Overview
The Biimaal or Bimal, is a sub-clan of the major
Dir clan family. This clan is widely known for leading a resistance against the colonials in southern Somalia for decades which can be compared to the war of the Sayyid in Somaliland.
The Biimaal mainly lives in Southern
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 ...
, the
Somali region
The Somali Region ( so, Deegaanka Soomaalida, am, ሱማሌ ክልል, Sumalē Kilil, ar, المنطقة الصومالية), also known as Soomaali Galbeed (''Western Somalia'') and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional stat ...
of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, which their Gaadsen sub-clan mainly inhabits and in the
NEP region of
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
.
Distribution
The Bimal are the dominant clan in
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 ...
district of
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 ...
region and make up the majority in
Jammaame district of
Lower Jubba
Lower Juba ( so, Jubbada Hoose, Maay: ''Jubithy Hoosy'', ar, جوبا السفلى, it, Basso Giuba) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southern Somalia. With its capital at Kismayo, it lies in the autonomous Jubaland region. It has gre ...
region. They also live in the
NEP region of
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
and especially in large numbers inhabit the
Somali region
The Somali Region ( so, Deegaanka Soomaalida, am, ሱማሌ ክልል, Sumalē Kilil, ar, المنطقة الصومالية), also known as Soomaali Galbeed (''Western Somalia'') and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional stat ...
of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. The Bimal are a war-like clan that was known for their struggle and long resistance against the Italians.
The Bimal are a Dir clan that migrated to Lower Shabelle centuries ago and settled on the coast between Gelib-marka and Brava as sedentary farmers. The Bimal are divided into four subclans, the Saad, Ismin, Suleyman, and Abdirahman .
As a
Dir sub-clan, the Bīmāli have immediate lineal ties with the
Gadabuursi,
Surre (Abdalle and
Qubeys
Qubeys قبيس سر در is a member of the Surre, one of the sons of the greater Mehe Dir tribe. Qubeys is brother to Abdalle Surre Dir. Surre (Abdalle & Qubeys)
History & overview
Qubeys قبيس, along with Abdalle, are a subclan of th ...
), the
Issa, the Bajimal, the
Bursuk, the Madigan, the
Gurgura
The Gurgure, Gorgorah or Gurgura ( so, Gurgure, om, Gurgura, ar, غرغرة) is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Dir clan family.
Distribution
The Gurgure are the majority in the Erer district in the Sitti Zone and Dire Dawa ...
, the
Garre
The Garre (also Gurreh, Karre, "Binukaaf") ( Somali: ''Reer Garre'', Arabic: بنو كاف, romanized: ''Banī kāf'' ) is a major Somali clan whose origins trace back to Samaale who traces the lineage from the Arabian Peninsula through Aqiil ...
(the
Quranyow sub-clan to be precise as they claim descent from
Dir), Gurre, Gariire, other
Dir sub-clans and they have lineal ties with the
Hawiye
The Hawiye ( so, Hawiye, ar, بنو هوية, it, Hauija) is the largest Somali clan family. Members of this clan traditionally inhabit central and southern Somalia, Somaliland, Ethiopia (Somali, Harar, Oromia and Afar regions) and the Nort ...
(Irir),
Hawadle
The Hawadle or Xawaadle ( so, Xawaadle, ar, حوادله, it, Auadleh) are a Somali clan who traces its descent from Mayle Gorgaarte, one of the sons of Hawiye clan. The Hawadle, as well as many other Somali clans like the Dir, trace themselv ...
, Ajuraan,
Degoodi
The Degoodi or Degodia ( so, Degoodi or Degoodiya, ar, دغودي) is a Somali clan.
They are genealogically related to the other Samaale, but in particular to the Garjante, Gaalje'el, Masare, Isa (Saransor) and 'Awrmale, with which they share ...
,
Gaalje'el
The Gaalje'el ( so, Gaaljecel), ( it, Galgial), ( ar, الجعل) Galjecel is one of the largest Somali clans, whose origins trace back to Samaale. The Galje'el clan belong to the Saransor family of clans, alongside the Issa, Masare and Degodi ...
clan groups, who share the same ancestor
Samaale Samaale, also spelled Samali or Samale ( so, Samaale) is traditionally considered to be the oldest common forefather of several major Somali clans and their respective sub-clans. His name is the source of the ethnonym ''Somali''..
As the purported ...
.
[The Quranyo section of the Garre claim descent from Dirr, who are born of the Irrir Samal. UNDP Paper in Kenya http://www.undp.org/content/dam/kenya/docs/Amani%20Papers/AP_Volume1_n2_May2010.pdf]
History
Following the
Ajuran state disintegration. A mysterious new group in the vicinity of Merca, known as the El Amir believe to be from the
Abgaal origin made its appearance in the late 17th century. According to an account collected by Guillain in 1847, a leader known as Amir formed a following which invaded the territory of Merca and expelled the Ajuran clan. The El Amir then ruled for thirty-four years until the Biimaal expelled them and definitively occupied Merca. They quickly gained control of the city and trade of the region.
![The aarival of BImal king 1935](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/The_aarival_of_BImal_king_1935.jpg)
Traditions of Bimal clan of Merka district reflect preoccupied agricultural production for at least the last 200 years.
Besides the Biimal revolt against the Ajuran. Later, they had engaged in multiple wars and revolts with the
Sultanate of the Geledi
The Sultanate of the Geledi ( so, Saldanadda Geledi, ar, سلطنة غلدي) also known as the Gobroon Dynasty Somali Sultanate: The Geledi City-state Over 150 Years - Virginia Luling (2002) Page 229 was a Somali kingdom that ruled parts of the ...
.
One of the most powerful sultanates to have emerged from Southern Somalia called the
Geledi Sultanate
The Sultanate of the Geledi ( so, Saldanadda Geledi, ar, سلطنة غلدي) also known as the Gobroon Dynasty Somali Sultanate: The Geledi City-state Over 150 Years - Virginia Luling (2002) Page 229 was a Somali kingdom that ruled parts of th ...
centered in
Afgooye
Afgooye ( so, Afgooye, ar, أفجويى, it, Afgoi) is a town in the southwestern Somalia Lower Shebelle (Shabellaha Hoose) region of Somalia. It is the center of the Afgooye District. Afgooye is the third largest city of Southwest State. Afg ...
in the late 17th century. It incorporated the Merca territory into its kingdom until the Bimaal rebelled in the mid-1800s for independence. The Sultanate of Geledi tried to attack and destroy the Bimaal clan many times to try and re-capture the coastal city of Merca. But the Bimal of Merca managed to defeat the Geledi Sultanate 2 times. In 1843
Yusuf Mahamud, Sultan of Geledi, vowed to destroy the Bimaal for once and for all and mobilizes the Geledi army. In 1848 the sultan of the Geledi, Yusuf Mahamud was is killed at Adaddey Suleyman, a village near Merca, in a battle between the Bimaal and Geledi Sultanate. His son Sultan
Ahmed Yusuf tried to see revenge but was also killed in 1878 at Agaaran, near Marka by the Bimal. Ensuing
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 ...
independence from
Geledi's overrule
The Biimaal sultanate maintained armies, courts, prisons, and were highly dynamic and out seeking eager to link with global trade. They invited experts from India and around the world, to train their people in skills such as weaving, textile industry, milling and agricultural production, and topographical surveys used to make irrigation canals. This massive development the Biimaal were undertaking with their sultanate was sabotaged by the Italians, which was one of the reasons why the Biimaal revolt began.
The Bimaal also engage in pastoral-ism, settled farming and were also successful merchants and traders in the 19th century.
The Bimaal have proved in the past to be a bellicose clan, not only against their neighbours, but also against Italian colonial encroachment.
![Bimaals](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Bimaals.jpg)
The Italians undermined the Biimaal Sultanate, and changed the traditional structures in the South Central by re titling the elders "capo qabiil" and incorporating them into their administrative system. The Bimaal violently resisted the imposition of colonialism fought against the Italian colonialists in a twenty-year war known as the Bimaal revolt in which many of their warriors assassinated several Italian governors.
![Biimal men 1927](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Biimal_men_1927.jpg)
The Bimal also formed their own organization during the
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War ( so, Dagaalkii Sokeeye ee Soomaaliya; ar, الحرب الأهلية الصومالية ) is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Bar ...
, the Southern Somali National Movement (SSNM). Colonel Abdi Warsame in 1993, broke with General Aideed and took part of the SSNM with him when he aligned himself with Ali Mahdi.
Bīmāl revolt
The Bimal Revolt or Bimal Resistance or Merca Revolt (
Somali : ''Dagaalkii Biimaal iyo Talyaaniga'' ) is widely known resistance or war fought against the colonials in southern Somalia in and around the current
Lower Shebelle
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 ...
,
Banadir
Banaadir ( so, Banaadir, ar, بنادر, it, Benadir) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southeastern Somalia. It covers the same area as the city of Mogadishu, which serves as the capital. It is bordered to the northwest by the Shabel ...
,
Middle Shabelle
Middle Shabelle ( so, Shabeellaha Dhexe, ar, شبيلي الوسطى, it, Medio Scebeli) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southern Somalia.
Overview
It is bordered by the Somali regions of Galguduud, Hiran, Lower Shabelle (Shabel ...
(Somali: ''Shabeela Hoose'') for decades 1896 - 1926 which can be compared to the war of the Mad Mullah in northern Somalia.
''For more about the Bimal resistance or revolt visit the following:''
Abdirahman Eremage( Gaadsan)
The Gaadsen or reer ''Aw-Gaadsan'' branch of the Bimaal. The Aw Gaadsen trace themselves from holymen and sheikhs living as pastoral nomads. Such religious lineages of sheikhs and holy-men are generally referred to as 'reer aw' or 'wadaaddo'. They are nominally men of God''
' possessed of blessing by definition rather than learned. Although it doesn't necessary mean that all their lineages make religion their profession. The name of Geedsan or gadsen is a nickname, which means "genuine" given by his Scholar called Sheikh Abdirahman Ulamadoobe. Gaadsan are mainly found in Somali Galbeed (Somali region) and live in regions such as Afdher, in Jarrati and surrounding areas, Nusdasriq town in Qoraxay and Liban region. Gaadsan are also found in Somalia in Bakool, Geddo and the two jubas as well as Kenya (NFD)
Clan tree
The following list is based on the ''People of the Horn of Africa'' and a paper published in March 2002 by Ambroso Guido
[Clan tables after page 64 CLANSHIP, CONFLICT AND REFUGEES: AN INTRODUCTION TO SOMALIS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA Guido Ambroso March 2002 http://dspace-roma3.caspur.it/bitstream/2307/4150/1/Clanship,%20conflict%20and%20refugees_An%20introduction%20to%20Somalis%20in%20the%20Horn%20of%20Africa.pdf
Page 9]
Bimaal (Jamal) bin Mahamed
* Sa'ad
* Saleban
* Ismiin
* Abdirahman (Gaadsan)
Indian Ocean slave trade
Biimal were one of the Somali clans involved in the Indian Ocean slave trade as reported by the Italians, the Biimal sultanate was one of the most powerful sultanate in southerner Somalia and brought many Bantu slaves to its land. The Bantus were forced labour on Biimal-owned plantations while some were sold as part of the Indian Ocean slave trade. In December 1923, when Cesare Maria de Vecchi (the first Governor of Somalia) arrived in Somalia, slavery was being practiced in many areas of the country. Particularly in predominantly Biimal controlled area of Lower Shabelle region. The Italian colonial administration abolished slavery in Italian Somliland at the turn of the 20th century. However, some Somali clans notably the Biimal clan opposed this idea. The Bimaals fought Italians to keep their slaves. Although the Italians freed some Bantus from the Biimaal, some Bantu groups, remained enslaved well until the 1930s, and continued to be despised and discriminated against by large parts of Somali society.
Udubland State
The Biimal elders and leaders established the autonomous State of Udubland on 17 February 2011 claiming both Lower Shabelle and Lower Jubba. Dr. Ibraahim C/llaahi Caddow was elected as the president of the states of Udubland.
Notable figures
Politicians
*
Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail
Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail ( so, Cabdullaahi Sheekh Ismaaciil, ar, عبد الله الشيخ إسماعيل) (died 7 May 2021) was a Somali politician.
Abdulahi belongs to the Biimal clan of Dir. he worked as Translator to Somali parliament in 19 ...
, Former Somali Ambassador to Russian federation and EU, Former foreign minister 1990 and 2004 - 2006, Deputy prime minister and minister of constitutional affairs of TFG 2006.
*
Ahmed Hassan Gabobe, former minister of Justice and Religious Affairs
*
Abdirahman Haji Aden (Ibbi), former minister of fishery and marine resources of TNG 2000 - 2004, state minister 2004 - 2006
*
Colonel Abdi Warsame Isaq, one of Somali Socialist Supreme Council and positioned different ministerial posts during Bare's regime, chairman of the Southern Somali National Movement (SSNM)
*
Mohamed Adam Mo'alim Ali,
Muhammad was an Islamic prophet and a religious and political leader who preached and established Islam.
Muhammad and variations may also refer to:
*Muhammad (name), a given name and surname, and list of people with the name and its variations
...
Minister of Ministry of livestock , Forestry & Range-FGS. Former Minister of Public Works , Reconstruction & Housing - Somali Federal Government.
*
Dr. Ibraahim C/llaahi Caddow, president of Udbland state
*
Abdullahi Omar Abshir (Abshirow), the 2nd Deputy Speaker of the House of representatives of Somalia and former Deputy Minister
* General
Abdullahi Ali Ahmed Waafow, former mayor of Marka city and a well known military leader who has been engaged in multiple wars in Lower shabelle with other militant and terrorists until his death in 2022.
* General
maxamuud cabdi sheekh (xujaale), the commander chief of Jubbaland state police
* Xuseen Cali Xaaji , member of Somali Federal Government parliament
* Said Mohamed ali, worked different positions in Somalia, vice chairman of SSNM and well known political figure in Somalia.
*
Cornel Abdi Ali Jamame. Cornel may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Cornel (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname
* Cornel Wilde (1915–1989), American actor and director born Kornél Lajos Weisz
* Eric Cornel (born 1996), Canadian hockey player
Pla ...
High ranking Cornel in former Somali Armed Forces.
* General Abdi Osman Mohamed Shash (Cabdi Caluuq)
* Axmed Cumar Shaati, interim chairman of the Freedom fighters in Somali region.
* Colonel Ibrahim Yahia Hassan,
* Colonel Abdi Ali Abdullahi
* Colonel Abdi Ali (Abdi Ingiris)
* Farxiya Maxamed Cabdi, member of Somali Federal Government parliament.
* Cornel Balbaal C, High ranking Cornel in former Somali Armed Forces.
* Cabdullahi Xuseen Cali, member of Somali Federal Government parliament.
Religious leaders
Sheikh Abdi Abikar Gafle, famous religious leader and warrior
Macalin Mursal, One of the Biimal revolt leaders
Sheekh Abdurahman Mubarak, one of the most famous sheekhs in Somalia
Sheekh Xassan Yusuf
Sheekh Macalin Shiikheey one of the famous Somali cleric
Sheik Mohammed Kulale
Activist
* Mana Haji, peace activist.
* Isse Sheikh Ismail, prominent peace activist.
* Abdisatar Ona, prominent Instagram influencer and Somali Cultural Leader
References
{{Somali clans
Somali clans