The National Museum of Somalia ( so, Matxafka Qarankais, ar, متحف وطني للصومال ''Mathaf Watani lil-Sumal'', it, Museo Nazionale della Somalia) is a

national museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

, the capital 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 ...

. It was established in 1933 by the colonial authorities in

Italian Somaliland Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, الصومال الإيطالي, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centur ...

. After shutting down operations in 1991, it later reopened, and presently houses a number of important historical artefacts. In September 2019, the museum was rebuilt; almost 30 years after its destruction.

Old Garesa Museum

The National Museum of Somalia is housed in a two-storey building that dates back to 1872. It was built at the request of the

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

Sultan of Zanzibar The sultans of Zanzibar ( ar, سلاطين زنجبار) were the rulers of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which was created on 19 October 1856 after the death of Said bin Sultan, who had ruled Oman and Zanzibar as the sultan of Oman since 1804. The ...

, Barghash ibn Sa'id, as a residence (called ''Garesa'') for the then Governor of

, Suleiman bin Hamed, after he had received permission from the Somali Sultan Ahmed Yusuf of 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 ...

. In 1933, the building was totally reconstructed and adapted to the Somalia Museum (). It was the most important cultural place in Italian

Mogadiscio Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

. The "Museo della Garesa" (as was called by the Italian colonists) was officially opened to the public the next year by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Maurizio Rava Maurizio is an Italian masculine given name, derived from the Roman name Mauritius. Mauritius is a derivative of Maurus, meaning ''dark-skinned, Moorish''. List of people with the given name Maurizio Art and music * Maurizio Arcieri (born 1945) ...

. The museum suffered heavy damages during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After the independence of

in 1960 it was turned into a National Museum. When the National Museum was moved in 1985 it was renamed to the old Garesa Museum () and converted to a regional museum.

National Museum

In 1985, the Mogadishu cultural center opened. The center the consisted of the National Theater, National Library and the National Museum. The National Museum's architecture shows

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

influences and consists of a main building with four exhibition floors. To the north is a rectangular four storied building where technical and administrative offices where located. The director-general on the opening of the museum was Ahmed Farah Warsame.

Exhibitions

The exhibition rooms were opened in May 1987. *Ground floor: Archaeological and Ethnolographical Exhibitions. *First floor: Historical Exhibition: Colonial Resistance and Post-Independence. *Second floor: Historical Arms and, modern Army Exhibitions, Language and Literature. *Third floor: Temporary Exhibits.

Closure

Following the start of the civil war in 1991, the museum closed down. Its infrastructure incurred significant damage in the ensuing years.

New National Museum

The National Museum subsequently reopened. As of January 2014, it holds many culturally important artefacts. Among these are old coins, bartering tools, traditional artwork, ancient weaponry and pottery items.

References

External links

Museums in Somalia - National Museum in Mogadishu
{{Authority control Houses completed in 1872 Italian Somaliland Buildings and structures in Mogadishu Museums established in 1933 Museums in Somalia