The Banaadiri people (, ) are a people group in
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
. Banaadiris largely inhabit
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
's southern coastline.
Overview
The Benadiris originate from
Arab tribes who settled the southern coast of Somalia and built stone towns for defense and trade. Some group members trace their origins to diverse groups. The latter includes Arab, Indian, Persian, Bantu, and Somali people.
Although the Benadiri are sometimes described as the founders of Mogadishu (hence, their colloquial name ''Reer Xamar'' or "People of Mogadishu"),
the city itself is postulated to be a successor of ancient city of
Sarapion.
Reer Xamar were instrumental in helping to consolidate the local
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
community, especially in the coastal Benadir region. During the colonial period, they were also among the founding members of the
Somali Youth League
The Somali Youth League (SYL, , Arabic: رابطة الشباب الصومالي, or ''Lega Somala della Gioventù''), initially known as the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was the first political party in Somalia.
It played a key role in the nati ...
, Somalia's first political party.
[I. M. Lewis, ''A pastoral democracy: a study of pastoralism and politics among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa'', (LIT Verlag Münster: 1999), p.304.]
Banaadiri Confederates
The Banaadiri people split up based on their settlements which range from Mogadishu to Barawa, named after the towns in which they are based in. The largest settlements being Mogadishu (Xamar), Marka and Barawa. In the three big cities there are clans that can also be found in other town umbrella's in the example of
Haatim,
Reer Faqi and
Shanshiyo these clans can be found among all 3 towns. (
Shanshiyo and
Reer Faqi are part of the
Biido confederacy in
Baraawe)
Reer Xamar
**
** Abakaaro (
Haatim sub clan)
** Reer Sheykh Muuminow
*** Reer Xaaji Maxamed
*** Reer Xaaji Aamin
*** Reer Xaaji Maxamed (....)
**Abdi Samad
** Ali Mohamed
** 'Amuudi
** Askarey
** Aydarussi
** Bandhaboow (a confederacy of 7 clans)
***Amin Khalaafow
***Bahar Suufi
***Oontiro
***Sheybo
***Quruwaaye
***Ahmed Nur
***Ali iyo Mohamed
**
Ba Fadal
** Ba Hamish
** Ba Sadiq
** Ba Mukhtar
** Dhabarweyn (3 clan confederacy)
***Wabaas (3 clan confederacy)
****Reer Aw Bakar
****Reer Misgal
****Reer Makaran
***Mohamed Jibril
***Haaji Qarar
** Gudmane
** Indho Weyne (4 clan confederacy)
***Reer Rooblow
***Reer Cali Musa
***Mussa Haaji
***Aw Mumin Hassan
** Moorsho Mariid
**
Qalmashube(3 clan confederacy)
***Haji Ibrahim
***Haji Abdi
***Baaqashwa
**
Reer Faqi
** Reer Haaji
** Reer Shiikh
** Reer Aadan dheere
** Reer Saddax geedi
***Reer Cabdulle
***Reer 'Awaale
**
Shanshiyo
** Shamsi
Reer Jaziira ( Sheekhaal Jaziira)
** Reer Xaaji
** Reer Qaasim
** Reer Maad
Reer Gendershe ( Sheekhaal Gendershe)
** Reer Maadsheekh
** Reer Ibrahim
** Reer Izgowe
** Reer Muraad
** Naakhuude
** Meheri
** Gaameedle ( Macalin Faqi Burhaan)
Reer Marka
Reer Marka are also known as locally and politically as 12 koofi iyo mashayikh (Somali: 12 caps and 3 Sheikhs); there are currently 15 clans in the traditional elder council. With the clan group Reer Maanyo being considered one despite they themselves being a confederation of 4 different clans in the city of Marka.
* The
Reer Marka
**
Gaameedle
** Ahmed Nuur
**
Duruqbo
**
Asharaaf Ba Alawi
** Ashraaf Bin Hassan
** Ashraaf Mahdali
** Reer Khadiib
**
Fasahaale (More commonly known as Kafaari)
** Garjanti
**
Haatim
**
Qalmashube
**
Juunji
**
Reer Manyo
***Reer Macow (also known as Ba Muqtar)
*** Reer Shaawis
*** Reer Omar
*** Reer 'Aafi (original ethnic group qubeys surre dir)
*** Reer Haaji
*** Reer Hassan
**
Sheekhaal Jaziira
**
Sheekhaal Gendershe
**
Shanshiyo
**
Shukureere
**Sheekhaal Aw Cusmaan
Reer Baraawe
* The
Reer Baraawe
**
Biido
*** Ra Waali
*** Ra Ma'limu
*** Gabro
*** Ra Mashaanga
***
Reer Faqi
***Ra Shaqali (Ra Baqtiile, Ra Duressa)
*** Cabdi Shuqaale
*** Ra Bakari (Ra Nurshe, Ra Raabe, Ra Banawari)
*** Ba Sadiq
*** Raa Mkaawu
*** Zimarka
***Ra Mgumi
**
Haatim
**
Asharaf Ba 'Alawi sada
Distribution

The Banadiri people are primarily and traditionally based on the southern coastal towns of
Mogadishu
Mogadishu, 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 connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
,
Marka and
Baraawe where Reer Hamar, Reer Marka (
12 koofi) and
Reer Baraawe confederacies are traditionally based. They can also be found in
Warsheikh and other coastal towns between
Mogadishu
Mogadishu, 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 connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
and
Baraawe such as Jaziira, Abaay Dhahaan, Dhaanane, Jilib Marka, Gendershe, Munghiya and further south in the town of
Kismayo
Kismayo (, , ; ) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region.
The city is situated southwest of the capital Mogadishu, near the mouth of the Jub ...
. Off the coast Benadiri people are also found in towns such as
Afgooye
Afgooye (, , ) is a town in the southeastern Somalia Lower Shebelle (Shabellaha Hoose) region of Somalia. It is the center of the Afgooye District. Afgooye is the third largest city of Southwest State. Afgooye is one of the oldest towns on the ...
,
Genale
Genale was a town founded by Italian colonists in the southeastern Lower Shabelle region of Italian Somaliland. It is now called Janale.
History
Genale was created in 1924 by a group of Italian settlers from the Italian city of Torino, with the ...
,
Bulo Burto,
Mahadei Weyne,
Balcad,
Jowhar,
Beled Weyne,
Diinsor,
Bur Hakaba,
Baidoa
Baidoa (, Somali (Af-Maxaa): , ) is the largest city of the South West State of Somalia.
Between 2002 and 2014, Baidoa was the capital of the South West State. In 2014, the capital was changed to Barawa.
Overview
Baydhabo is the main hub of ...
,
Bardheere,
Buale,
Jilib
Jilib is a city in the Middle Juba region of Somalia. It currently serves as the ''de facto'' capital of the Islamic Emirate of Somalia controlled by al-Shabaab. Jilib has an estimated population of around 100,000 inhabitants and covers an area ...
,
Jamaame
Jamame (, , , formerly ''Villaggio Regina Margherita''), also spelled Giamame, is a town in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) region of Somalia. There are many farms located near Jamame. The equator passes over the town.
Overview
Jamame is ...
and villages surrounding these towns.
In Mogadishu the Benadiri people are primarily found in the 2 oldest districts of the city:
Hamar Weyne and
Shingani. However they also have a large presences in adjacent districts to the ancient districts of Mogadishu such as
'Abdiaziz,
Shibis,
Boondheere,
Hamar Jajab,
Waaberi and
Madina
Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
. With the Benadiri presences in these districts being made of both the native reer Xamars and other Benadiri people who had moved to the city after the expansion that came with it being made the capital of Somalia.
Much like Mogadishu the Benadiri people in
Merca
Merca (, ) is the capital city of the Lower Shebelle province of Somalia, a historic port city in the region. It is located approximately to the southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu. Merca is the traditional home territory of the Bimal c ...
are primarily based in the oldest part of the city, Saraha and Aw Balle. Much like Mogadishu the Benadiri clans in Merca also have a huge presence in the newer parts of the towns such as Ruusiya, Beytuuras, 'El Bashiirow and Buulo Jaan. Majority of the benadiri in the town are from member clans of the
12 Koofi confederacy however
Bravenese and Reer Hamar people can be found here in
Merca
Merca (, ) is the capital city of the Lower Shebelle province of Somalia, a historic port city in the region. It is located approximately to the southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu. Merca is the traditional home territory of the Bimal c ...
, the latter primarily moving to the city after the civil war
In
Baraawe, the
Bravenese people primarily live in the two oldest towns of Mpayi and Biruune. They also have a presence in Al Bamba, Baghdaadi and Bulo Baazi where they live with groups who are more recent to the town. These towns later on had their names changed by the
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 ...
government, where Biruune and Al Bamba are now Dayax (
Somali: Moon), Mpaayi has been renamed Wadajir (
Somali: United) and Baghdaad being renamed Hawlwadaag (
Somali: Work-sharing). These name changes under the nationalist socialist regime mainly came about to deny the peculiarities of the history of that city compared to other cities in
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
.
In the hinterlands of the coast these groups from
Mogadishu
Mogadishu, 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 connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
,
Merca
Merca (, ) is the capital city of the Lower Shebelle province of Somalia, a historic port city in the region. It is located approximately to the southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu. Merca is the traditional home territory of the Bimal c ...
and
Baraawe are primarily found in trading hubs such as;
Afgooye
Afgooye (, , ) is a town in the southeastern Somalia Lower Shebelle (Shabellaha Hoose) region of Somalia. It is the center of the Afgooye District. Afgooye is the third largest city of Southwest State. Afgooye is one of the oldest towns on the ...
,
Bur Hakaba,
Baidoa
Baidoa (, Somali (Af-Maxaa): , ) is the largest city of the South West State of Somalia.
Between 2002 and 2014, Baidoa was the capital of the South West State. In 2014, the capital was changed to Barawa.
Overview
Baydhabo is the main hub of ...
,
Wanlaweyn
Wanlaweyn () is a town in the northern Lower Shebelle region of Somalia. Situated around 90 km (50 miles) northwest of the capital Mogadishu, it is the center of the Wanlaweyn District.
The Shanta Alemo (Somali: Shanta Caleemo), (Italian: ...
e,
Jowhar,
Diinsoor,
Bardheere and
Luuq
Luuq (, , ) is a city in the southwestern Gedo province of Somalia. It is one of the older settlements in the area. It is the seat of the Luuq District. The town is located in a bend of the Ganana River, where the watercourse flows down from n ...
. Many of these communities were established in these places due to trade with the local clans living there or in a lot of the cases being part of a Sufi Jama'ah being found in these towns and their surroundings. In the case of Reer Shaykh Muminoow clan from
Hamar Weyne district clan founder is buried in Bur Hakaba and is a Sufi saint for the
Rahanweyn
The Rahanweyn (, Northern Somali, Somali: , ), also known as the Digil and Mirifle () is a major Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large territory in the densely populated fertile valleys of the Jubba ...
e local clans in
Bur Hakaba,
Baidoa
Baidoa (, Somali (Af-Maxaa): , ) is the largest city of the South West State of Somalia.
Between 2002 and 2014, Baidoa was the capital of the South West State. In 2014, the capital was changed to Barawa.
Overview
Baydhabo is the main hub of ...
and as far as
Luuq
Luuq (, , ) is a city in the southwestern Gedo province of Somalia. It is one of the older settlements in the area. It is the seat of the Luuq District. The town is located in a bend of the Ganana River, where the watercourse flows down from n ...
where they do siyaaro at his grave yearly along with descendants of his from both the hinterlands and the coast.
Languages
The Benadiri community is not a homogenous group in regards to the languages they speak. As the language they speak is usually dictated by the region they hail from than anything.
The
12 Koofi speak a dialect of Somali colloquially referred to as Mahdoonte (
Somali: Mahaa rabta,
English: What do you want) or as some linguists have named Aff Asharaf and in some communities in Mogadishu. Especially in the historic
Shingani district. This dialect according to Benadiri elders is very similar to the Af-Reer Xamar dialect spoken in the
Hamar Weyne district and it surrounding districts.
As there was a 3-4% difference in the dialects according to some of the elders.
The
Bravanese speak the
Bravanese language (Chimwiini or Chimini), Northern Dialect of
Swahili. Chi- is a prefix denoting "language", and Miini (Mwiini) is the alternative name of Barawa, the
Bravanese people themselves would never call the town as Barawa or Brava, but rather as Miini.
Chimini is a standard version of the original
Bravanese language which is called
Chambalazi, the standard
Chimini language contains and
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
. Chambalazi contains some of the oldest
Swahili words and dialects, it started to evolve through time and intermixing of other ethnicity and languages. The Barawa language is over 1000 years old, and still spoken today by approximately 30,000 Bravanese, this is due to the preservation of the language by the early scholars in
Barawa
Barawa ( ''Barāwe'', , ''Baraawe'', ''Barāwa'', Italian language, Italian: ''Brava''), also known as Barawe and Brava, is the capital city, capital of the South West State of Somalia, South West State of Somalia.Pelizzari, Elisa. "Guerre civ ...
.
Sheikh Qassim al Barawi was the first Bravanese Scholar to start writing standard Chimini, it was written in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
and
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
. Throughout history, the language was used to spread Islam in the
Swahili Coast
The Swahili coast () is a coastal area of East Africa, bordered by the Indian Ocean and inhabited by the Swahili people. It includes Sofala (located in Mozambique); Mombasa, Gede, Kenya, Gede, Pate Island, Lamu, and Malindi (in Kenya); and Dar es ...
, this was done via poetry and Religious books or manuscripts.
Festivals
Istaqfuurow
Istaqfurow or Istaqfurlow derives form the
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
word Astaġfiru (
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: أَسْتَغْفِرُ) which translates to "seeking forgiveness".
Istighfar, seeking forgiveness from
Allah
Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...
is a common practice of
Muslims
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
all around the world and you'll hear in everyday conversation between
Muslims
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
. Istaqfuro is an annual Benadiri event held in the
Hamar Weyne district of
Mogadishu
Mogadishu, 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 connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
when there is high winds and high tides. The festive goers chant "Astaqfuru Rabukum, Innahu Kaana Qaffuura Yursilo Samaa calaykum Mitraaran" a passage from the
Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
Surat Nur verse 10 which translates as "Ask Allah forgiveness, for He is forgiving He will send rain from the sky" (
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا). During this Festival, animals are slaughtered and prayers are said, in search of God‟s forgiveness for transgressions, to ask for the calming of the winds so that ships can sail, and for the rains to come. Despite the locals treating this festival as a festival with Islamic, many believe this festival is a pre-Islamic festival where locals on the coast of southern
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
. As the festival is a reaction to a natural phenomenon of a particular season, which is linked to the solar calendar and not the lunar which Muslims follow.
Shirka

The Shirka is a festival that happens annually in the
Hamar Weyne district of
Mogadishu
Mogadishu, 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 connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
. This festival is most generally known as dabshiid which translate to lighting of the fire in Somali (Neyrus in Persian), this festival occurs in Mogadishu at the same time as the
Istunka
Istunka, also known as isgaraac, is a festival held annually in Afgooye, Somalia on the Somali New Year.Somalia in word and image - Page 23 The tournament was developed during the medieval Ajuran period, and was centralized in the 19th century ...
in
Afgooye
Afgooye (, , ) is a town in the southeastern Somalia Lower Shebelle (Shabellaha Hoose) region of Somalia. It is the center of the Afgooye District. Afgooye is the third largest city of Southwest State. Afgooye is one of the oldest towns on the ...
, and is so similar as to be the same. The men gather in groups by lineage, and wear different coloured shirts with matching headbands to identify their clan affiliations, they also carry long sticks that they thrust up and down in rhythm as they chant and shuffle through the designated route of the neighbourhoods of
Hamar Weyne. At the start of the shir festivities, the
Reer Faqi elders, in keeping with their position of neutrality in the community, are called upon to bless the occasion. The festival starts and ends at
Jama'a Xamar Weyne, Xamar Weyne near the Moorsho neighbourhood.
Notable Figures
Religious leaders
*
ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz alAmawī, was a scholar following the Shāfi‘ī school of jurisprudence and was also adviser to several sultans of Zanzibar
*Sheikh Abubakar Sheikh Muhiyiddiin, senior Qadi of Mogadishu like his father Sheikh Muhiyidin Moalim Mukarram and high-ranking cleric for twenty years. He is the one who supplied rare and precious documents to Cerulli which enabled him (Cerulli) to reconstruct the history of the Arabs in the Benadir. A primary document of which was the Book of the Zeng, but the antique documents came from the archives of the grandfather, Moalim Mukarram, who died 1850
*Al-sheikh Mohammad Yahya Ala'deen bin Moallim Mukaram, senior Qadi in Mogadihsu and the teacher of Sheikh Abba from whom he learned the book Matin Abi Shuja
*Shaykh Abi-Bakar Bin Mihdaar, buried in Warsheekh about 70 km from Mogadishu. Pre civil war he's gravesight was a place of pilgrimage for Sufi adherents but in November 2010. Was the teacher of ulema such as ''
Abd al-Raḥman bin Aḥmad al-Zaylaʽi'' ''and many more.''
*Aw Osman Hassan, also known as Aw Usmaan Marki. Synonymous with the Benadiri town of Merca where there's saying "Merca 'Aday Mininka Aw Osman", which translates to as "White Merca House of Aw Osman" He is venerated in not only Marka but all over Lower Shabelle, there is a mosque named after him in the beginning of the city when coming from the former port where annual ziyaaros happen for Aw Usmaan. It is said that the Shaykh had died in the year 1560.
*Aw Faqi Aboor, Faqih Shaykh Ahmed bin Faqih Abubakar bin Faqih Abhajj more commonly known as Aw Faqi Aboor. Is the most celebrated ancestor of the
Reer Faqi's where an annual ziyaaro is done for him for 15 days annually where quran is read along with traditional practices. He's graveyard is to the west of
Boondheere not too far from
Villa Somalia.
*Shaykh Mohammad Ba Hassan, The ancestor of the notorious
Shiikhaal Jasiira clan and the master of ‘Ilm al-Asraar (“secret knowledge”), whose shrine is visited even today in Jazira a town, south of Mogadishu.
*Shaykh Ahmed Haaji Malaaq, Religious reformer and opponent of Italian colonial conquest. Unlike his counterparts, who usually preached in masjid that were locally based or identified with a tariqa (order), Sheikh Mohhadi lectured in masjid in diverse quarters of Mogadishu, such as the
Jamaa Xamar Weyne’,
Fakhruddin,
Arba’ Rukun, and
Shingani masjid. He was well known for his anti colonial stance expressed in his khutbah (Friday sermons). In 1889, he condemned the Italo-Zanzibar treaties, which handed over the Banadir ports, including Mogadishu, and the inland territory to the Italians as colonial possessions. To show his holy defiance, he abandoned Mogadishu, darul kufr (the place of the infidels), in what he called a hijra (thus, replicating the Prophet's Hijra to Medina) to Nimow, about 15 kilometers north of Jazira on the coast, which he proclaimed darul Islam). There he established the Jama’adda Nimow (the Nimow Brotherhood). Buried at Warabaale on the way to
Afgooye
Afgooye (, , ) is a town in the southeastern Somalia Lower Shebelle (Shabellaha Hoose) region of Somalia. It is the center of the Afgooye District. Afgooye is the third largest city of Southwest State. Afgooye is one of the oldest towns on the ...
, about 16 km from
Mogadishu
Mogadishu, 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 connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
*Shaykh Mahad Nur Diinlow, the teacher of Sheikh Sufi and father of Shaykh Ahmad bin Hajji Mahad Al Muqdishi, who was mentioned in the biography of Shaykh Uways al-Barawi mentioning him as being one of the most prominent Qadirriys Khulfa
*Shaykh Mohamud Hassan, the ancestor of the Reer Ma'ow (Ba Muqtar) clan of the
Reer Maanyo confederacy and annual festival is held for him.
*
Shaykh Sufi, Abd Al-Rahman bin Abdullah al Shashi (
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: عبد الرحمن بن عبد الله الشاشي) (b. 1829 - 1904), popularly known as Sheikh Sufi, was a 19th-century
Somali scholar
A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...
,
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
,
reformist
Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution.
Within the socialist movement, ref ...
and
astrologist. An annual festival is held for him in the Koodka neighbourhood of
Hamar Weyne.
* Sheikh Abba, for the latter part of the twentieth century Sheikh Mahamed Sheikh Ahmed Sheikh Mahamud al-Shashy, popularly known as Sheikh Abba, was a leading member of the
Mogadisho 'ulama, a follower of the
Qadiriyya
The Qadiriyya () or the Qadiri order () is a Sunni Sufi order (''Tariqa'') founded by Abdul Qadir Gilani (1077–1166, also transliterated ''Jilani''), who was a Hanbali scholar from Gilan, Iran.
The order, with its many sub-orders, is widesp ...
tariqa and a foremost sheikh of
Hamar Weyne.
* Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Qaḥṭānī al-Wāʾilī (c. 1790–1869) was a
Bravanese who became chief
Shāfiʿī qāḍī of
Zanzibar
Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...
. He was the author of poems in
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
and
Swahili and other works, including one on
tawḥīd and a commentary on
al-Nawawīʾs Minḥāj al-Ṭālibīn.
* Sheikh Nureini Ahmed Sabiri Al Hatimi, (died December 1909), a member of the
Hatimi group of
Brava, was an influential ʿālim who served as qāḍī during the reign of Sultan
Barghash of
Zanzibar
Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...
and during the very first period of Italian colonial rule. A specialist in fiqh, Sheikh Nureni also composed qaṣāʾid in Arabic. Under the influence of his teacher Shaykh Maḥmūd Waʿays he became a follower of the
Aḥmadiyyah. He had close relations of friendship with Sheikh Uways and
Dada Masiti, both affiliated with the
Qādiriyyah, and became the teacher of Mallim Nuri.
*
Dada Masiti, Mana Sitti Habib Jamaladdin (
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: مانا ستي حبيب جمال الدين) (
c. 1810s – 15 July 1919), commonly known as Dada Masiti ("Grandmother Masiti"), was an
Ashraf
Sharīf or Sherif (, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, from the famil ...
poet, mystic and Islamic scholar. She composed her poetry in the
Bravanese dialect
Bravanese, also called Chimwiini (ChiMwini, Mwiini, Mwini) or Chimbalazi, is a related to Swahili spoken by the Bravanese people, who are the predominant inhabitants of Barawa or Brava, in Somalia. Maho (2009) considers it a distinct dialect, ...
spoken in
Barawa
Barawa ( ''Barāwe'', , ''Baraawe'', ''Barāwa'', Italian language, Italian: ''Brava''), also known as Barawe and Brava, is the capital city, capital of the South West State of Somalia, South West State of Somalia.Pelizzari, Elisa. "Guerre civ ...
.
*
Uways Al Barawi, Sheikh Uways b. Mohamed b. Mahadh al-Qādirī (c. 1847–1909) was the foremost sheikh of the
Qādiriyyah in Somalia and teacher of Sheikh Qasim
* Sheikh Qasim Muhyiddin Maie Omar, widely known as Qāsim b. Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Barāwī (1882–1922) was a
Bravanese ʿālim. After studying with the Qādirī
sheikhs Uways and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿAbdallah al-Shāshī (“
Sheikh Sufi”), he became a prominent member and propagator of the
Qādiriyyah. An accomplished Arabist, he left an impressive production of religious poems in
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
and in
Chimiini. Some of the latter compositions are translations of
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
texts.
*Shaykh Ahmed Muhiyyidin, was the teacher of
Shaykh Sufi from who he received his ijaza on the qaddiriyah tariqa from.
*Sheikh Mahamuud Sh.Abdulrahman Sh. Ahmed, the paternal grandfather of Sheikh Abba and early teacher of the Sheikh.
*Sheikh Abdul Majeed Sheikh Mohammad Sheikh Sufi, the grandson of
Sheikh Sufi and the teacher/mentor of Sheikh Abba after the death of his grandfather. Taught out of the
Awooto Eeday mosque in
Xamar Weyne district of Mogadishu.
* Shaykh Ali Maye, a revered Sufi saint of the
Duruqbo clan, a yearly festival is held for him outside his shrine in
Marka and it ends on the 5 of the Islamic month of Safar.
*Shaykh Mohamed Shaykh Ali Maye, son of the revered Sufi saint Shaykh Ali Maye buried in Boondhere, Mogadishu
*
Sharif 'Aydarus, a famous scholar of Islamic and Somali history and pan-Islamic leader.
Sheikh qulatayn bin mudhir al nadhiri
From Barawe
Politics
*
Bur’i Mohamed Hamza, was a Somali-Canadian politician. From August 2012 to January 2014, he was a Member of the Federal Parliament of Somalia. He later served as the State Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia from January to October 2014, and subsequently as the State Minister of Finance until December 2014. He was the State Minister of the Premier's Office for Environment at the time of his death.
*Haji Mohamed Hussien, popular pan-Somalist, founder of the
Greater Somali League (GSL) in 1958, one of the 13 founders of the
Somali Youth Club in 1943
*
Jeylani Nur Ikar
*
Abdirashid Mohamed Ahmed, current Petroleum minister of the Federal Government of Somalia and former minister of Commerce and industry.
* Mohamed Ahmed Raajis, Human rights activist and lawyer, prominent Banadiri political opposition leader 1960-2000s and representative of the Benadiris in the reconciliation conferences during the 90s and the early 2000s. Died in Nairobi, Kenya was head of the SNU party before his death
* Dhere Haji Dheere, One of 13 SYL founders.
* Fahma Mohamed Nuur, Lawyer, politician, parliament member since 2000, member of the federal constitutional committee, held various federal government ministers since 2000-
Sports
*
Ramla Ali, current African Featherweight Champion and the first boxer in history to have won a boxing title whilst representing
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
.
* Muhidin Abubakar, currently ranked as the number one amateur flyweight MMA fighter in the UK and Ireland.
Film
*
Abdulkadir Ahmed Said
Abdulkadir Ahmed Said (, ) is a Somali people, Somali film director, film producer, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and film editor, editor.
Biography
Said was born in 1953 in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. In 1970, he began working f ...
, is a prominent
Somali film director
A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
,
producer,
screenwriter
A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
,
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
and
editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
Art
*
Amin Amir (
Somali: ''Amiin Caamir'',
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: أمين أمير) is a
Somali-
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
cartoonist and painter
*
Omar Nor Basharah (
Somali: ''Cumar Nuur Baasharax'',
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: عمرنور باشرح ) is a
Somali songer
See also
*
Benadir
*
Bravanese
*
12 Koofi
References
Further reading
*
{{Ethnic groups in Somalia
Ethnic groups in Somalia
Muslim communities in Africa