The Jaarso, Giarso or Jarso (, , ) is northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Dir clan family They largely live in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, in the Oromo Region and the

Somali Region The Somali Region (, , ), also known as Soomaali Galbeed () and officially the Somali Regional State, is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in eastern Ethiopia. It is the largest region of Ethiopia. The state borders the Ethiopian regions ...

, especially in and around the cities of Chinaksen,

Harar Harar (; Harari language, Harari: ሀረር / ; ; ; ), known historically by the indigenous as Harar-Gey or simply Gey (Harari: ጌይ, ݘٛىيْ, ''Gēy'', ), is a List of cities with defensive walls, walled city in eastern Ethiopia. It is al ...

and

Jigjiga Jijiga (, , ''Jijiga'') is the capital city of Somali Region, Ethiopia. It became the capital of the Somali Region in 1995 after it was moved from Gode. Located in the Fafan Zone with 75 km (37 mi) west of the border with Somali ...

Overview

As a Ali Madahweyn Dir sub-clan, the Jaarso have immediate lineal ties with the

Gurgura The Gurgure, Gorgorah or Gurgura (, ''Gorgorah'' ) is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Dir clan family.I. M. Lewis (1959) Overview As a Dir sub-clan, the Gurgura have immediate lineal ties with the Akisho, Gadabuursi, Issa, ...

Akisho The Akisho (Somali language, Somali: Akiisho, Arabic language, Arabic: أكيشو) is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Dir (clan), Dir clan family. Overview As a Dir (clan), Dir sub-clan, the Akisho have immediate lineal ties with ...

Gadabuursi The Gadabuursi (Somali language, Somali: ''Gadabuursi'', Arabic language, Arabic: جادابورسي), also known as ''Samaroon'' (Arabic language, Arabic: ''قبيلة سَمَرُون)'', is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Dir ...

, Issa, the Bajimal, the Bursuk, the Madigan Dir, the Garre (the Quranyow sub-clan to be precise as they claim descent from Dir, Gurre, Gariire other Dir sub-clans and they have lineal ties with the

Hawiye The Hawiye (; ) are one of the principal and largest of the Somali clans, tracing their lineage back to Sheikh Ahmed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Uthman, also known as Sheikh Hawiye, the eponymous figure of the clan. They are considered the earliest do ...

(Irir),

Hawadle The Hawadle (, , ) are a Somali clan who trace descent to Meyle, one of the sons of Irir Samaale. The Hawadle, as well as many other Somali clans stem from Samaale. Distribution The Hawadle primarily live in Hiran and Middle Shabelle as w ...

Ajuran Ajuran may refer to: * Ajuran Sultanate, a medieval Somali empire * Ajuran (clan), a Somali clan * Ajuran currency Ajuran currency was an old coinage system minted in the Ajuran Sultanate. The polity was a Somali Muslim kingdom that ruled over la ...

, Degoodi, Gaalje'el clan groups, who share the same ancestor

Samaale Samaale, also spelled Samali or Samale () is traditionally considered to be the common forefather of several major Somali clans and their respective sub-clans. His name is the source of the ethnonym ''Somali''.. As the purported ancestor of most ...

.The Quranyo section of the Garre claim descent from Dirr, who are born of the Irrir Samal. UNDP Paper in Kenya http://www.undp.org/content/dam/kenya/docs/Amani%20Papers/AP_Volume1_n2_May2010.pdf

Distribution

The Jarso Ali Madaweyn are a vast clan that stretch from Diida Waleed (near Jijiga) to the Awash region; they also extend onto the areas northwestern Fafan Zone. The Jaarso are the majority clan in Jarso (woreda), Funyan Bira and in the East Hararghe Zone.

Code of Conduct (Xeerka Jaarso) & Administration

The Jarso clan faced a series of problems, including

Ethnic conflict An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's position within so ...

, civil wars, clan border disruptions due to massive Oromo and Somali clans migration, which caused societal chaos. In response, Jaarso established a traditional constitution called

Xeer ''Xeer'' (pronounced ) is the traditional legal system used by Somalis in Somalia, Djibouti, Somali Region of Ethiopia, and the North Eastern Province in Kenya. It is one of the three systems from which formal Somali law draws its inspiration, the ...

Jaarso also known as “Xeerka lixda Jaarso” (The law of the six Jaarso), characterized by power-sharing principles, uniting the community in their pursuit of stability and order. According to oral tradition, as narrated by Jaarso elders, The Jaarso Code or Conduct is older than 1200 years and In order to establish their governance and decision-making process, the elders of Jaarso held a 12-month meeting in a small village called Marrar near Jinacsani and Mullisa mountainous village between Ejersa Gora and Adari. All the six major Jaarso sub-clans participated and every sub-clan had at least one member. The elders were chosen for their knowledge of the law and

wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...

and especially their knowledge for the neighboring folks. Normally a Xeer (law) to be excepted by the people has to have Multiple chieftains or clan leaders whom in this case will serve as judges and the number of the judges were 6. Somalia: A Tradition of Law, by Nicola Gladitz. While some

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

tribes and Somali clans have adopted symbols or flags for cultural or political representation, there is no documented or official flag specifically associated with the Jaarso clan except the old white and red flag of Ifat.

History

The Jaarso are mainly found in Jarso (woreda), and northwestern Fafan Zone, in the East Hararghe Zone and are predominant clan in the historic towns of Jinacsani or Chinaksen, Funyaan Bira and Hubat today known as Ejersa Goro. The sixteenth-century ruler of Adal who conquered Abyssinia,

Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (, Harari: አሕመድ ኢብራሂም አል-ጋዚ, ; 21 July 1506 – 10 February 1543) was the Imam of the Adal Sultanate from 1527 to 1543. Commonly named Ahmed ''Gragn'' in Amharic and ''Gurey'' in Somali, ...

was born in Hubat. 1832_Map_of_Nubia_and_Abyssinia

Either Jinacsani or Funyan Bira is believed by archaeologist to be Dakkar, which served as the first capital of the Adal Sultanate after its founding in the early 15th century by Sabr ad-Din.

Enrico Cerulli Enrico Cerulli (15 February 1898 – 19 August 1988)Enrico Cerulli
''Worldcat''. Retrieved 27 Oct 20 ...

, Bahru Zewde and other historians identify Dakkar as being located one km southeast of

. However, Richard Pankhurst states that the city was situated near the village of Funyan Bira and

G. W. B. Huntingford George Wynn Brereton Huntingford (19 November 1901 – 19 February 1978) was an English linguist, anthropologist and historian. He lectured in East African languages and cultures at SOAS, University of London from 1950 until 1966.Chinaksen near

The Jaarso (as Jairan) were one of the first clans to accept the call of jihad and they are mentioned in the ''Futuh Al Habasha : Conquest of Abyssinia'' as source dating back as far as the 16th century, by author: ''Shihabudin Ahmad bin Abd al-Qadir 'Arab Faqih'' or

Arab Faqih Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

.'' Arab Faqih notes

Th clan of the Härti, people of Mait, the tribe of Jairan, the tribe of Mazzar. the tribe of Barsub all of these were Somalis and they were ordered by the Imam to hold the left

An_old_map_of_Harar_featuring_the_Somali_Gadabuursi_Dir_clan

The Sultanate of Dawaro a sub-clan of the Jaarso are also mentioned in the ''Futuh Al Habasha : Conquest of Abyssinia'' as source dating back as far as the 16th century, by author: ''Shihabudin Ahmad bin Abd al-Qadir 'Arab Faqih'' or Arab Faqih.'' Map of horn kingdoms and sultanates

Dawaro is one of the six major sub-clans of the Jaarso and the earliest mention of this province comes from the ''Royal Chronicle'' of Emperor

Amda Seyon Amda Seyon I, also known as Amda Tsiyon I ( , , "Pillar of Zion"), throne name Gebre Mesqel (ገብረ መስቀል , "Servant of the Cross"), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1314 to 1344 and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He is best known ...

. After occupying Ifat, Amda Seyon then proceeded to garrison Dawaro. However, in the late 1320s the ruler of the province, Haydara, ended up siding with Sabr ad-Din I during his rebellion and "treacherously" executed some of the Emperor's messengers. Amda Seyon, incensed by this act of rebellion, at once set out with his troops. On reaching Dawaro he "laid waste the country from one end to the other". He killed young men, took women and children prisoners, seized livestock "without number" and "destroyed the crops of their country". The "wicked plans of Haydara" of Dawaro were thus "brought to nothing" as the chronicler states. Dawaro was then grouped together with other kingdoms such as Hadiya, Fatagar and Ifat as a tributary kingdom to the Ethiopian Empire under the leadership of Jamal Ad-Din I. According to the Egyptian historian, Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari, Dawaro was measured five days journey by two or 100 kilometers by 40. It was much smaller than Ifat, but resembled it in that it produced cereals and fruits, and reared horses and beasts of burden. Trade however was less developed. A type of "primitive currency" called ''hakunas'' was used which were pieces of iron as long as a needle. A cow would cost 5,000 ''hakunas'', a goat 3,000 ''hakunas''. The social customs of Dawaro were also very similar to that of Ifat with both regions being inhabited by Muslims. Christian proselytization of the locals reached a high level of intensity during the reign of Dawit I, who then encouraged the settlement of Ethiopian military colonists to the peripheral province. However, the Ethiopian troops stationed in the region were in constant danger as their positions soon came under the attacks of Sultan Jamal ad-Din II. Emperor

Zara Yaqob Zara Yaqob (; 1399 – 26 August 1468) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty who ruled under the regnal name Qostantinos I (; "Constantine"). He is known for the Geʽez literature that flourished during his reign, th ...

consolidated the supremacy of the Christian empire in Dawaro and appointed '' Fitawrari'' Barje as governor of the province. Dawaro was soon invaded by the Adal Sultan Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din who faced the forces of

at the

Battle of Gomit The Battle of Gomit or Battle of Egubba (or Battle of Ayfars) was fought in 1445 between the Ethiopian Empire and a powerful Muslim army under the Adal Sultanate. The Ethiopians were led by Emperor Zara Yaqob, while the forces of Adal were led ...

, but he was defeated and killed. The next time Dawaro is mentioned is in the ''Futuh al-Habasa'', the history of the conquests of Imam

. The province of Dawaro, because of its location to the east and its relative proximity to the

Adal Sultanate The Adal Sultanate, also known as the Adal Empire or Barr Saʿad dīn (alt. spelling ''Adel Sultanate'', ''Adal Sultanate'') (), was a medieval Sunni Muslim empire which was located in the Horn of Africa. It was founded by Sabr ad-Din III on th ...

became the first part of the empire to be confronted by the forces of Imam Ahmad. The Imam carried out a raid on the province in 1526-7. His men was said to take considerable loot such as horses, slaves and sheep. The Adalites planned to return to their country, but the "infidels of Dawaro" assembled a large army against them, this force was subsequently defeated. Not long after this Emperor Dawit I received news of an impending larger invasion of Dawaro, the Emperor assembled a large army that consisted of units from all over the country. This army was defeated in the disastrous

Battle of Shimbra Kure The Battle of Shimbra Kure was fought on 9 March 1529 between the forces of Adal led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, and the Abyssinian army, under Dawit II (Lebna Dengel). It was the first major battle of the Ethiopian–Adal War. Ar ...

, but the Imam later returned back to

. In the summer of 1531, the Adalites returned to Dawaro where they occupied the province, they soon ravaged the province and destroyed a large church that was erected by the Emperor's predecessor. The Imam then arrived at a settlement called Geberge and demanded that all of the Christian inhabitants either convert to Islam or pay the

jizya Jizya (), or jizyah, is a type of taxation levied on non-Muslim subjects of a state governed by Sharia, Islamic law. The Quran and hadiths mention jizya without specifying its rate or amount,Sabet, Amr (2006), ''The American Journal of Islamic Soc ...

tax. Most of the inhabitants choose to retain their religion by declaring their neutrality and agreeing to pay the tax, others agreed to be converted, among those converted were 50 Christian nobles. The Imam, much pleased with their conversion, appointed Amir Husain al- Gaturi as governor of the province. Control of the province would later fall under Ahmad's nephew, Vizier Abbas, who ruled over Dawaro as well as neighboring Fatager and Bali. Following the Imam's death and defeat at Wanya Daga, Abbas launched a fierce attack on a number of Christian towns. The young Emperor,

Gelawdewos Galawdewos (, 1521/1522 – 23 March 1559), also known as Mar Gelawdewos (), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 3 September 1540 until his death in 1559, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne name was Atsnaph Sagad I (Ge'ez: አጽናፍ � ...

, made his way to confront him and Abbas rushed with his army to meet the Emperor. Gelawdewos was entirely victorious in this engagement and Abbas with all his captains were killed. The remaining Muslims who had survived the battle became the target of the local Christian populace who massacred all those who they could find. The Emperor then appointed Khalid, a Christian who had converted to Islam but that had reverted back to Christianity, as the provincial governor of Dawaro. Gelawdewos later faced problems with the Portuguese, he then banished 140 of them to the province of Dawaro. The presence of the Portuguese greatly displeased Khalid, he therefore ordered them to be killed or expelled from the province. Khalid attempted to ambush the Portuguese with a large army, but as soon as the assault began they shot and killed Khalid, after which most of his supporters would become their vassals. The Emperor was said to be very pleased with this outcome as he had always distrusted the governor. The Jaarso clan also has a sub-division of the Dhanka sub-clan called Hargaya. Harladomain

Hargaya was a historical

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 ...

state in present-day eastern

. During the Ethiopian-Adal war in the sixteenth century, the people of Hargaya fought in the army of Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi leader of

. It might not be the same Hargaya, but researcher Dilebo Lapiso and other Ethiopian Archeologists are stating Hargaya may be associated with Jaarso. One of the Adalite military leaders, who was also from Dhanka sub-clan and fought alongside

was mentioned in “The Ethiopian Borderlands” a book by the British historian Richard Keir Pethick Pankhurst Pankhurst states

Lenbä Dengel dispatched a large army in an attempt to regain the control of the territory, but one of the Imam’s kinsmen Sultan Muhammäd defeated it.

Under Muhammad’s astute leadership, the

forces achieved unprecedented triumphs, expanding their dominion into territories such as

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

province and more important areas. However, his strategic brilliance wasn’t just about battlefield tactics, he also knew how to win without fighting through political strategic and interference by shaping the political system he wanted. Pankhurst notes

He then declared the province under his authority, and appointed governors

His legacy, both feared and admired, continued to influence geopolitics and military strategy in the region to this day.

Clan tree

The Jaarso clan members consist 6 major sub-clans and are preserved their lineage and is as follows. *Jaarso **Bah Bidix (junior wife) *** Dhanqo *** Sayo *** Ooge **Bah Midig (senior wife) *** Dawaro *** Walabi *** Ali (Oromo)

Y-DNA

DNA analysis of Dir clan members inhabiting

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

found that all of the individuals belonged to the Y-DNA T1 paternal haplogroup and in

Dire Dawa Dire Dawa (; , meaning"where the Dir (clan), Dir hit his spear into the ground" or "The true Dir", , Harari language, Harari: ድሬዳዋ, lit. "Plain of Medicine"; ) is a city in eastern Ethiopia near the Somali Region and Oromia, Oromo borde ...

82% a city in

with a majority Dir population, which after the Issa and

, the Jaarso makes 3rd largest group in the city. All genetic analysis carried out on the Jaarso male clan members have so far shown that they exclusively belong to the T1 paternal haplogroup.

Noteworthy Jaarso figures

*Sufian Ahmed Beker. He served as the Minister of Finance of Ethiopia for 20 years (1996–2015). He had the longest tenure of any finance minister serving in Sub-Saharan Africa. He then went on to serve as Chief Economic Advisor to the prime minister of Ethiopia (2015–2017). Sufian was a member of the G20 Eminent Persons Group which prepared a report entitled “Making The Global Financial System Work for All.” Sufian began his career as a lecturer at Jima Agricultural College and Addis Ababa University. *Harun Maruf is a renowned Somali journalist based in Washington DC who works for Voice of America, he has also worked for Associated Press and BBC. He co-authored the book Inside Al Shabaab. *Cornayl Abdi Suuri (former Somali top military and founder of WSLF *Sakariya Abdi Usman (former

Federal Parliamentary Assembly The Federal Parliamentary Assembly () is the federal legislature of Ethiopia. It consists of two chambers: *The House of Federation ( upper chamber) *The House of Peoples' Representatives ( lower chamber) Created with the adoption of the ...

(lower Hause) and was one of the 122 vacant) *Abdihalin Hassan Wara-Sayo(former

(lower Hause) and was one of the 122 vacant) *Maxamud Cabdilaahi Xamare Akka Tako Xamare (former Somali Regional State Parliament and was one of the 18 other officials between 1998-2007) *Ugaas Ibrahim Abdi Elemo (former Somali Regional State Parliament and was one of the 18 other officials between 1998-2007) *Sa’ada Abdurahman (Speaker of the Oromia Regional state council and Speaker of the Oromia Caffee or Coffee production in Ethiopia) *Ambassador Suleiman Dedefo (the Ambassadors of Ethiopia to the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ethiopian

Metals and Engineering Corporation METEC (acronym for Metals and Engineering Corporation) is an Ethiopian arms industry, arms and machinery industry founded in 2010. It is the state largest military industrial complex, responsible for the production of military equipment and civi ...

which works with foreign companies such as

Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...

from France, and Spire Corporation from America. *Jemal Yousuf Hassen (President of

Haramaya University Haramaya University (HU) (; Oromo: ''Univarsiitii Haramayaa'') is a public research university in Haramaya, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is approximately east of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education admits qualif ...

) *Suldan Adam Asshabiye (Adan Darwish) (Sultan the Jaarso Tribe and their sub-clan Dhanka during the Egyptian invasion of the Eastern Horn of Africa). *Bakhar Waare (Imam of the Jaarso, Nole, Gurgura, Habr Maqdi and Issa during the

Battle of Chelenqo The Battle of Chelenqo was an engagement fought on 9 January 1887 between the Abyssinian army of Shewa under ''Negus'' Menelik and Emir 'Abd Allah II ibn 'Ali 'Abd ash-Shakur of Harar. The Harari forces were routed, and Negus Menelik afterward ...

) *Adam Tukale popularly known as Mullis Abba Gada (is one of the founders of Oromo Liberation Army) *Abwaan Yussuf Haji Abdilahi Somali poet and Somali novelist *Suldaan Haaroosh Traditional leader of Jigjiga *Abdi Usman (Speaker if the Horyaal Democratic Front) *Abdisalaan Siyo Barentu (first journalist of Oromo Radio in Muqdisho and one of the leaders of OLF) *Mulaku Fanta(Deputy Commissioner of Ethiopia Federal Police) *Sheekh Hassan Nageeye (former Mufti of

) *Sheekh Ciise (Former Mufti of

) *Sahra Ahmed Abdi (Sahra Ilays) singer-songwriter *Abdikadir Hassan Nageeye singer-songwriter *Nimo Hassan Farah Dhameeye singer-songwriter

References

{{Reflist somali clans in Ethiopia