Hargeisa, Somaliland
A civil war-era plane monument in the center of Hargeisa.
Location of Hargeisa in Somaliland
Map
Overview
Region	Maroodi Jeex
Granted capital status	1941 (British Somaliland) 1991 (State of Somaliland)
Languages	Somali, Arabic and English
Total Population	0.8 million
Area	NA km²
Population density	15 persons per/km²
Religion	Sunni Islam
Elevation	1326 m
Timezone	EAT
[[UTC+3|UTC offset]]	+3
Coordinates	9°30′N, 44°0′E
Mayor	Mudane Hussain Mohammoud Jiciir
Website	Hargeisa City Council

Hargeisa (Somali: Hargeysa, Arabic: هرجيسا) is a city in Somalia and the capital of the de-facto Republic of Somaliland which was formed in 1991. It was also the colonial capital of British Somaliland from 1941 to 1960 when it united with the south to form the Somali Republic. Hargeisa is the largest city in Somaliland and Somali's second largest city after Mogadishu.

Geography

Hargeisa countryside

Hargeisa is located in a valley in the western section of the country. It is in a mountainous area because Hargeisa is located in an enclosed valley of the Galgodon (Ogo) highlands, at an elevation of 1334 meters (4,377 feet) above sea level. This altitude gives Hargeisa and the surrounding area a milder climate than the Gulf of Aden coastal area (one of the hottest areas on earth) and the Hargeisa region has a fairly equable climate. The temperature ranges between 13 and 32 degrees Celsius (55 and 89 degrees Fahrenheit).

Hargeisa also receives larger amounts of rain, and used to be surrounded by forest when the city was smaller but the countryside around the city has small juniper forests. Moreover, near Hargeisa are the fertile Sheikh and Daallo mountains, which receive large amount of rain. Also, south of Hargeisa is the Sahaley Savannah which attracts many different animals to graze in the area

Hargeisa is also close to another Somaliland town called Arabsiyo. It is a major farming and agricultural area and it falls into the main boundaries of Hargeisa.

Wildlife

Great Kudus

Due to the fertility and greenery of the Hargeisa region, wild animals (e.g. zebras) come to the area; to either breed or graze on the grassland savannah. There are many animals which can be found in Hargeisa. The prominent animals found are the Kudu, wild boar, Somali Wild Ass, warthogs, antelopes, the Somali sheep, wild goats, camels and many different types of birds. Due south of Hargeisa is a grassland savannah which attracts many types of wildelife to the area including lions and leopards.

History

Prehistoric inhabitants

the Laas Geel cave paintings outside Hargeisa.

The city is home to Neolithic cave paintings recently discovered named Laas Geel. The cave paintings are situated on the outskirts of the city, located around a plethora of granite alcoves and rocky mountains. The paintings show ancient inhabitants of the area worshipping cattle. It also shows animals which are commonly seen in the region primarily antelopes, camels and early dogs. The Laas Geel cave paintings were discovered in November 2002 by a French archaeological team. They contain some of the earliest known art in the Horn of Africa and the African continent in general, dating back to somewhere between 8,000 and 9,000 BCE.

Ottoman conquest

Along with the cities of Zeila and Berbera, the Ottoman Empire captured and colonised western Somaliland for almost 3 centuries. Hargeisa was also part of the area captured by the Ottoman Turks. There are many Ottoman colonial buildings across the three cities. Western Somaliland and Hargeisa were part of the Habesh region of the Ottoman Empire. The region was colonised due to its strategic location on the Red Sea.

British rule

Hargeisa and the whole Somaliland region was annexed by the British from Aden and they established a protectorate naming the region British Somaliland. Berbera, a major trading harbour on the Red Sea was the protectorate's first capital due to its stragetic importance. However, the capital was moved from Berbera to Hargeisa, and the city was granted capital status in 1941. During the East African Campaign, the protectorate was occupied by Italy in August 1940, but recaptured by the British in March 1941. The protecorate gained independence as the State of Somaliland on 26 June 1960. Days later, as the country was unified with Italian Somaliland to form a new Somali Republic (Somalia) on 1 July 1960.

1980s events

Due to the Barre regime's violent repression, Somalilanders, particulary Ishaq tribe, encouraged by Ethiopia in opposition to Somalia, took up arms and formed the Somaliland National Movement (S.N.M.) in 1981 to resist Barre. In the late 1980s, Barre virtually lost control of the province and ordered the air force to bomb Hargeisa, today's capital of Somaliland. The bombing and subsequent raids of government troops claimed tens of thousands of casualties. ^[1]

A war memorial in the form of a MiG fighter jet was erected in Hargeisa to mark this event.

Reconstruction

Small section of Hargeisa

As the power of authority in Mogadishu had changed hand to the control of the United Somali Congress (USC) in 1991, a power struggle between the leaders would led to the beginning of the destruction of Mogadishu. As Mogadishu and southern Somalia was being destroyed, the opposite was happening in Hargeisa and the rest of Somaliland. The independence of Somaliland was declared and reconstruction started in 18th May 1991.

One of the many residential areas of Hargeisa

Since 1991, the city has undergone a massive facelift and over 99% of devastated commercial and residential homes have now been rebuilt and in better condition than before the war. Remittance money sent from overseas relatives contributed tremendously in the reconstruction of the city as well as entrepreneurial sprit of local residences and citizens throughout Somaliland.

Thomas Bose, an Indian national was the first visa holder of the new country and came as an engineer to help start the first off-set newspaper 'Jamhuriya' for the National Printing Press ,of the country.His wife Dilshi Bose, also was with him and thus they encouraged the return of refugee Somali landers back to their home-land.

Aid from foreign governments was non-existent, making it unusual in Africa for its low level of dependence in foreign aid. While Somaliland is de-facto as an independent country it is not de-jure (legally) recognized internationally. Hence, the government of Somaliland can not access IMF and World Bank assistance.

Hargeisa has working traffic lights and traffic laws are respected. All residents entitled to drive must hold a photo driving licence. All cars bear Somaliland licence plates.

Education

In Hargeisa, there are two universities and several state-run and privately owned secondary and high schools. Also, there are colleges, primary schools and nurseries dotted all around the city. Students are educated by teachers who have studied from abroad or by teachers who were educated prior to the Somali Civil War. Hargeisa has been built from ruins and is now a thriving metropolitan city in the heart of East Africa.

Economy

Hargeisa is the financial hub to many entrepreneurial companies ranging from food processing, gem stonecutters, construction, retail, import and export, Internet cafes, to even companies that process remittances from relative’s abroad who send money. Some families have moved back to the city, living in mansions in the hills during the summer. The city has seen considerable development of this sort in recent years. There are three major hotels in Hargeisa, they are the Ambassador, the Al-Maan Soor,the Oreintal hotels,and Hargeisa hotel,locating in central of hargaisa . The Ambassador (an award-winning hotel and the first modern hotel in the city since the war) is just a few minutes' travel to or from the airport, while Maan Soor hotel is located on the outskirts of the city. And the Oriental Hotel is in the center of the city. Hargeisa also has a private and public menageries, it houses animals from the region including lions, leopards, antelopes, birds and reptiles.

Transport

The city is home to Hargeisa International Airport, with flights to Addis Ababa, Djibouti City, Dubai and many other cities across Africa and Somalia. All foreigners are required to exchange 50 USA Dollars to local currency (which is the Somaliland Shilling. (1 USD=6250 Somaliland Shillings as of Dec. 2006). Also there is a bus service in Hargeisa.

Communication

Hargeisa has a modern telephone system and nearly everyone in the city enjoys a telephone and some with access to the internet. Internet cafes are dotted all around Hargeisa and many youngsters and adults benefit from this. Mobile communication services are available in Hargeisa. The main mobile communication services in Hargeisa are operated by Telesom, Sitalink Soltelco and Telcom.

Trivia

• Simon Reeve visited the city and stayed at the Ambassador Hotel as part of his television series, Places That Don't Exist.
• Bob Geldof also stayed at the Ambassador Hotel and visited Hargeisa. [1]

See also

• arabsiyo

References

External links

• Hargeisa city government
• Ambassador Hotel Hargeisa

Coordinates: 9°30′N, 44°0′E

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