"these attended to - they included the fitting out of a force of fifty Somalis with muzzle loading guns and two cannon -Sharmarki chartered
two dhows and returned with his army to Zeila. This time nothing would induce him to go away. There was a violent argument which
Sharmarki settled by loading up his two cannon to the muzzle with powder and sand and firing them close to the walls of the town.
Syyed and his followers , who have never heard anything like this tremendous explosions made by these guns in their lives before,
became afraid and run away. Sharmarki entered the town in triumph"
Sun, Sand and Somals: Leaves from the Note-book of a District Commissioner in British Somaliland
Henry A. Rayne H. F. & G. Witherby, 1921 - British Somaliland - 223 pages
Do you have a alternative? Most of the history of the Somalis from Futah Al Habash to the colonial days have been written by others. Haji
Sharmarke was the ruler of Zeila after he ousted its Arab ruler.
Last edited by MrPrestige on Sun Nov 17, 2013 10:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
There is oral history for it as well. Richard Burton who also lived at the same time as Sharmarke who visited him in the town also mentions him
as the ruler of this town in his book First Footsteps in East Africa. Sharmarke lived only about 170 years ago and not exactly 800 years ago, his
history is well documented.
Are there not specific names that are well respected and have good reputation. Otherwise prestige can say "well Shiekh omar said somali chased arabs away".
I couldn't find the exact poem now but here is historical accounts, recorded at the same time he lived by those who visited him.
Sh. Sharmarke Ali Saalax Basha 1827
Sharmarke wuxuu ka talinayay, magaalada Saylac muddo dheer, laga soo bilaabo 1827-kii ilaa waxyar ka hor markuu Ingirsiisku sida rasmiga ah u soo galay Somaliland.
Sharmarke, waxa uu wakiil u ahaa maamul xoogganaa oo ka jiray Yaman, kaasoo uu siin jiray cashuur.
Sharmarke, waxa uu ahaa nin soomaali ah, balse xiligaa, ahaa nin maalqabeen ah, nin fahamsan maamullada adduunka ka jira, nin soo arkay xilligaa adduunyada
meelo kala fog. Nin la odhan jiray Johnston oo wax ka qoray Berbera iyo Saylac 1844-kii wuxuu ku tilmaamay Sharmarke, nin xooggan oo maamulkiisu dhisanyahay,
isla markaana ah nin firfircoon. Richard Burton oo ahaa basaaskii qarnigaa ugu weynaa ee Somaliland soo gala, wuxuu isaguna ku tilmaamay nin xilligaa 1854-kii maamulkiisu xoogganaa, oo magaalada Saylacna lahayd dhawr irridood oo keliya, oo laga soo galo, ganacsi xoog-lihina ka socday.
Sheekh Sharmarke, wuxuu ka talinayay magaalada Saylac muddo ka badan 30 sannadood.
Chapter 2
Life in Zayla.
Richard Burton
First Footsteps in East Africa; Or, an Exploration of Harar.
By Richard F. Burton
London:
Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.
1856
One Salimayn, a black slave from the Sawahil24, now secretary to the Hajji, reads our fortunes in the rosary. The “fal”25, as it is called, acts a prominent part in
Somali life. Some men are celebrated for accuracy of prediction; and in times of danger, when the human mind is ever open to the “fooleries of faith,” perpetual
reference is made to their art. The worldly wise Salimayn, I observed, never sent away a questioner with an ill-omened reply, but he also regularly insisted upon
the efficacy of sacrifice and almsgiving, which, as they would assuredly be neglected, afforded him an excuse in case of accident. Then we had a recital of the tales
common to Africa, and perhaps to all the world. In modern France, as in ancient Italy, “versipelles” become wolves and hide themselves in the woods: in Persia
they change themselves into bears, and in Bornou and Shoa assume the shapes of lions, hyenas, and leopards. 26 The origin of this metamorphic superstition is
easily traceable, like man’s fetisism or demonology, to his fears: a Bedouin, for instance, becomes dreadful by the reputation of sorcery: bears and hyenas are
equally terrible; and the two objects of horror are easily connected. Curious to say, individuals having this power were pointed out to me, and people pretended to
discover it in their countenances: at Zayla I was shown a Bedouin, by name Farih Badaun, who notably became a hyena at times, for the purpose of tasting human
blood.27 About forty years ago, three brothers, Kayna, Fardayna, and Sollan, were killed on Gulays near Berberah for the crime of metamorphosis. The charge is
usually substantiated either by the bestial tail remaining appended to a part of the human shape which the owner has forgotten to rub against the magic tree, or by
some peculiar wound which the beast received and the man retained. Kindred to this superstition is the belief that many of the Bedouins have learned the languages
of birds and beasts. Another widely diffused fancy is that of the Aksar28."
You guys need to understand the reason Somali sources are not used is because Somalis are susceptible to clan bias >example when Siad Bare's
government tried to manipulate the Dervish history. So obviously history recorded by the explorers at that particular time is more reliable.
good to see this individual chasing arabs away from their land. these days with the middle east tensions they're all coming back which I don't understand. they should all head back to where they came from. they gave no hospitality whatsoever to the Somali's over there so we should also start treating them like they treated mali's back home.
no respect man. I ws told by a friend that this arab guy was wondering around berbera. as soon as this Somali bloke saw his digo caas he ran towards him beating him up...he ended up in coma. the guy doesn't have any regrets as he himself was treated badly in Saudi Arabia.
