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The ancient capital of Somalia is Mogadishu. It is also the largest city and major port in Somalia. It is located north of the equator on the Indian Ocean. It is also one of the oldest Arab settlements on the coast of East Africa.

But it had trade relations with the Portuguese and the imams of Muscat, before it came under the control of the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1871 AD. Do you know what its name was in the past? Follow the website article to identify The ancient capital of Somalia.

Somalia

• Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is a sovereign country in the Horn of Africa.
• Bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest, Somalia has the longest coastline on mainland Africa.
• Its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands, and hot conditions prevail throughout the year, with periodic monsoon winds and irregular rains.
• Somalia’s population is estimated at approximately 15 million, and it has been described as the most culturally homogeneous country in Africa.
• About 85% of its population is of Somali origin, who historically inhabited the north of the country.
• Ethnic minorities are largely concentrated in the South; The official languages ​​in Somalia are Somali and Arabic.

See also: Flags of African countries and their names

A historical overview of Somalia

• In ancient times, Somalia was an important trading centre, being among the most likely locations of the legendary ancient Land of Punt.
  • During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated regional trade.
• Including the Sultanate of Ajuran, the Sultanate of Adal, and the Sultanate of Jaldi, and the Italian explorer Luigi Rubicchi-Bricchetti coined the geographical name of Somalia.
• In the late 19th century, the European powers, Britain and then Italy, colonized Somalia, and the British and Italians established colonies of British Somaliland, Italian Somaliland, and inland.
• The Dervish movement, led by Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, managed to thwart the British four times.
  • This forced them to retreat to the coast, before their eventual defeat in the Somaliland campaign of 1920 AD.
• Italy gained full control over the northeastern, central, and southern parts of the region after successfully launching the Sultanate’s campaign against the ruling Majertin Sultanate and the Sultanate of Hobyo.
• In 1960, the two regions united to form the independent Republic of Somalia under a civilian government.
• The Supreme Revolutionary Council seized power in 1969 and established the Somali Democratic Republic, which collapsed 22 years later.
• In 1991 AD, with the outbreak of the Somali Civil War, during this period, most areas returned to customary and religious law.
• In the early 2000s, a number of temporary federal administrations were created.

Establishment of the transitional national government

• The Transitional National Government (TNG) was established in 2000, followed by the formation of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in 2004.
• Which re-established the Somali Armed Forces, and in 2006, the Transitional Federal Government took control of most of the country’s southern conflict areas from the newly formed Islamic Courts Union (ICU).
• The Islamic Courts Union then split into more radical groups, such as Al-Shabaab, which fought the Transitional Federal Government, and its allies in AMISOM for control of the region.
• By mid-2012, the rebels had lost most of the territory they had seized, and the search for more permanent democratic institutions began.
• A new interim constitution was passed in August 2012, reforming Somalia as a federal federation.
• In the same month, the Somali federal government was formed, and the reconstruction period began in Mogadishu.

Capital of Somalia

• The capital of Somalia is Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho), which is the capital and most populous city in Somalia.
• The city also served as an important port connecting merchants throughout the Indian Ocean for thousands of years, and its population currently stands at 2,425,000.
• Mogadishu is the closest foreign city to Seychelles, 835 miles (1,344 km) over the Indian Ocean.
• Mogadishu is located in the coastal region of Benadir on the Indian Ocean, which, unlike other Somali regions, is a municipality rather than a maamulgoboleed (federal state).
• The capital of Somalia was called “Faadicho” in the past, during its occupation by Portugal in the sixteenth century AD.
• Where they established a camp for exiles, and this name means “the camp,” but this name was distorted, and its name then became “Mogadishu.”

A historical overview of Mogadishu

• Mogadishu has a long history extending from the ancient period until now, where the Mogadishu Union and the Mogadishu Sultanate were born, which was founded by Abu Bakr bin Fakhr al-Din, who founded the Fakhr al-Din dynasty.
  • He was eventually replaced by the Muzaffar dynasty, who became allies of the Ajuran Sultanate in the late 16th century.
• In the seventeenth century, Mogadishu and the Benadir coast came under Omani-Zanzibar sovereignty until the nineteenth century.
• During the nineteenth century, as a result of the division that occurred in Muscat, power was shared with the Sultanate of Jaldi over Banadir in a balanced manner.
• Mogadishu reached the peak of its prosperity in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
• The beginning of Italian colonization occurred in gradual stages, with the Italian treaties of the 1880s.
  • Followed by economic participation between various Somali clans, then direct rule, by the Italian government after 1906 AD.
• The British military administration of Somalia after World War II and the Italian territory of the United Nations in the 1950s.
• This was followed by independence in 1960 AD, the Hantiouadagh (socialist) era, during Barre’s presidency (1969 AD-1991 AD), a civil war that lasted three decades after that, and, as of the late 2010 AD and 2020 AD, the reconstruction period.

Follow also: African countries and their capitals

Economy of Mogadishu

• Mogadishu has traditionally served as a commercial and financial centre, before the import of mass-produced cloth from Europe and America.
• The city’s textiles were also widely sent throughout the interior of the continent, as well as to the Arabian Peninsula and away from the Persian coast.
• Mogadishu’s economy has grown rapidly since the city was pacified in mid-2011, and the SomalFruit factory reopened, as did the local Coca-Cola factory, which was also renovated.
• In May 2012, the first Somali bank was established in the capital, and it represents the first commercial bank to be opened in southern Somalia since 1991.
• Somali civil engineer and entrepreneur Nusra Ajeel also opened the city’s first dollar store.
• In addition, the historic Central Bank was renovated, with a similarly secured business center created.

Demographics of Mogadishu

• With the beginning of Islam, Arab and Persian immigrants began to settle, and the first immigrants were formed.
• Centuries of intermarriage between various ethnic groups, which also included the Bantus, produced a minority called the “Abaad.”
• In the colonial period, European expatriates, especially Italians, also contributed to the city’s cosmopolitan population.
• After the security situation improved significantly in the city in 2012, many Somali expatriates began returning to Mogadishu in search of investment opportunities and to participate in the ongoing post-conflict reconstruction process.
• Through private efforts and public initiatives such as the Somali Diaspora Corps, they participated in the renovation of schools, hospitals, banks and other infrastructure.
  • They have played a leading role in the capital’s recovery and helped drive the local real estate market.
• Mogadishu has a population of approximately 2,425,000 people as of April 2017, and it is the 210th most populous city.
• The urban area occupies 91 square kilometers (35 sq mi), with a population density of about 26,800 people per square kilometer (69,000 sq mi).

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