Jidali () is a town in the

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

Jidali is located north east of the provincial capital

Erigavo Erigavo (, ), also spelled as Erigabo, is the capital and largest city of the Sanaag region of Somaliland. Etymology The name ''Ceerigaabo'' is made up of two parts: ''Ceeri'' which describes a place water collects, and ''gaabo'' (''gaaban'') ...

. The grave of Zubeyr Awal, the eponymous ancestor of the

Habr Awal The Habr Awal, alternately known as the Zubeyr Awal (, , Full Name: '' Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ash-Ishaaq bin Ahmed, Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad)'' is one of the largest subclans of the wider Isaaq clan family, and is further divided into eight su ...

, is also located in the town. The town is approximately 100 km east of the tomb of his grandfather Sheikh Ishaaq bin Ahmed, the founding father 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 ...

clan family, whose tomb is located in the coastal town of

Maydh Maydh (also transliterated as Maedh, Mette, Mait or Meit) (, ) is an ancient port city in the eastern Sanaag region of Somaliland. History Antiquity According to Augustus Henry Keane, Maydh represents an early center of dispersal of the Somali ...

History

Jidali was one of many temporary headquarters of the Dervish movement led by

Mohammed Abdullah Hassan Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...

, to which him and his forces fled to after their defeat in Jidbali. The town is home to a fort used by the Dervishes to threaten the coast inhabited by 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 ...

, a tribe friendly to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. The Jidali fort was a

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

-shaped fort of was also the first place in Africa to be bombed via aerial bombardment by a tally of four sorties of De Havilland DH-9's on 21 January 1920.

Siege of Jidali

In late April 1916, the

under the orders of

Mohamoud Ali Shire Mohamoud Ali Shire MBE (, ; died 1960) was a Somali Sultan of the Warsengali Sultanate. He bore the title Sultan * (also referred to as Senior Akil) of the Warsangali. He was centered at Las Khorey. Reign Mohamoud Ali Shire served as Sultan o ...

attacked the Dervish forces based at the Jidali fort, besieging them and looting their stock. With news of the assault having reached the Dervish of Cershida and Surut, reinforcements were sent to Jidali to repulse the attackers, where the Warsangeli were defeated and the Dervishes managed to recover their stock. On the evening of Saturday the 6th, the Dervishes set out to punish the Warsangeli with a force composed of 2,000 Sa'ad Yunis and Uduruhmin Dervishes led by Ibrahim Boghol, a commander of the

Adan Madoba The Mohamed Abokor (, full name: ''Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Jibrīl ibn Abī Bakr ibn Mūsa ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad'') is a Somali clan, and a major sub-division of the Habr Je'lo of the Isaaq.'' The Mohamed Abokor are one of the ...

sub-division of the

Habr Je'lo The Habr Je'lo (), , Full Name: ''Mūsa ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad,'' historically known as the Habr Toljaala () is a major Northern Somali clan of the wider Isaaq family. Its members form the Habr Habusheed () confederation along with t ...

clan, who swept down on the Warsangeli capital,

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 ...

. Ibrahim's forces captured the eastern portion of the town, killing many Warsangeli fighters. The force managed to surround the settlement and capture the only source of water, causing many to die of thirst. While Las Khorey was being besieged, the Warsangeli were able to secretly send a dhow to

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

to request help from the British Navy, and on May 10 Lancelot Turton commanding HMS ''Northbrook'' arrived at Las Khorey and commenced to shell Ibrahim and his forces with Lyddite explosives, forcing them to retreat to the mountains and thus ending the deadly siege.

Recent

In March 2024, the Somaliland Ministry of Agriculture provided farm equipment to farmers in Jidali.

Demographics

According to a book published in England in 1951, the town was inhabited by people from Muse Ismail clan of

Habar Yoonis 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 Sheikh Isaaq, its members form a ...

, Ogadyahen Siad clan of

Dhulbahante The Dhulbahante, (, ) are a Somali sub-clan, part of the Harti branch of the larger Darod clan. They primary reside in and around their traditional territories of Nugaal, as well as Doollo. The clan's progenitor is buried at Badweyn. The cur ...

, and a minority group, Nub Omr, Hinjiyeh clan of

Warsangali The Warsangali (, ), alternatively the Mohamoud Harti, are a major 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 Warsangali means "b ...

. Michael Walls in the book ''Peace in Somaliland: an indigenous approach to state-building'' reports; Ahmed Yusuf Farah and

I. M. Lewis Ioan Myrddin Lewis FBA (30 January 1930 – 14 March 2014), popularly known as I. M. Lewis, was a Scottish professor emeritus of anthropology at the London School of Economics. Early life and education Born in Scotland to a Welsh father and ...

report in the book ''Somalia, the Roots of Reconciliation'': Members of the

clan frequent this town on pilgrimage to pay '' siyaro'' to the grave of their ancestor and forefather Zubeyr Awal.

References

{{Reflist Populated places in Sanaag Cities in Somalia