Gelweita (), also known as Las Galwayta or Galwayta is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

and a key rock art site in the eastern

Sanaag Sanag (, ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north eastern Somaliland.Regions of Somalia
Sa ...

region of

Somaliland Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is an List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country in the Horn of Africa. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, E ...

Overview

Gelweita is at an altitude of 7500ft and is near a plateau. The archeological site is approximately 40km or 25 miles west of

Las Khorey Las Qoray (, ) is a historic coastal town in the Sanaag region of Somalia. BBC reported in 2021, "The Navy or Somalia Coast Guard is one of the military departments of Somalia, operating on the coast of Somaliland in Las Qoray, Zeila and Berbera ...

. The site dates back thousands of years and is evidence of an earlier stone-age culture that inhabited the area. John Hanning Speke, an English explorer who made an exploratory expedition to the area in an attempt to reach the

Nugaal Valley The Nugaal Valley (, ), also called the Nogal Valley, is a long and broad valley located in northern Somalia. The Nugaal Valley is bounded to the north by the Warsangali clan, the Nugal Plateau and to the south by 'Iid. Overview The Nugaal Va ...

, described the site: He also remarked the favourable position that Gelweita lies in for a potential Somali settlement, however the tense relations between the Habr Gerhajis and the Warsangali, the Habr Gerhajis being the proprietors of the area, along with the Warsangali's lack of manpower made that impossible.

Demographics

The area serves as the frontier between the

Habr Yunis The Habar Yoonis (, full Nasab: '' Said ibn Al-Qādhī Ismā'īl ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad'') alternatively spelled as Habr Yunis is a major clan part of the Garhajis . As descendants of Ismail bin Ishaaq bin Ahmed, Sheikh Isaaq, it ...

sub-division of the

Garhajis The Habr Garhajis also contemporarily known as the Garhajis (, , Full Nasab: ''Ismā'īl al Qadhi ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad'') is a major Northern Somali clan of the wider Isaaq clan family. They are the traditional holders of the ...

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 ...

and the

Warsangeli The Warsangali (, ), alternatively the Mohamoud Harti, are a major Somalis#Clans, Somali sub clan, part of the larger Harti branch, which belongs to the Darod clan, one of the largest Somali tribe families. In the Somali language, the name Warsan ...

sub-division of the

Harti Harti () is a Somali clan that traces its lineage back to Saleh Abdi Harti. They are a sub-clan of the larger Darod clan. Notable sub-clans within Harti include the Majeerteen, Warsangali, Warsengeli, Dishishe, and the Dhulbahante. They predomi ...

Darod The Darod (, ) is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan is Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as Darod. The clan primarily settles the apex of the Horn of Africa and its peripheries, the Somali hinterlands adjacent ...

References

{{Reflist Archaeological sites in Somaliland Sanaag Archaeological sites of Eastern Africa

Overview

Demographics

See also

References