Encyclopedias from ca. 1900 note that ancient tombs, pyramidal structures, ruined towns, and stone walls found in
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 Constitut ...
, such as the
Wargaade Wall
Wargaade Wall is an ancient stone construction in Wargaade, Somalia. It enclosed a large historic settlement in the region.
Overview
Graves and unglazed sherds of pottery dating from antiquity
Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to:
Histori ...
, are evidence of an old civilization in the Somali peninsula that predates
Islam
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 ...
.
In an 1878 report to the
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
of Great Britain,
Johann Maria Hildebrandt
Johann Maria Hildebrandt (born 13 or 19 March 1847; died 29 May 1881) was a German explorer, collector, and scientist.
Biography
Hildebrandt was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, to a family of painters. Originally a machine maker, he lost an eye ...
noted upon visiting the area that "we know from ancient authors that these districts, at present so desert, were formerly populous and civilised
..I also discovered ancient ruins and rock-inscriptions both in pictures and characters
..These have hitherto not been deciphered."
[Royal Geographical Society (Great Britain), ''Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London'', Volume 22, "Mr. J. M. Hildebrandt on his Travels in East Africa", (Edward Stanford: 1878), p. 447.]
Findings
Archaeological sites where ancient inscriptions have been found on cave paintings include Godka Xararka in
Las Anod District, Qubiyaaley in
Las Anod District, Hilayo in
Las Khoray District, Karin Heeggane in
Las Khoray District, and Dhalanle in
Las Khoray District.
[Ministry of Information and National Guidance, Somalia, ]
The writing of the Somali language: A Great Landmark in Our Revolutionary History
'', (Ministry of Information and National Guidance: 1974)
According to the Ministry of Information and National Guidance of Somalia, inscriptions can be found on various old ''
Taalo Tiiriyaad'' structures. These are enormous stone mounds found especially in northeastern Somalia. Among the main sites where these Taalo are located are Xabaalo Ambiyad in
Alula District, Baar Madhere in Beledweyne District, and Harti Yimid in
Las Anod District.
See also
*
Architecture of Somalia
Somali architecture is the engineering and designing of multiple different construction types such as stone cities, castles, citadels, fortresses, mosques, temples, aqueducts, lighthouses, towers and tombs during the ancient, medieval and early ...
*
Somali National Academy of Culture
Somali National Academy of Culture (SNAC), also known as the Somali National Academy of Arts, Sciences and Literature, was an important institution in Somalia that was responsible for the preservation and exploration of national artifacts and oth ...
*
Undeciphered scripts
References
Inscriptions in undeciphered writing systems
Undeciphered writing systems
Writing systems of Africa
Somali language
Somali orthography
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