Borama (Somali: Boorama, Arabic: بورما) is the largest city of the northwestern Awdal region of Somaliland.[1] The commercial seat of the province, it is situated near the border with Ethiopia.
According to the UNDP in 2014, the city had a population of around 898,609 making it one of the largest cities inside Somaliland.[2] It has been a leading example in community organizing, having been the first area in Somaliland to adopt a self-help scheme in the wake of the civil war.[3]
As with several nearby towns such as Amud, numerous archaeological finds have been discovered in the Borama area that point to an eventful past. The latter include ancient remains of tombs, houses and mosques, in addition to sherds of Oriental wares, particularly Chineseporcelain. The artefacts and structures date from various historical periods, ranging from the 12th through to the 18th centuries. Most, however, are from the 15th and 16th centuries, a time of great commercial activity in the region that is associated with the medieval Adal Sultanate.[4]
Excavations in the late 1800s and early 1900s at over fourteen sites in the vicinity of Borama unearthed, among other things, coins identified as having been derived from Kait Bey, the eighteenth BurjiMamlukSultan of Egypt. Most of these finds were sent to the British Museum for preservation shortly after their discovery.[5]
In the first half of the 20th century, Borama formed a part of the British Somalilandprotectorate. It was later given district status in 1925.
In 1933, Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur, a Qur'anic teacher and son of Borama's qadi (judge), devised a new orthography for transcribing the Afro-AsiaticCushiticSomali language. A quite accurate phonetic writing system, this Borama script was principally used by Nuur, his circle of associates in the city and some of the merchants in control of trade in Zeila and Borama. Students of Sheikh Nuur were also trained in the use of this script. .[6][7] The alphabet is also generally known as the Gadabuursi script.[8]
In the post-independence period, Borama was administered as part of the official Awdal administrative region of Somalia. During the Ogaden War in the late 1970s, Borama was one of several northern cities aerially bombarded by Ethiopian forces.[9]
Geography
Location and habitat
Borama countryside
Borama is situated in a mountainous and hilly area. It has green meadows and fields and represents a key focal point for wildlife. The town's unusual fertility and greenery in the largely arid countryside have attracted many faunas, such as gazelles, birds, and camels.
Climate
The prevailing climate in Borama is known as a hot semi-arid climate (KöppenBSh). The hottest month of the year is June, with an average temperature of 24.1 °C or 75.4 °F, whilst the coolest month is January, whose average temperature is 17.1 °C or 62.8 °F. The difference in rainfall between the driest month and the wettest month is 110 millimetres or 4.3 inches. The average temperatures vary during the year by 7 °C or 12.6 °F.[10]
Climate data for Borama
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
24.6 (76.3)
25.4 (77.7)
27.5 (81.5)
27.8 (82.0)
29.3 (84.7)
30.0 (86.0)
28.8 (83.8)
28.8 (83.8)
29.0 (84.2)
27.4 (81.3)
25.8 (78.4)
24.4 (75.9)
27.4 (81.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
9.7 (49.5)
11.7 (53.1)
13.8 (56.8)
15.7 (60.3)
17.0 (62.6)
18.3 (64.9)
17.8 (64.0)
17.6 (63.7)
17.3 (63.1)
13.7 (56.7)
11.3 (52.3)
10.4 (50.7)
14.5 (58.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches)
6 (0.2)
21 (0.8)
36 (1.4)
86 (3.4)
61 (2.4)
32 (1.3)
78 (3.1)
112 (4.4)
86 (3.4)
18 (0.7)
10 (0.4)
2 (0.1)
548 (21.6)
Source: Climate-Data.org,[10] altitude: 1,454 metres or 4,770 feet[11]
Demographics
As of 2019, Borama had a population of around 597,842 inhabitants.[2] The Awdal region in which the city is situated is inhabited by people from the Somali ethnic group, with the Gadabuursi subclan of the Dir especially well represented and considered the predominant clan of the region.[12]
Federico Battera (2005) states about the Awdal Region:
"Awdal is mainly inhabited by the Gadabuursi confederation of clans."[13]
A UN report published by Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (1999), states concerning Awdal:
"The Gadabuursi clan dominates Awdal region. As a result, regional politics in Awdal is almost synonymous with Gadabuursi internal clan affairs."[14]
Roland Marchal (1997) states that numerically, the Gadabuursi are the predominant inhabitants of the Awdal Region:
"The Gadabuursi's numerical predominance in Awdal virtually ensures that Gadabuursi interests drive the politics of the region."[15]
Marleen Renders and Ulf Terlinden (2010) both state that the Gadabuursi almost exclusively inhabit the Awdal Region:
"Awdal in western Somaliland is situated between Djibouti, Ethiopia, and the Issaq-populated mainland of Somaliland. It is primarily inhabited by the three sub-clans of the Gadabursi clan, whose traditional institutions survived the colonial period, Somali statehood and the war in good shape, remaining functionally intact and highly relevant to public security."[16]
There is also a sizeable minority of the Issa subclan of the Dir who mainly inhabit the Zeila district.[17]
For air transportation, Borama is served by the Borama International Airport.[19] It is the only airport in the Awdal region. The facility was named in honor of Aden Isaaq, Somalia's first Minister of Education. The airport is not in use; however, there are plans to rejuvenate it.[20]
^UN (1999) Somaliland: Update to SML26165.E of 14 February 1997 on the situation in Zeila, including who is controlling it, whether there is fighting in the area, and whether refugees are returning. "Gadabuursi clan dominates Awdal region. As a result, regional politics in Awdal is almost synonymous with Gadabuursi internal clan affairs." p. 5.
^Renders, Marleen; Terlinden, Ulf. "Chapter 9: Negotiating Statehood in a Hybrid Political Order: The Case of Somaliland". In Tobias Hagmann; Didier Péclard (eds.). Negotiating Statehood: Dynamics of Power and Domination in Africa(PDF). p. 191. Retrieved 2012-01-21. Awdal in western Somaliland is situated between Djibouti, Ethiopia and the Issaq-populated mainland of Somaliland. It is primarily inhabited by the three sub-clans of the Gadabursi clan, whose traditional institutions survived the colonial period, Somali statehood and the war in good shape, remaining functionally intact and highly relevant to public security.
Somaliland
