Gondershe

Gondershe, also known as Gandershe (Somali pronunciation: [gõnd̪eːrʃe], گندىرشى Somali pronunciation: [gandeːrʒe]; or El Torreh Somali pronunciation: [eɫ t̪oːr̩a] Al-Toureh Arabic pronunciation: [at.tuːrah], Arabic: التوره, romanized: At-Tūrah; Swahili: Gonderashe Swahili pronunciation: [gondeɾaːʃiː]), is an archaeological site on the Somali Sea. It was at one point one of the most important districts of the Geledi Sultanate. Residents were largely from the Gendershe clan in the Lower Shabelle region of Southwest State of Somalia.[1] Gondershe today is noted for its citadel and other various historical structures.

Gondershe
Gondeershe
El Torreh
Town
Historical citadel ruins in Gondershe.
Historical citadel ruins in Gondershe.
Gondershe is located in Somalia
Gondershe
Gondershe
Coordinates: 1°47′55″N 44°54′28″E / 1.79861°N 44.90778°E / 1.79861; 44.90778 [2]
Country Somalia
State South West
RegionLower Shabelle
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)

Overview

Main articles: Ajuran Sultanate and Somali aristocratic and court titles

Gondershe is situated about 35 kilometers northeast of Merca and about 30 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu.[3][4]

It is an ancient stone city built on a coastal promontory. The town's ruins consist of typical Somali architecture, such as coral stone houses, fortifications, tombs and mosques. The town contains a shrine to Aw Usman Garweeyne (Garweyne).[5]

The town is said to date from the medieval Ajuran period, when it became a center of trade that handled smaller vessels sailing from India, Arabia, Persia and the Far East. This is supported by early maps, and by an initial archaeological survey.[6]

Gondershe later evolved into a popular tourist attraction during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The film La Conchiglia (1992) by the award-winning Somali filmmaker Abdulkadir Ahmed Said was also shot here, and features the town's local residents.[7]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ Jönsson, Sune. Archaeological Research Co-operation between Somalia and Sweden: Report on a Three-Month Visit to Somalia in 1982. No. 1. Central board of national antiquities, 1983.
  2. ^ Google Maps
  3. ^ Universität Frankfurt am Main. Frobenius-Institut, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kulturmorphologie, Frobenius Gesellschaft, Paideuma: Mitteilungen zur Kulturkunde, Volumes 26-28, (F. Steiner: 1980), p.202.
  4. ^ Burke, Jason; Mumin, Abdalle Ahmed (3 December 2020). "CIA officer killed in Somali raid on suspected al-Shabaab bomb-maker". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020.
  5. ^ Mukhtar, Mohamed Haji (2003). "Marka". Historical Dictionary of Somalia. African Historical Dictionary Series, No. 87 (second ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-8108-4344-8.
  6. ^ Jama, Ahmed Dualeh (1996). The Origins and Development of Mogadishu AD 1000 to 1850: A Study of Urban Growth Along the Benadir Coast of Southern Somalia (PDF). Studies in African Archaeology 12. Uppsala: Societas Archaeologica Upsaliensis by the University of Uppsala. p. 18. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 December 2020.
  7. ^ Xodo, Chiara (August 2008). "Catalogo Audiovisivi (con schede didattiche)" (PDF). Centro Interculturale Millevoci, Provincia Autonoma di Trento Dipartimento Istruzione. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2009.


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