Medieval Period The
Silcis Dynasty were a section of
Ajuran that governed the Afgooye district. Neither the Silcis nor the Ajuran developed the town, but limited themselves to controlling the caravan routes and collecting taxes and tribute. The Silcis center of power was in Lama Jiidle (present day Afgooye). Lama Jiidle means "two roads" in Somali. The final ruler of the Silcis in Lama Jiidle (Afgooye) was the sultan 'Umur Abukar Abroone. According to Luling, "His daughter Imbia used to go round collecting the daily tribute of grain, accompanied by her slaves" from her father's Wacdaan and Geledi subjects. Oral accounts hold that one day, "when the Sultan's daughter came round to collect the tribute, she got a beating instead of the grain", as the Geledi refused to pay. When Imbia reported this event to her father, he exclaimed "waa la i afgooye", literally "they have cut off my mouth", meaning that the regime's source of provision had been terminated. Lama Jiidle's name became Afgooye to commemorate this victory over the Silcis. The Geledi mobilized and under
Ibrahim Adeer a general who used to serve the Ajuran drove the Silcis out of Afgooye and established the
Geledi Sultanate.
Early Modern river Afgooye was in its golden age in the early modern period under the reign of the
Gobroon dynasty which was not only a powerful military machine but, by its use of Asraar or Ta'daar the feared "secret mystical language" was a formidable force in other respects as well. Afgooye at that time was a trading hub center controlling the trade route between the coast and interior. All roads were linked to Afgooye which gave the city immense leverage. During the early 19th century, the city's population was estimated to have exceeded 80,000 making it one of the largest cities in East Africa of that time. The
Sultanate ruled most of the inter-riverine region and Benadir coast. Its headquarters was located in Afgooye which was an extremely wealthy and large city. Afgooye having some thriving industries such as
weaving,
shoemaking,
tableware,
jewellery,
pottery and produced other various products. Afgooye was the crossroads of caravans bringing ivory, leopard skins, and aloe in exchange for foreign fabrics, sugar, dates, and firearms. Afgooyans also traded livestock and slaves. The outside inhabitants of Afgooye grew sorghum, beans, cotton, bananas, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. The Afgooyans say "Laka Beere beerwaye" (you can count on your farm), as opposed to the nomads who counted their camels. Afgooyans raised cows, goats, sheep, and chicken for meat, milk, and ghee. It is said that every household in Afgooye was wealthy and you could not find a single poor person. There was also a station in Afgooye on the
Mogadishu-Villabruzzi Railway, which connected the town to the capital
Mogadishu.
Modern In the 1980s, Afgooye was a common destination for investors from
the Gulf States. The
Emir of Kuwait also reportedly used to visit the town during the holy month of
Ramadan. After the outbreak of the
civil war in 1991, parts of the town became a place of refuge for many of southern Somalia's internally displaced people. On May 25, 2012,
Somali government forces backed by
AMISOM tanks re-captured Afgooye from
Al-Shabaab, which had established a base in the area. ==Istunka Afgooye Festival==