershi -

Qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

of Mogadishu Maxamed Sheekh Cabdi Sheekh Cusmaan - Member of

Notes and references