The Abgaal are part of the Mudulood and the even larger Hiraab clan. The Hiraab consists of the Mudulood, Habar Gidir, Sheekhaal and Duduble.
Origins The Italian scholar of Somali and Ethiopian studies
Enrico Cerulli, discusses the origin story of the name Abgaal in his book
How a Hawiye tribe used to live. Abgaal's father was Osman Darandolle of the
Hiraab sub-section of the
Hawiye. His mother was Faduma Sarjeele, of the house of Gareen, part of the
Ajuran clan which headed the
Ajuran Sultanate in which her household was part of. The mother of Hirabä was Faduma Karanlä. The mother of Abgal was Faduma Sargellä, who was an Aguran. She was espoused by 'Isman Darandollä. By him she had a son, who was called by the name 'Ali 'Isman. Later one went to Sargellä Garën. A learned old man went to him. He said: 'O noble Sargellä, I saw in the books that the children of the boy born to your daughter Faduma will chase your children from the earth. I saw it in the books.' 'Did you see these things?’ 'Yes, I saw them,’ he answered. 'So be it!’ the noble Sargellä replied; and into his heart came the thought: 'Rather than that your children, whom you have begotten, be killed, the son of your daughter might rather die!’ This came into his heart. After this he prepared two different amulets, one good and one bad. The bad one would kill the one who drank it. The good one would protect from any evil of this world. Then he went to his daughter. 'My Faduma, I am bringing you these two amulets: this one here – and it was the good one – you drink; and the other one – and it was the bad one – give to your son 'Ali 'Isman!’ The girl took the two amulets; but when it came to drinking them, she made a mistake! Faduma Sargellä drank the bad one and died immediately. 'Ali 'Ismän drank the good one and survived. Sargellä went back to the hut and saw his daughter dead. And the boy, when he heard his grandfather arrive, ran to the side of a saddle camel and hid behind it. 'Oh 'Ali, oh 'Ali! Come! I am your grandfather!’ Sargellä cried out, looking for the boy. 'You are not my grandfather ( abkäy ), my grandfather is the camels.' The camels ( gel ) in the language of one time were called gal. So afterwards he ('Ali 'Isman) had the name of Ab-gal ('Camel-grandfather')." The tradition substantially recalls the ancient fights between the Abgal, nomadic pastoralists who from places farther north tried to open a way to the river, and the Aguran, who dominated the region of the Middle Webi. This historical content, of course, has been adapted in popular dress with the theme, so widespread in the folklore of quite different peoples, of the prediction of the unborn child destined to drive the reigning prince from the throne. 'In this tradition Abgal has, besides his Somali name, which is explained, also a Mussulman name, 'Ali 'Isman. It does not seem necessary to me to suppose that the name 'Ali replaced the Somali one of Abgal in the genealogies in order to make them more Islamized, as one might say. The custom of several names for one single person, among which names, for the Mussulmans, are found an Arab one and one (or more) in the local language, is common in East Africa, even now.' —Enrico Cerulli, How a Hawiye Tribe use to Live
Traditional role in Mogadishu The
Mogadishu region has a rich historical background, thought to encompass the site of the
Sarapion port city, which engaged in trade with the Greeks during the 1st century AD. This assertion is strengthened by archaeological findings and written records. By the thirteenth century,
Ibn Sa'id described Mogadishu, Merca and Barawa located in the Benadir coast had become Islamic and commercial centers in the Indian Ocean. He said the local people in the Benadir coast and the interior were predominantly inhabited by Somalis with a minority of Arab, Persian and Indian merchants living in the coastal towns. These
Somalis are assumed to be the
Hawiye clan, particularly the Gorgarte sub-clan. As the Abgaal are a relatively young clan, with their founder dating from the 1500s, they can be considered one of the earliest known clans in the Benadir coast.
Mogadishu is the traditional territory of the Reer Mataan sub-clan of the Abgaal today. The earliest history of Abgaal in Mogadishu is thought to be from the sixteenth century. For example, clan traditions indicate that the Abgaal Darandoolle (a section of the Hawwiyya clan family) began to arrive in the hinterland of Mogadishu while the Muzaffar dynasty was ruling that town, sometime in the sixteenth century. Manuscripts from Mogadishu record around the same time the appearance of Abgaal nomads in the immediate interior, and shortly thereafter Somali (Abgaal) names began to appear in the previously Arab and Persian-dominated genealogies of the town's leading families. From that time onwards, Abgaal nomads circled the town and sub-clans moved into the traditional quarters of the Hamarweyne district in the city. Toward the end of the seventeenth century, an imam of Abgaal descent took up residence in the Shangaani quarter of Muqdisho. Members of the imam's lineage, which was known as Yaaquub, intermarried with the BaFadel and Abdi Semed, famed merchant families of Yemeni origin, and soon became renowed[sic] as abbaans in the trade between the coast and the interior. The Yaqub sub-clan quickly established control of the town, and became the leaders from that time on, paving the way for the full take-over later on. By 1700s, the Yaqub lineage of this Abgaal had seized control of Shangani, the northernmost sector of the city and established themselves as effective rulers of most of the town. The townspeople abandoned several outlying districts and those who remained found themselves in the other principle quarter, Hamarwayn, and living under pastoral domination.
Overthrow of the Ajuran Sultanate The Ajuran rulers, in the end, became extremely prideful, neglected the sharia law, and imposed a heavy tax on their subjects which was the main reason for the rebellion. So, the Abgaal decided to overthrow them. Later the Mudaffar had an interpreter who was called ‘Ismankäy Haggi ‘Ali. A message was sent to the imam Mahmud ‘Umar, who lived at Golol. The imam, guiding his warriors, came south and approached Mogadiscio. Then what did ‘Ismankäy do? He spoke with the Mudaffar: ‘By now the Darandollä are near Mogadiscio, let me be accompanied by some soldiers, and I shall go to them.’ ‘How do you want to do it?’ ‘I shall do it this way. I shall come to an agreement with the leaders and make them return to the places in the north.’ ‘So be it!’ said the Mudaffar. Then ‘Ismänkäy took some soldiers with him, but without weapons: ‘Leave your weapons! We go out to conclude an agreement, not really for war.’ They put down the weaons. They went into the woodland. When they had gone into the woodland, the Darandollä came out and took all the soldiers prisoner. Then they continued the raid and entered Mogadiscio. The Mudaffar was captured and they wanted to kill him. But he, looking at the people who had come close to him, saw among them ‘Ismankäy Haggi Ali. ‘Stop!’ he said then. ‘Before you kill me, I want to speak. O ‘Ismankäy, you are good for nothing, you are capable of nothing, you will not pass seven!’ he said. Thus was ‘Ismankäy cursed. When the Mudaffar was killed, when seven days passed after his death, ‘Ismankäy died too. It happened exactly as he had been cursed. ‘After entering Muqdisho, the Darandoolle quarrelled with the Ajuraan. They quarrelled over watering rights. The Ajuraan had decreed: ‘At the wells in our territory, the people known as Darandoolle and the other Hiraab cannot water their herds by day, but only at night’’...Then all the Darandoolle gathered in one place. The leaders decided to make war on the Ajuraan. They found the imam of the Ajuraan seated on a rock near a well called Ceel Cawl. They killed him with a sword. As they struck him with the sword, they split his body together with the rock on which he was seated. He died immediately and the Ajuraan migrated out of the country.’
Hiraab Imaamate After the Abgaal overthrew the Ajuran in Hamarweyne, other groups would follow in the rebellion which would eventually bring down Ajuran rule in the inter-riverine region and Benadir coast. They established the
Hiraab Imamate which was the main successor state of the
Ajuran Sultanate. Lee Cassanelli in his book,
The Shaping of Somali society, provides a historical picture of the Hiraab Imamate. He writes: "According to local oral tradition, the Hiraab imamate was a powerful alliance of closely related groups who shared a common lineage under the Gorgaarte clan divisions. It successfully revolted against the
Ajuran Empire and established an independent rule for at least two centuries from the seventeen hundreds and onwards. By 1700, the Hiraab and other clans occupied a large territory stretching the interior from the Shabelle valley to the arid lands of Mudug and to the coastal areas of Mogadishu towards Hobyo. After the immediate fall of the Ajuuraan, the Hiraab established an independent rule for at least two centuries. 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
Mudug, whilst the ancient port of
Hobyo emerged as the commercial border and
Mogadishu being its capital for the newly established Hiraab Imamate in the late 17th century. Hobyo served as a prosperous commercial centre for the Imamate. The agricultural centres of
El Dher 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 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. ==Distribution==