The Harrawa Valley (Somali: Dooxada Harawo) (also spelled: Harawwah, Harrawah, Harawa) is a long running valley located in the Gadabuursi country, north of Harar, Ethiopia.[1][2] The Harrawa Valley is home to many of the principal and most well known settlements of the GadabuursiDir clan, such as Derwernache, Arabi, Dhamal, Hadawe and many other towns and villages.[3][4]
An old map of Harar featuring the Somali Gadabuursi Dir clan.An old map featuring the Harrawa Valley in the Gadabuursi country, north of Harar.An old map featuring the Harrawa Valley in the Gadabuursi country, north of Harar.An old map featuring the Harrawa Valley in the Gadabuursi country, north of Harar.
The Harrawa Valley is considered to be, alongside the Awdal Region, at the heart of the Gadabuursi country.[5][6][7][8]
Richard Francis Burton (1856) describes the Harrawa Valley in the Gadabuursi country, as within sight of Harar in his book First Footsteps in East Africa:
"In front, backed by the dark hills of Harar, lay the Harawwah valley. The breadth is about fifteen miles: it runs from south-west to north-east, between the Highlands of the Girhi and the rolling ground of the Gudabirsi Somal, as far, it is said, as the Dankali country. Of old this luxuriant waste belonged to the former tribe; about twelve years ago it was taken from them by the Gudabirsi, who carried off at the same time thirty cows, forty camels, and between three and four hundred sheep and goats."[9]
Richard Francis Burton (1856) describes the Gadabuursi Ugaas as hosting equestrian games in the Harrawa Valley, in his book First Footsteps in East Africa:
"Here, probably to commemorate the westward progress of the tribe, the Gudabirsi Ugaz or chief has the white canvass turban bound about his brows, and hence rides forth to witness the equestrian games in the Harawwah Valley."[10]
Richard Francis Burton (1856) describes the flora and fauna of the Harrawa Valley in his book First Footsteps in East Africa:
"For six hours we rode the breadth of the Harawwah Valley: it was covered with wild vegetation, and surface-drains, that carry off the surplus of the hills enclosing it. In some places the torrent beds had cut twenty feet into the soil. The banks were fringed with milk-bush and Asclepias, the Armo-creeper, a variety of thorns, and especially the yellow-berried Jujube: here numberless birds followed bright-winged butterflies, and the “Shaykhs of the Blind,” as the people call the black fly, settled in swarms upon our hands and faces as we rode by. The higher ground was overgrown with a kind of cactus, which here becomes a tree, forming shady avenues. Its quadrangular fleshy branches of emerald green, sometimes forty feet high, support upon their summits large round bunches of a bright crimson berry: when the plantation is close, domes of extreme beauty appear scattered over the surface of the country... At Zayla I had been informed that elephants are “thick as sand” in Harawwah: even the Gudabirsi, when at a distance, declared that they fed there like sheep, and, after our failure, swore that they killed thirty but last year."[11]
Richard Francis Burton (1856) describes what he feels is the end of his journey when he witnesses the blue hills of Harar, which is the iconic backdrop of the Harrawa Valley in his book First Footsteps in East Africa:
"Beyond it stretched the Wady Harawwah, a long gloomy hollow in the general level. The background was a bold sweep of blue hill, the second gradient of the Harar line, and on its summit closing the western horizon lay a golden streak--the Marar Prairie. Already I felt at the end of my journey."[12]
Captain H.G.C Swayne R.E. (1895) describes the Harrawa Valley, in his book Seventeen Trips Through Somaliland:
"On 5th September we descended into the Harrawa Valley in the Gadabursi country, and back on to the high ban again at Sarír, four days later. We then marched along the base of the Harar Highlands, reaching Sala Asseleh on 13th September. We had experienced heavy thunder-storms with deluges of rain daily, and had found the whole country deserted."[13]
Captain H.G.C Swayne R.E. (1895) describes the Harrawa Valley as extremely strategic, in his book Seventeen Trips Through Somaliland:
"The position of the Samawé ruins would favour a supposition that some power holding Harar, and having its northern boundary along the hills which wall in the southern side of the Harrawa valley, had built the fort to command the Gáwa Pass, which is one of the great routes from the Gadabursi country up on to the Marar Prairie."[14]
Captain H.G.C Swayne R.E. (1895) describes the areas near and around the Harrawa Valley, in his book Seventeen Trips Through Somaliland:
"The extreme north-western angle of the Marar Prairie is marked by a hill called Sarir Gerad, and from its base the ground falls abruptly to the north into the Harrawa Valley in the Gadabursi country, and to the west into deep gorges which lead towards Gildessa."[15]
C. E. Gouldsbury (1915) describes exploring the areas near and around the Harrawa Valley in search for elephants, in his book Tiger Slayer by Order:
”We now struck camp, and marching through an unexplored portion of the Gadabarsi country towards the Harawa Valley, camped at Leakat, whence I sent mounted men in all directions in search of khubbar of elephants. But before going on to relate my adventures, I must tell of an incident which had come perilously near to ending my expedition.”[16]
Drake-Brockman M.R.C.S. Eng./L.R.C.P. Lond. (1914) describes the springs in the Harrawa Valley:
"In the same manner the springs at Bihendula, Armaleh, Daraas, Shamahaleh, Upper Sheikh and Harawa in the Gudabirsi country, only to mention a few of those that recur to the writer, might easily be dealt with and at no very great cost."[17]
Awdal is an administrative region (gobol) in western Somaliland. It was separated from Woqooyi Galbeed and became a province in 1984 and is the most northwesterly province of Somaliland. To the east it borders Maroodi Jeex and Sahil; to its north-west it borders Djibouti; to its south and south-west lies Ethiopia; and the Gulf of Aden to its north. The province has an estimated population of 1,010,566. The region comprises the four districts of Borama, the regional capital, Baki, Lughaya, and Zeila.
Zeila, also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland.
The Dir is one of the largest and most prominent Somali clans in the Horn of Africa. They are also considered to be the oldest Somali stock to have inhabited the region. Its members inhabit Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, and northeastern Kenya.
The Gadabuursi, also known as Samaroon, is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Dir clan family.
Borama is the largest city of the northwestern Awdal region of Somaliland. The commercial seat of the province, it is situated near the border with Ethiopia.
Awbare, officially known as Teferi Ber and called after its patron Saint Awbare, is a town in eastern Ethiopia located in the Fafan Zone of the Somali Region, near the border with Somaliland on the main trade route between Jijiga and the sea. It is the administrative centre of the Awbare district.
Abasa is an ancient town in the northwestern Awdal region of Somaliland.
Amud or Amoud is an ancient, ruined town in the Awdal region of Somaliland. Named after its patron Saint Amud it was a center of activity during the Golden Age of the Adal Kingdom. The archaeological site is situated 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level, around 10 km southeast of the regional capital Borama.
Somali mythology covers the beliefs, myths, legends and folk tales circulating in Somali society that were passed down to new generations in a timeline spanning several millennia in Somalia and Djibouti dating back 6000 years ago. Many of the things that constitute monotheistic Somali mythology today are traditions whose accuracy have faded away with time or have been gentrified considerably with the coming of Islam to the Horn of Africa.
Dombiro, was a Somali historical figure, known for being the wife of the progenitor of the Darod clan, Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Jabarti.
Harirad is a town in the northwestern Awdal region of Somaliland. It is about 87 km northwest of Borama and 3 km (2 mi) north of the border with Ethiopia. With an elevation of 972 meters above sea level, the settlement sprawls on a wide basin surrounded by granite mountains on all sides.
Ughaz Nur II' or Ugas NurII' also known as UghazNur Robleh, was a Somali King and poet of the Gadabuursi tribe.
The Bursuuk or also written as Barsuk, Barsuq and Barsoub is a clan belonging to Madahweyne sub-clan of the Dir clan family. They largely live in Ethiopia, in the Somali Region, especially around the ancient city of Harar and between the city and Jigjiga.
The Gurgura, Gorgorah or Gurgure is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Dir clan family.
Ughaz 'Elmi Roble Warfa or Ughaz 'Elmi Roble Warfa also known as 'Elmi Warfa was a Gadabursi King. his other nicknames were 'Elmi Dheire "'Elmi the Tall", because he was a very tall man and Kun ‘Iil " which means A Thousand Sorrows",
Awbube, (English: Aububah, , called after its patron Saint Awbube, also known as Alaua or Halaua, is an ancient and ruined town located in the western Fafan Zone in the Somali region of Ethiopia. It is located 34 km northwest of Borama, the capital city of the Awdal Region in Somaliland via Quljeed, then across the border into the Awbare district in Ethiopia.
Arabi, is a town located in the Dembel district of the Sitti Zone, in the Somali region of Ethiopia. It is located in the famous Harrawa Valley in the Gadabuursi country.
The Makayl-Dheere also known as Makaahiil-Dheere (Makayldheere), is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Makahiil sub-clan of the Gadabuursi Dir clan family.
Ruguda, also known as Rakudah is a historic coastal port town located in the Sanaag region of Somaliland, near Heis.
The Gadabuursi Ughazate or Ugasate evolved from and was a successor kingdom to the Adal Sultanate and Sultanate of Harar. The first Ughaz (Ugaas) of this successor kingdom, Ali Makail Dera was the son of Makail Dera, the progenitor of the Makayl-Dheere. During the late 19th century, as the region became subject to colonial rule, the Ughaz assumed a more traditional and ceremonial leadership of the clan. The Gadabuursi give their King the title of Ughaz. It's an authentic Somali term for King or Sultan. The Gadabuursi in particular are one of the clans with a long tradition of the institution of Sultan.
↑ Burton, Richard (1856). First Footsteps in East Africa (1sted.). Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. In front, backed by the dark hills of Harar, lay the Harawwah valley. The breadth is about fifteen miles: it runs from south-west to north-east, between the Highlands of the Girhi and the rolling ground of the Gudabirsi Somal, as far, it is said, as the Dankali country. Of old this luxuriant waste belonged to the former tribe; about twelve years ago it was taken from them by the Gudabirsi, who carried off at the same time thirty cows, forty camels, and between three and four hundred sheep and goats.
↑ Burton, Richard (1856). First Footsteps in East Africa (1sted.). Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. Here, probably to commemorate the westward progress of the tribe, the Gudabirsi Ugaz or chief has the white canvass turban bound about his brows, and hence rides forth to witness the equestrian games in the Harawwah Valley.
↑ Burton, Richard (1856). First Footsteps in East Africa (1sted.). Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. For six hours we rode the breadth of the Harawwah Valley: it was covered with wild vegetation, and surface-drains, that carry off the surplus of the hills enclosing it. In some places the torrent beds had cut twenty feet into the soil. The banks were fringed with milk-bush and Asclepias, the Armo-creeper, a variety of thorns, and especially the yellow-berried Jujube: here numberless birds followed bright-winged butterflies, and the "Shaykhs of the Blind," as the people call the black fly, settled in swarms upon our hands and faces as we rode by. The higher ground was overgrown with a kind of cactus, which here becomes a tree, forming shady avenues. Its quadrangular fleshy branches of emerald green, sometimes forty feet high, support upon their summits large round bunches of a bright crimson berry: when the plantation is close, domes of extreme beauty appear scattered over the surface of the country... At Zayla I had been informed that elephants are "thick as sand" in Harawwah: even the Gudabirsi, when at a distance, declared that they fed there like sheep, and, after our failure, swore that they killed thirty but last year.
↑ Burton, Richard (1856). First Footsteps in East Africa (1sted.). Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. Beyond it stretched the Wady Harawwah, a long gloomy hollow in the general level. The background was a bold sweep of blue hill, the second gradient of the Harar line, and on its summit closing the western horizon lay a golden streak--the Marar Prairie. Already I felt at the end of my journey.
↑ Swayne (1895). Seventeen Trips Through Somaliland. On 5th September we descended into the Harrawa Valley in the Gadabursi country, and back on to the high ban again at Sarír, four days later. We then marched along the base of the Harar Highlands, reaching Sala Asseleh on 13th September. We had experienced heavy thunder-storms with deluges of rain daily, and had found the whole country deserted.
↑ Swayne (1895). Seventeen Trips Through Somaliland. The position of the Samawé ruins would favour a supposition that some power holding Harar, and having its northern boundary along the hills which wall in the southern side of the Harrawa valley, had built the fort to command the Gáwa Pass, which is one of the great routes from the Gadabursi country up on to the Marar Prairie.
↑ Swayne (1895). Seventeen Trips Through Somaliland. The extreme north-western angle of the Marar Prairie is marked by a hill called Sarir Gerad, and from its base the ground falls abruptly to the north into the Harrawa Valley in the Gadabursi country, and to the west into deep gorges which lead towards Gildessa.
↑ Gouldsbury (1915). Tiger Slayer by Order(PDF). We now struck camp, and marching through an unexplored portion of the Gadabarsi country towards the Harawa Valley, camped at Leakat, whence I sent mounted men in all directions in search of khubbar of elephants. But before going on to relate my adventures, I must tell of an incident which had come perilously near to ending my expedition.
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