Las Khorey
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Las Qoray (, ) is a historic coastal town in the
Sanaag Sanag (, ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north eastern Somaliland.Regions of Somalia
Sa ...
region of
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 ...
. BBC reported in 2021, "The Navy or Somalia Coast Guard is one of the military departments of
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 ...
, operating on the coast of Somaliland in Las Qoray,
Zeila Zeila (, ), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila with the Biblical location of Havilah. Most modern schola ...
and
Berbera Berbera (; , ) is the capital of the Sahil, Somaliland, Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country, located approximately 160 km from the national capital, Hargeisa. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of t ...
." Somaliland National TV (SLNTV) reported in its September 2023 broadcast that Las Qoray is a territory 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 ...
. Hiiraan Online reported in a January 2024 article, "Las Qoray is outside Hargeisa's control." Andrew Palmer, CEO of the maritime consultancy Idarat Ltd, describes Las Qoray as "on the north coast of Puntland" in 2014. Awet Tewelde Weldemichael, an associate professor at Queen's University, wrote in his book "Puntland coast between Las Qoray and Hafun" in 2019.


History


Ancient times

The Las Qoray settlement is several centuries old. Between the town and El Ayo lies Karinhegane, a site containing numerous cave paintings of both real and mythical animals. Each painting has an inscription below it, which collectively have been estimated to be around 2,500 years old. Around from Las Qoray is found Gelweita, another key rock art site. Karinhegane's rock art is in the same distinctive Ethiopian-Arabian style as the Laas Gaal cave paintings. Somaliland is home to numerous such
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 ...
s, with similar edifices found at Haylan, Qa’ableh, Qombo'ul and El Ayo. However, many of these old structures have yet to be properly explored, a process which would help shed further light on local history and facilitate their preservation for posterity.Michael Hodd, ''East African Handbook'', (Trade & Travel Publications: 1994), p.640.


Medieval to Early Modern

In the 13th century, Dhidhin, chief of Warsangali, a branch of
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 ...
, rose to power around now Las Qoray and took the title of Garaad as the monarch's title. The town of Las Qoray began in 1735 when Al-sheikh Cali Maxamud Nuux of the Ugaslabe/Warsangali clan built a mosque and prospered through trade with Swahili,
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. ...
,
Arabia The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, etc. Mohamoud Ali Shire, who became Sultan of Warsangali at the end of the 19th century, made Las Qoray his base. However, there were several bases, and during the hot summer months, they were based in the cooler valleys in the south, away from the coast.


Modern

In 1986, executives from the American oil company Chevron visited Las Qoray at the request of the Somali government and found traces of oil. The
Somali Civil War The Somali Civil War (; ) is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, the Somali Armed ...
broke out around 1988; in 1991,
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 ...
declared the independence; in 1998, Puntland declared the establish. Both countries are stability relatively quickly, with Somaliland trying to expand its power to the east and Puntland to the west. The two sides engaged in a military confrontation around the Warsangali residential area ( Puntland-Somaliland dispute.) In April 2011, Puntland government arrested 16 pirates in Las Qoray. In July 2011, a British research vessel was authorized by the Somaliland government to visit Las Khorey, but the stationed Puntland military refused. Former president Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (Siilaanyo) visited the town in March 2014 along with a delegation including then Minister of Health Suleiman Haglotosiye. The restoration of Las Qoray's industries, among them its famous tuna factory, as well as the planned construction of a hospital for the town was announced during the visit. In 2017, voter registration for the 2017 Somaliland presidential election took place throughout Somaliland, but there were no registrations from Dhahar and Las Qoray districts. In December 2019, flooding in the Las Qoray area caused missing people and flooded and isolated roads to and from surrounding neighborhoods. In February 2020, Somaliland's Badhan Regional Governor Mohamud Hamd Omar visited Las Khorey district with Somaliland army. The Puntland army with Ali Hussein Somali, governor of Sanaag region of Puntland, attacked it. During the conflict between July 2021 and November 2022, Las Qoray had the largest number of exodus in Sanaag. Meanwhile, in October 2021, the Somaliland government began the forced deportation of hundreds of people they defined as "non-Somalilanders" from some areas of Sanaag. However, it is reported that Las Qoray is very unlikely to be targeted. In March 2023, Puntland's Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, in cooperation with Secure Fisheries, an agency working to develop the fishing industry, launched a Fisheries Partnership Management Program in the Las Qoray area.


Transportation

Las Qoray has a
jetty A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French la ...
-class
seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...
, the Port of Las Qoray. Horn Relief (now Adeso), an organization founded by Somali environmentalist Fatima Jibrell, began a project for the redevelopment of the 400-year-old seaport. The initiative was later taken up by Faisal Hawar, CEO of the Maakhir Resource Company. In 2012, he brokered an agreement with a Greek investment firm for the development of the commercial Las Qoray Port. A team of engineers was subsequently enlisted by the Puntland authorities to assess the ongoing renovations taking place at the seaport.Somalia: Somaliland naval forces attack crew in Sanaag region
According to the Minister of Ports, Saeed Mohamed Ragge, the Puntland government intends to launch more such development projects in Las Khorey. The nearest airport to Las Qoray is the Bender Qassim International Airport in Bosaso.


Demographics

Las Qoray has a population of around 2,000 inhabitants. The broader Las Qoray area has a total population of 34,724 residents.


Economy

Las Qoray has long been an exporter of livestock, fish, produce, and
frankincense Frankincense, also known as olibanum (), is an Aroma compound, aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes, obtained from trees of the genus ''Boswellia'' in the family (biology), family Burseraceae. The word is from Old French ('high-quality in ...
. On the other hand, they imported rice, wheat, sugar, clothing, etc. Canned tuna is well known and "Las Qoray" is accepted as like a trademark. In 1970, the Somali government built a fish cannery with a pier for fishing boats, and it became a major industry in Las Qoray. In addition to tuna, shark fins are also taken for export. The factory, which had been shut down due to the
Somali civil war The Somali Civil War (; ) is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, the Somali Armed ...
, reopened in 2001, but was closed shortly after. The facility was modernized and reopened in 2007. At that time, there were 2,800 fishermen and factory workers. On August 12, Hodman Trading Company, a company in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
, United Arab Emirates, acquired the entire plant of Las Qoray. In 2012, it was reported that they were exporting to
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
and the
United Arab Emirates 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 monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
. In 2019, the BBC reports that fakes are on the market. Las Qoray's cannery will remain shut down as of April 2021. File:Laasqoray15.jpg, Processing fish.(2006) File:LaasqorayTuna.jpg, Making canned food.(2008)


Notable Resident

* Farah Mohamed Jama Awl, author


Notes


References

{{commons category, Laasqoray
Laasqoray, Somalia
Populated places in Sanaag Cities in Somalia Archaeological sites in Somalia Populated coastal places in Somalia