Maduna ( so, Maduuna) is a medieval town in western

Sanaag Sanag ( so, Sanaag, ar, سَنَاج) is an administrative region (''Administrative divisions of Somaliland, gobol'') in north eastern Somaliland.Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

, near

El Afweyn El Afweyn ( so, Ceelafweyn, ) is a town in the Sanaag region of Somaliland. El Afweyn is a major historical town in western Sanaag region and sits at the major road connecting the cities of Burao and Erigavo. By road, the town is approximately 28 ...

History

The ruined Islamic city of Maduna is considered the most substantial and most accessible ruin of its type in Somaliland. The main feature of the ruined city includes a large rectangular mosque, its 3 metre high walls still standing and which include a mihrab and possibly several smaller arched niches. The mosque is surrounded by several old houses, most of whom being partially intact. The houses include roofed rooms, as well as compounds of dome-shaped structures lacking doors or windows. Just on a slope below the ruined city stands a baobab tree, large enough to suggest that it was planted while the city was inhabited. Not much is known about Maduna's history, with its dry-stone architectural style suggesting that Maduna was a contemporary of other ruined cities in Somaliland like

Amoud Amud or Amoud ( so, Camuud, ar, عمود) is an ancient, ruined town in the Awdal region of Somaliland.Damtew Teferra, ''African higher education: an international reference handbook'', (Indiana University Press: 2003) Named after its patron Sain ...

and

Abasa ʻAbasa ( ar, عبس, "He Frowned") is the 80th chapter ('' sura'') of the Qur'an, with 42 verses ('' ayat''). It is a Meccan sura. The Surah is so designated after the word `abasa with which it opens. Summary *1-11 Muhammad rebuked for frown ...

, meaning that Maduna was presumably part of the

Adal Adal may refer to: *A short form for Germanic names in ''aþala-'' (Old High German ''adal-''), "nobility, pedigree"; see Othalan **Adál Maldonado (1948-2020), Puerto Rican artist **Adal Ramones (born 1969), Mexican television show host **Adal He ...

sultanate. Swedish-Somali archaeologist

Sada Mire Sada Mire (born July 1976) (Somali: ''Sacda Mire'', Arabic: سعدة ميرة‎) is a Swedish-Somali archaeologist, art historian and presenter who currently serves as assistant professor at the faculty of archeology, Leiden University. She is a ...

dates the ruined city to the 15th–17th centuries.

References

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Sources

*An Archaeological Reconnaissance in the Horn: The British-Somali Expedition, 1975 -

Neville Chittick Dr. Neville H. Chittick (September 18, 1924 – July 27, 1984) was a British scholar and Archaeology, archaeologist. He specialized in the historic cultures of Northeast Africa, and also devoted various works to the Swahili Coast. Biography Chit ...

. Archaeological sites in Somaliland Cities of the Adal Sultanate Archaeological sites of Eastern Africa

History

See also

References

Sources