Hobyo (; ) is an ancient port city in

Galmudug Galmudug (; ), officially Galmudug State of Somalia (), is a States and regions of Somalia, Federal Member State in central Somalia, with its capital at Dhusamareb. It is bordered to the north by the Puntland state of Somalia, to the west by the S ...

state in the north-central

Mudug Mudug () is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north-central Somalia. The population of Mudug is 131,455 as of 2005. Overview Physiographically, Mudug is bordered to the west by Ethiopia, to the north and south by the Somali regions of Nu ...

region of

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

. Hobyo was founded as a coastal outpost by the Ajuran Empire during the 13th century.Lee V. Cassanelli, ''The shaping of Somali society: reconstructing the history of a pastoral people, 1600-1900'', (University of Pennsylvania Press: 1982), p.75. In the late 17th century the Hiraab successfully revolted against the

Ajuran Sultanate The Ajuran Sultanate (, ), natively referred to as Ajuuraan, and often simply Ajuran/Ajur, was a Muslims, Muslim empire in the Horn of Africa that thrived from the Late Middle Ages, late medieval and Early modern period, early modern period. F ...

who had been ruling Hobyo since the 13th century and established an independent

Hiraab Imamate The Hiraab Imamate (), also known as the Yacquubi Dynasty, was a Somali people, Somali kingdom that ruled parts of the Horn of Africa during the 16th century till the 19th century until it was incorporated into Italian Somaliland. The Imamate was ...

.Lee V. Cassanelli, ''The shaping of Somali society'', Philadelphia, 1982. According to Bernhard Helander of

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

, "the Imam of Hawiye is a hereditary position that traditionally is held by a person of the first-born branch."

History

Ajuuran Empire and Hiraab Imamate period

Along with Mareeg, Hobyo developed as a coastal outpost by the Ajuran Empire during the 13th century.Lee V. Cassanelli, ''The shaping of Somali society: reconstructing the history of a pastoral people, 1600-1900'', (University of Pennsylvania Press: 1982), p.75. However, in the late 17th century the Hiraab successfully revolted against the

and established an independent Hiraab Imamate According to Bernhard Helander of

, "the Imam of Hiraab is a hereditary position that traditionally is held by a person of the first-born branch." Lee Cassanelli in his book ''The Shaping of Somali society'' provides a historical picture of the

. He writes: "According to local oral tradition, the

Hiraab imamate The Hiraab Imamate (), also known as the Yacquubi Dynasty, was a Somali people, Somali kingdom that ruled parts of the Horn of Africa during the 16th century till the 19th century until it was incorporated into Italian Somaliland. The Imamate was ...

was a powerful alliance of closely related groups who shared a common lineage under the Gorgaarte clan divisions. It successfully revolted against the

and established an independent rule for at least two centuries from the seventeen hundreds and onwards. The alliance involved the army leaders and advisors of the Habar Gidir and Duduble, a Fiqhi/Qadi of Sheekhaal, and the Imam was reserved for the Mudulood branch who is believed to have been the first born. Once established, the Imamate ruled the territories from the Shabeelle valley, the Benaadir provinces, the Mareeg areas all the way to the arid lands of

. The agricultural centres of Eldher and Harardhere included the production of sorghum and beans, supplementing with herds of camels, cattle, goats and sheep. Livestock, hides and skin, whilst the aromatic woods and raisins were the primary exports as rice, other foodstuffs and clothes were imported. Merchants looking for exotic goods came to Hobyo to buy textiles, precious metals and pearls. The commercial goods harvested along the Shabelle river were brought to Hobyo for trade. Also, the increasing importance and rapid settlement of more southerly cities such as

Mogadishu Mogadishu, 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 connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

further boosted the prosperity of Hobyo, as more and more ships made their way down the Somali coast and stopped in Hobyo to trade and replenish their supplies.

Sultanate of Hobyo

By the late 19th century, the Imamate began to decline. At the start of Colonialism in Somalia in 1884, shortly after the Berlin Conference, a young ambitious rebel called Sultan Kenadiid of the Majeerteen, managed to conquer Hobyo and established The Kingdom of Hobyo in 1884. From 1900 to 1910, Hobyo was ruled by Yusuf Ali Kenadid who established the Sultanate of Hobyo in 1884. As with the Majeerteen Sultanate, the Sultanate of Hobyo exerted a strong centralized authority during its existence, and possessed all of the organs and trappings of an integrated modern state: a functioning bureaucracy, a hereditary nobility, titled aristocrats, a state flag, as well as a professional army.''Horn of Africa'', Volume 15, Issues 1-4, (Horn of Africa Journal: 1997), p.130.Michigan State University. African Studies Center, ''Northeast African studies'', Volumes 11-12, (Michigan State University Press: 1989), p.32. Both sultanates also maintained written records of their activities, which still exist. Initially, Ali Yusuf Kenadid's goal was to seize control of the neighboring Majeerteen Sultanate, which was then ruled by his cousin Boqor Osman Mahamud. However, he was unsuccessful in this endeavor, and was eventually forced into exile in

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. A decade later, in the 1880s, Kenadid returned from the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

on a British ship with a band of Hadhrami

musketeer A musketeer ( ) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare, particularly in Europe, as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifl ...

s and a group of devoted lieutenants. With their assistance, he managed to establish a sultanate in 1884. Helen Chapin Metz, ed., ''Somalia: a country study'', (The Division: 1993), p.10. Hobyo Sultanate Cavalry And Fort

In the late 19th century, all extant Somali monarchs entered into treaties with one of the colonial powers, Abyssinia, Britain or Italy except the Dhulbahante. Likewise, in late 1888, Sultan Kenadid entered into a treaty with the

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

, making his realm an Italian

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

. His rival Boqor Osman would sign a similar agreement vis-a-vis his own Sultanate the following year. Both rulers had signed the protectorate treaties to advance their own expansionist objectives. In signing the agreements, the rulers also hoped to exploit the rival objectives of the European imperial powers so as to more effectively assure the continued independence of their territories. However, the relationship between Hobyo and Italy soured when Sultan Kenadid refused the Italians' proposal to allow a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

contingent of troops to disembark in his Sultanate so that they might then pursue their battle against the Dervish forces.The Majeerteen Sultanates Viewed as too much of a threat by the Italians, Sultan Kenadid was eventually exiled to

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

in Yemen and then to

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

, as was his son Ali Yusuf, the heir apparent to his throne. However, unlike the southern territories, the northern sultanates were not subject to direct rule due to the earlier treaties they had signed with the Italians.

Climate

Hobyo has a hot arid climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''BWh'').

Demographics

Hobyo has a population of around 11,800 inhabitants.Somalia City & Town PopulationTageo.com
Retrieved on 2011-12-15. The broader Hobyo District has a total population of 67,249 residents.

Transportation

Hobyo has a

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...

which serves the town. For air transportation, the city is served by the Obbia Airport. In August 2019, Qatar initiated a project to build the port of Hobyo as part of the development agreements signed between Somalia and Qatar in December 2018.

References

Bibliography

* *{{cite book , last=Sheik-ʻAbdi , first=ʻAbdi ʻAbdulqadir , title=Divine madness: Moḥammed ʻAbdulle Ḥassan (1856-1920) , publisher=Zed Books , year=1993 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EOhyAAAAMAAJ , isbn=0-86232-444-0

External links

Hobyo, Somalia
Populated places in Mudug Galmudug Ajuran Sultanate Populated coastal places in Somalia