The Governor's Palace ( it, Palazzo del Governatore, Mogadiscio) was the seat of the

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 ...

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 centu ...

, and then the administrator of the

Trust Territory of Somaliland The Trust Territory of Somaliland, officially the "Trust Territory of Somaliland under Italian administration" ( it, Amministrazione fiduciaria italiana della Somalia), was a United Nations Trust Territory situated in present-day Somalia. Its c ...

. It was built during the colonial period in the capital city of

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...

, situated in present-day 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 ...

. Used as

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

building of

, it is one of the most popular government offices in Somalia. It was the first place where the Somali flag waved.

Characteristics

It was built during the colonial period (in the late 1920s) in the capital city of

, situated in present-day southern

. In those decades the city was improved with Italian architecture and urbanism: this palace was one of the most representatives of the colonial fascist architecture. It was located on the "Corso Umberto", the main street of Italian Mogadiscio, and overlooked the ocean & the port. The architecture is a mixture of Italian and Arab styles, with the second floor decorated with

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

furniture. A huge garden was created in front of the main entrance. In the palace, among other things, there were the following halls in the lower floor: * Arab hall with decorations, which were derived from the Islamic architecture of the old Mogadishu. * Rooms of "Queen Elena of Italy" with tapestries. * "Sala della Giustizia" with furniture in the Gothic style of the

Aosta Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...

Valley. * Hall of deliberations, with the wall-scenes taken from the classical style of the Italian architecture and with a huge panel showing "San Giorgio". The second floor was for private use, with rooms for royal guest. It was inaugurated by Italian governor

Cesare Maria De Vecchi Cesare Maria De Vecchi, 1st Conte di Val Cismon (14 November 1884 – 23 June 1959) was an Italian soldier, colonial administrator and Fascist politician. Biography De Vecchi was born in Casale Monferrato on 14 November 1884. After graduating ...

, who ruled from 1923 to 1929. He ordered excavations in the gardens in front of the palace that proved to be the ancient Arab palace of "El Muzaffar". In 1975 the palace was completely razed to the ground and the site was dedicated to the new construction of the "Al Uruba" (Curuuba) Hotel, a hotel built by Arab subventions, but in the style of "self-helped" Somali constructions. Since the fall of Siad Barre in 1992 the Curuuba Hotel suffered heavy damages during Somalia civil war from shellings, but in the 2010s there are projects to fully restructure the entire area.Gallery
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References

External links

* ''Guida d'Italia del TCI, Possedimenti e colonie'', Milano, 1929 {{coord, 2, 02, 05, N, 45, 20, 31, E, region:SO-BN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Buildings and structures in Mogadishu Italian fascist architecture Palaces in Africa Italian Somaliland

Characteristics

See also

References

External links