The Arap or Arab (, , Full Name: ''Muḥammad ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad bin al-Ḥusayn al-Hāshimīy'') clan is a major Northern Somali clan of the wider

Isaaq The Isaaq (, , ''Banu Ishaq'') is a major Somali clans, Somali clan. It is one of the largest Somali clan families in the Horn of Africa, with a large and densely populated traditional territory. The Isaaq people claim in a traditional legend ...

clan family. The Arap predominantly live on the middle and southwest side of

Hargeisa Hargeisa ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Somaliland, a ''List of states with limited recognition, de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still considered internationally to be part of Somalia. It is also th ...

. They also inhabit the Baligubadle district, with its capital Baligubadle being are an exclusively Arap territory. The territory of the clan extends to Ethiopia, in the area of Faafan, Gursum and Dhagahle. The Abdalle Arab, a sub-clan of the Arap clan is based in the

Togdheer Togdheer (, ) is an administrative region (''Administrative divisions of Somaliland, gobol'') in central Somaliland. Togdheer is bordered by Maroodi Jeex to the west, Sahil, Somaliland, Saaxil to the north, Sanaag to the northeast, Sool, Somalia ...

, Sahil. The Celi Arab, a sub-clan of the Arap clan is based in

. Another sub clan, the Muuse celi arab inhabit the

Bakool Bakool (, , ) is a region ('' gobol'') in southwestern Somalia. Overview It is bordered by the Somali regions of Hiiraan, Bay and Gedo. Bakool, like Gedo, Bay and most parts of the Jubbada Dhexe (Middle Juba) region, used to be a part of th ...

region in the

South West State of Somalia The South-West State of Somalia (), ( Af-Maay: ''Koofur Orsé''), is a Federal Member State in southwestern Somalia. It was founded by Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, leader of the Somalia RRA on 1 April 2002. It was the third autonomous regio ...

, specifically the districts of Rabdhure and Elbarde.

History

Lineage

Sheikh Ishaaq ibn Ahmed was one of the Arabian travellers who crossed the sea from Arabia to the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

to spread Islam around the 12th to 13th century. Hence,the sheikh Ishaaq married two local women in Somaliland that left him eight sons, one of them being Muhammad (Arap). The purported descendants of those eight sons constitute the Isaaq clan-family.

Role in the SNM

Baligubadle, which straddles the border between Ethiopia and Somaliland, was the headquarters of the

Somali National Movement The Somali National Movement (, ) was one of the first and most important Guerrilla warfare, organized guerilla groups and Mujahideen groups that opposed the Siad Barre regime in the 1980s to the 1990s, as well as being the main anti-government f ...

(SNM) during the

Somaliland War of Independence The Somaliland War of Independence () was a rebellion waged by the Somali National Movement (SNM) against the ruling military junta in Somali Democratic Republic, Somalia led by General Siad Barre lasting from its founding on 6 April 1981 and en ...

from the regime of general

Siad Barre Mohammed Siad Barre (, Osmanya script: , ''Muhammad Ziād Barīy''; 6 October 1919 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali military officer, politician, and revolutionary who served as the third president of Somalia from 21 October 1969 to 26 Janu ...

. The Araps were heavily involved in the SNM and led the first military offensive of the SNM near Baligubadle where a small force attacked a fuel tanker supplying the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party regime's base in the town. This operation was organised by local commanders without prior planning utilizing a local force of clansmen based at the organisation's Lanqeyrta base in Hawd. Hassan Isse Jama was also one of original founders of the SNM in London. He was also the first vice president of Somaliland and served as the deputy chairman of the SNM. Furthermore in 1983, Sultan Mohamed Sultan Farah of the Arap clan was the first sultan to leave Somalia to Ethiopia and openly cooperate with the SNM.

Familial ties

Historically, the Arap took part in the conquest of Abyssinia, and were part of the Adal Sultanate and are mentioned in the book Futuh Al-Habash (Conquest of Abyssinia) as the Habar Magaadle, along with the Ayub, Habar Yoonis, Habar Awal and Eidagalle clans. The Habar Magaadle are known for producing a historical figure known as Ahmad Gurey bin Husain who was the right-hand man of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi his clan arap. The Arap were the first clan agreed to lead the process of demobilization. This put pressure on other clans to follow suit, and, in early 1994, a well-staged ceremony was held in the Hargeysa football stadium to hand over weapons, playing an instrumental role in the Somaliland peace process.

Notable Arap people

* Hassan Isse Jama - One of the founding fathers of the SNM in London. Former Deputy chair of SNM, First vice president of Somaliland. * Nimcaan Yusuf Osman - Chief of the General Staff of the Somaliland Armed Forces since January 23, 2025. * Dayib Gurey - was a senior SNM senior commander who led the invasion. * Edna Adan Ismail - The first Somali woman to study in Britain, first qualified nurse-midwife, and former foreign minister of Somaliland. * Khalil Abdillahi Ahmed - is a Somali politician currently served as the Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs of Somaliland * Farah Nur - Legendary Somali poet from late 1800s- early 1900s{{Cite journal, last=Roble, first=Faisal, date=2015, title=Remembering Said S. Samatar, url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.14321/nortafristud.15.2.0141, journal=Northeast African Studies, volume=15, issue=2, pages=141–148, doi=10.14321/nortafristud.15.2.0141, jstor=10.14321/nortafristud.15.2.0141, s2cid=146172236, issn=0740-9133, url-access=subscription * Sultan Omar Sultan Mohamed Sultan Farah - Former sultan of the Arap clan * Sultan Mohamed Sultan Farah - Former Sultan of the Arap clan and commander of the SNM's 10th division * Abdilahi Husein Iman Darawal - Somaliland politician and former SNM commander. * Abdullahi Abdi Omar "Jawaan" - Somaliland politician and introducer of the National emblem of Somaliland * Abdillahi Fadal Iman - former Chief of Somaliland Police Force * Ahmed Osman (Also known as "Ina Geele-Arap") - Business tycoon in Djibouti and Somaliland and founder of Somaliland Beverage Industries (SBI) * Siad Sadiq, mentioned in the Geoffrey Archer's 1916 important members of Darawiish haroun list * Xirsi bile, mentioned in the Geoffrey Archer's 1916 important members of Darawiish haroun list * Cali geele darwiish, mentioned in the Geoffrey Archer's 1916 important members of Darawiish haroun list * Ahmed Abdi Godane - was

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

of Alshabaab * Essa Kayd is a Somaliland politician who currently serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Somaliland) * Sada Mire is a Swedish-Somali archaeologist, art historian

References

Somali clans Isaaq