The 12 Koofi, more commonly known as Reer Marka, are a Somali confederation of clans inhabiting the city of

Merca Merca ( so, Marka, Maay: ''Marky'', ar, مركة) is a historic port city in the southern Lower Shebelle province of Somalia. It is located approximately to the southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu. Merca is the traditional home territory ...

and other southern coastal towns of

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

Overview

Reer Marka, also known as 12 Koofi are confederation of clans part of the larger confederacy Benadiri based in the southern port town of Marka. Members of this group of clans can also be found all over southern Somalia, especially coastal towns such as:

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...

, Baraawe,

Kismayo Kismayo ( so, Kismaayo, Maay: ''Kismanyy'', ar, كيسمايو, ; it, Chisimaio) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region. The city is situa ...

, Gendershe, Dhanaane,

Jilib Jilib (other names: Gilib, Gelib, Jillib, Jillio; ) is a city in Somalia, It is north of Kismaayo. History During the Middle Ages, Jilib and its surrounding area was part of the Ajuran Empire that governed much of southern Somalia and eastern Eth ...

, Marka and Jaziira.

Language

Reer Marka or the 12 Koofi speak a very unique dialect of the Somali language even though Lamberti labelled this the Albakri(duruqbo) dialect the locals call it Mah doonte or Aff May Doonte.

Clan Tree

This group of clans originally was originally made up of 12 clans hence the name 12 Koofi ( Somali: 12 Hats/Caps), however over the last century the number of clan groups part of this confederacy has increased due to merchant clans settling in from Baraawe and

, also due to some of these Benadiri clans being counted as one and no longer are. In Pentano, 1910 he mentions the groups who live in

as: * Gamedle * Asharaf 'Alawi * Asharaf Mahdeli * Asharaf Bin Hassan * Reer Khaatib *

Haatim Haatim ( Chimini: Ra Haatimi, Somali: Haatim, Arabic: حاتم ) are a Somali clan from southern coastal cities of Baraawe, Marka, Kismayo and Mogadishu, they can also be found in the hinterland towns in the inter-riverine are of Somalia and fur ...

* Albakri(Duruqbo) * Shanshiyo *

Shukureere The Banaadiri people ( so, Reer Benaadir, ar, البنادريون) are a nationality in Somalia. Banaadiris largely inhabit Somalia's southern coastline. Overview Although the Benadiri are sometimes described as the founders of Mogadishu (he ...

* Juunji * Kafaari * Reer Manyo * Shiikhaal Jaziira and Gendershe Patano also went on to mention in Marka there were Bravenese people from various clans living there also. According to Hassan Osman Ahmed's "La Citta' di Marka, I Biimaal e il Dominio Sulla Costa Somala" book 12 Koofi are split into 2 groups lixda gibil cad ( Somali: 6 lightskin) and lixda gibil madow ( Somali: 6 darkskin). These Groups are: * Gameedle * Albakri(Duruqbo) * Shanshiyo *

* Asharaf (Bin Hassan, Alawi and Mahdali) * Shiikhaal ( Jaziira and Gendershe) * Reer Manyo *

* Ahmed Nur * Kafaari * Juunji * Bimal According to a more recent paper sent to the Federal Government of Somalia the list elders came from 16 different clans and are as follow: * Ahmed Nur * Asharaf Alawi * Reer Manyo * Albakri(Duruqbo) * Asharaf bin Hassan *

* Gameedle * Fasahaale (More commonly known as Kafaari) * Reer Khadiib *

* Shanshiyo * Garjanti * Juunji * Shikhaal Jaziira * Shikhaal Gendershe * Shikhaal Aw Osman

Notable people

* Shaykh Ali Maye, a revered Sufi saint of the Duruqbo clan, a yearly festival is held for him outside his shrine in Marka and it ends on the 5 of the Islamic month of Safar. * * Aw Osman Hassan, also known as Aw Usmaan Marki. Synonymous with the Benadiri town of

where there's saying "Marka 'Aday Mininka Aw Osman", which translates to as "White Marka House of Aw Osman". He is venerated in not only Marka but all over

Lower Shabelle Lower Shabelle ( so, Shabeellaha Hoose, Maay: ''Shibelithy Hoosy'', ar, شبيلي السفلى, it, Basso Scebeli) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southern Somalia. Geography Lower Shabelle is bordered by the regions of Banaadir ...

; there is a mosque named after him in the beginning of the city when coming from the former port where annual ziyaaros happen for Aw Usmaan. * Shaykh Mohamud Hassan, the ancestor of the Reer Ma'ow (Ba Muqtar) clan of the Reer Maanyo confederacy and annual festival is held for him. *Shaykh Muqtar *Shaykh Mohamed Shaykh Ali Maye, son of the revered Sufi saint Shaykh Ali Maye buried in Boondhere, Mogadishu.

References

{{reflist Somalian people Ethnic groups in Africa