The Togdheer River ( so, Webiga Togdheer) is a seasonal river in the

Togdheer Togdheer ( so, Togdheer, ar, تُوْجْدَيْر, Tūjdayr) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in central Somaliland. Togdheer is bordered by Maroodi Jeex to the west, Saaxil to the north, Sanaag to the northeast, Sool to the east and ...

region of northeastern

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 ...

. The region is named after the river. The river's name comes from "Tog" (which means "riverbed" in the

Somali language Somali (Latin script: ; Wadaad writing, Wadaad: ; Osmanya: 𐒖𐒍 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘 ) is an Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic languages, Cushitic branch. It is spoken as a mother tongue by Somalis in ...

) and "dheer" (Somali for "long"). The Togdheer River rises in the foothills of the

Golis Mountains The Golis Mountains are a mountain range in Somaliland. Also known as ''Qar Golis'', they cut through the Togdheer region, and end near the Gan Libah. Jerato Pass This range has a mountain pass known as the "Jerrato Pass". See also * Cal Ma ...

, specifically the upper slope of the Ga'an Libah reserve, flows south through the city of

Burao Burao, also spelt Bur'o or Bur'ao (; so, Burco, , ar, برعو) is the capital of the Togdheer region and the second largest city in Somaliland. Burao was also the third largest city of Somalia. Burao was the site of the declaration of an in ...

, where it splits the city in half, and then vanishes into the eastern plains of the Togdheer region and the northern part of

Sool Sool ( so, Sool, ar, صول) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in south eastern Somaliland/north western Somalia. It borders Togdheer to the west, Sanaag to the north, Ethiopia to the south and Nugal, Bari to the east. Its capital city ...

, where it provides winter sustenance to the arid

Nugaal valley The Nugaal Valley ( so, Dooxada Nugaal, ar, وادي نوجال), also called the Nogal Valley, is a long and broad valley located in northern Somalia and Somaliland. The Nugaal Valley is bounded to the north by the '' Sorl'', or '' Nugal Platea ...

. The riverbed is usually dry, but is subject to

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

when heavy rains fall in the mountains.

Exploration

Explorer

Frank Linsly James Frank Linsly James FRGS (21 April 1851 – 21 April 1890) was an English explorer. He was the son of American parents: Liverpool-based merchant Daniel James and Sophia Hall (Hitchcock) James. He was born and raised in Liverpool; the 1861 censu ...

, a guest of Sultan

Awad Deria Sultan Awad Deria ( so, Suldaan Cawad Suldaan Diiriye) was a Somali ruler and the 4th Sultan of the Habr Yunis during the late nineteenth century. Biography Awad was among the youngest sons of Sultan Diiriye who had a total of eighteen sons from ...

during his visit to Somalia in 1884, describes a performance he witnessed by

Habr Yunis The Habar Yoonis ( ar, هبر يونس , Full Name: '' Said ibn Al-Qādhī Ismā'īl ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad bin Muḥammad bin al-Ḥusayn al-Hāshimīy'' ) alternatively spelled as Habr Yunis is a major clan part of the sub-clan ...

Horsemen at the Togdheer River in

During our stay at Burao, the Sultan collected a great many of his people together, and twice entertained us with some well-executed and characteristic evolutions on horseback. On the first occasion some forty mounted men were collected in the Tug before our zariba; but this did not satisfy the Sultan, and he arranged a second "fan- tasia," in which fully two hundred warriors were engaged. It was the best and most characteristic thing of the kind I had ever seen. A procession was first formed in the river's bed, and on a given signal all dashed off, brandishing their spears and shields. Dressed in tobes of many colours, and sitting loosely on their gaily caparisoned horses, they engaged in mimic contest with spear and shield, reining their horses upon their haunches when at full gallop, and with wild shouts flinging their spears into the air. Each warrior carried a short-handled whip with a broad raw hide thong, and with it lashed his steed unmercifully. Some of the riders went through regular circus feats, leaping from their horses when at full gallop, picking up objects thrown on the ground, and then remount- ing. After this had continued for some time they would gallop close to our zariba, and reining up, shout "Mort, mort" ("Welcome, welcome"), to which we replied, "Kul liban" ("Thanks").The Unknown Horn of Africa: An Exploration From Berbera to the Leopard River, By Frank Linsly james, p.67

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Somaliland Togdheer