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Somaliland Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see the twis mountains (naso -hablood) in Hargeisa the twis mountains (naso -hablood) in Hargeisa Although Somaliland is not recognized by the international community as an independent country, it is listed seperately here, because it effectively behaves like a state of its own. And might we add, a state that is a lot safer to travel in than neighbouring Somalia. The Somaliland style of government combines traditional practices of tribal democracy with the idea of minmal government and altough this may come as a suprise: it works! Most parts of Somaliland can be visited without danger. There are a few regular flights from Ethiopia and Djibouti and some humanitarian flights from Nairobi.Hargeisa is not exactly what you would call a tourist destination. But if you do get there, Somaliland offers a unique insight in Somali culture and lifestyle without the dangers you would be facing if you wanted to experience this in 'real Somalia'. Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/pb/21bf74/ __________Sights Edit This Sheep grazing the green pastures near Salahley Sheep grazing the green pastures near Salahley Hargeysa.org Here are a few hotspots in Somaliland. Contributors July 23, 2006 change by reen [Add Sight] Laas Gaa'l Edit This Laas Gaa'l Rock Laas Gaa'l Rock The most significan't Neolithic rock painting in the whole of Africa. This rock etchings was recently discovered at Laas Ga'al outside Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. Even under the scorching sun, the paintings have strong, vibrant colours and stark outlines, showing the ancient inhabitants of the area worshipping cattle. type: Hotspots World66 rating: [rate it] email: hargeisa6(@yahoo.com Salahley Savanah Edit This Sheep grazing the green pastures near Salahley Sheep grazing the green pastures near Salahley photo by: Hargeysa.org The Somali people are traditionally a pastoralist society who spend most of their time looking after their livestock. Here at Salahley you will find not only a beautiful savanah country side but also you will be able to experience the nomadic lifestyle of the Somali people. You will see traditional Aqal-Somali (A portable nomadic house), you will see men milking shecamels, you will see little girls looking after sheep and goats in the open savanah areas. type: Hotspots World66 rating: [rate it] __________History Edit This Somaliland Somaliland Formerly the British Somaliland Protectorate, shortly after gaining independence on June 26, 1960, British Somaliland merged with Italian Somaliland on July 1 of that year to form Somalia. The prime minister of British Somaliland, Muhammed Ibrahim Egal, became a minister in the new republic of Somalia. He became Prime Minister in 1967 but was deposed in a coup in 1969. The coup elevated General Muhammed Siad Barre to power. Siad Barre instituted a Marxist regime, and became a close ally of the Soviet Union. Although initially enthusiastic about forming a union with Italian Somaliland, the euphoria quickly changed to disenchantment as many in the north-west of Somalia felt increasingly marginalized in government and other sectors of society. While the authoritarian government of Siad Barre was becoming increasingly unpopular with Somalis, no where was the regime more resented than in the north-west. Following an unsuccessful attempt by Somalia to capture the Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia in 1977, Somalis from the north-west (primarily the Issaq clan) living in the United Kingdom formed the Somali National Movement in 1981. The SNM was one of a growing number of groups which aimed to topple Siad Barre. As the 1980s unfolded, the Siad Barre regime became increasingly unsteady, and the SNM expanded its control in the north-west region. Mogadishu responded by instituting draconian measures in the north-west to suppress the SNM. When these failed, the government indiscriminately used raids and bombing campaigns to assert control. Nonetheless, by the end of the 1980s, the SNM controlled virtually all of the north-west, including the major towns of Hargeisa and Burao. The Siad Barre regime was on the verge of collapse. Independence, Democracy, and Non-recognition (1991-Present) In 1991, after the collapse of the government in Somalia, the territory asserted its independence as the Republic of Somaliland, at a meeting of clan elders in the town of Burao. Abdirahman "Tuur" Ali was appointed the first President of the newly re-established Republic of Somaliland. Instability plagued the young country, and after two ineffective years in office, clan elders sought to replace Ali. In 1993, they gathered in Borama to elect Muhammed Ibrahim Egal, former prime minister of Somalia, as president. President Egal quickly moved to establish the institutions of a state in Somaliland. A highly practical and uncanny politician, Egal reconciled grievances among disparate groups, disarmed militias, and gradually oversaw the state take control of infrastructure such as airports and ports from militia groups. A new currency, the Somaliland shilling, was introduced in 1994. Realizing the limited power of the state, Egal's economic policies promoted the market economy, allowing Somaliland to more easily recover from decades of conflict. During this time, Somalia continued to be riven by conflict. Various peace efforts failed, until the thirteenth attempt, in 2000, at Arta, Djibouti. The Arta conference established the Transitional National Government (TNG), led by Abdikassim Salat Hassan. However, the TNG failed to establish control beyond a few neighborhoods in Mogadishu. Egal refused to have anything to do with Somalia's reconciliation efforts. Instead, in 2001, he proposed a referendum on Somaliland's independence, in which 97% of the nearly 1 million Somalilanders who voted endorsed independence. While the international community took note of the referendum, it did not move forward to recognize Somaliland's independence. Egal's moderate governance, along with the counsel of the clan elders, probably saved Somaliland from following the route taken by its southern neighbor. Re-elected by clan elders in 1998, after some criticism, he initiated the process by which Somaliland would have democratically elected leaders at all levels of government. However, he died on May 3, 2002, while undergoing treatment in South Africa. In a swift transfer of power that was widely praised, the Vice President, Dahir Riyale Kahin, was sworn in as Somaliland's third President. President Kahin established a timetable for elections at the local, legislative, and Presidential levels. In December 2002, local elections resulted in the birth of multiparty democracy in Somaliland. Three parties - President Kahin's UDUB Party, the Kulmiye Party, led by SNM veteran leader Ahmed Mohammed Silanyo, and the UCID Party, led by engineer Faisal Ali Warabe, received the highest number of votes. These three men contended for the Presidency in elections held on April 14, 2003 - the first such election held in Somaliland in more than four decades. The 2003 Presidential election saw Kahin squeak by his rival, Silanyo, by a mere 80 votes, in an election that was deemed free and fair. The National Election Commission declared that UDUB received 205,595 votes to Kulmiye's 205,515 votes. UCID, the third party, recieved far fewer votes. Silanyo protested the results and petitioned the Supreme Court without success. In a move mirroring Al Gore's decision to concede the US presidential election despite concerns about the vote count, Silanyo, in the interest of national unity, conceded the Presidency to Riyale. In April 2005, the government announced that legislative elections would be held on September 15, 2005, completing Somaliland's transition to democracy. Future Prospects The challenges facing Riyale and Somaliland are numerous. Despite being independent for fourteen years and having all the tools of a state, recognition continues to be denied to Somaliland, although increasingly, some foreign government agencies and international NGOs are dealing directly with Hargeisa. The country's dynamic Foreign Minister, Edna Adan Ismail, continues to press the world community to recognize Somaliland. Corruption, while relatively small by African standards, is becoming a major problem, in part because of the meager financial resources Somaliland has to begin with. Remittances from abroad (estimated at $250-$500 million annually) have greatly helped the reconstruction effort. But with a budget of only $25 million per year, Hargeisa has not been able to rebuild, much less improve, existing infrastructure. Recognition would bring the aid necessary to do this. Riyale's government has struggled to reverse the crippling poverty (fueled in part by Saudi Arabia's ban on Somali livestock) in the country. In recent years, Somaliland has absorbed thousands of refugees that have returned from Ethiopia and other countries. In addition, the addiction of thousands of Somalilanders to khat poses a serious long term problem for Somaliland's economy. Some have questioned the viability of Somaliland as an independent country. The peace, stability, economic climate and political developments of the past fourteen years demonstrate that Somaliland can stand as an independent nation, and it should be recognized as such. However, while some western nations (notably Britain) are sympathetic to Somaliland, its claims to independence continue to be vigorously challenged by the remnants of Somalia, the Arab League, and some African countries. In October 2004, a Somali reconciliation conference (the 14th since 1991) in Kenya elected Abdullahi Yusuf to lead Somalia. Yusuf will head a Transitional Federal Government (TFG) for the next five years. The choice of Yusuf as Somalia's president disappointed Somalilanders. Yusuf, the former President of the autonomous Puntland region, had been engaged with clashes with Hargeisa over Somaliland's eastern Sanaag and Sool regions. Indeed, within days of Yusuf's ascencion to power, Somaliland and Puntland forces engaged in bloody clashes over the border. It is highly unlikely that Somaliland will even consider rejoining Somalia so long as Yusuf is in power. Moreover, with each passing day, the chaos that continues to reign in Somalia makes it unlikely that Somaliland will ever rejoin Somalia. __________Practical Information Edit This Saylac (Zeila) is an city on the Gulf of Aden coast in the Awdal Region of northern Somalia , and as of 2006 is part of Republic of Somaliland . It is surrounded on three sides by the sea, landward the country is unbroken desert for some fifty miles. Berbera is 170 miles southeast of Zeila, while the Ethiopian city of Harar is 200 miles to the west. The town is known for its offshore islands , coral reef and mangroves . Its lack of a sufficient supply of good drinking water has historically hobbled its commercial value, pointed out as late as 1698 , (in this instance in a Dutch East India Company report). Since the war, Zeila has been bombed frequently and nearly all the buildings were either demolished or semi-demolished. Residents fled the town and emigrated to neighbouring countries such as Djibouti . However when Somaliland was declared a separate country from Somalia residents went back to Zeila and rebuilt their town. Remittance money sent from overseas relatives contributed tremendously in the reconstruction of the town as well as the trade and fishing industry. History: Zeila has been identified with what was called in Classical Antiquity the city of the Avalitae . According to Richard Pankhurst, the city first appears under its own name at least as early as 891 , when the geographer al-Ya'qubi mentions Zeila in his Kitab al-Balden ("Book of the countries"). [2] Zeila is described by successive geographers who include al-Mas'udi , who wrote his Murugal al-Dahab wa-Ma'adin al-Guwahir ("Meadows of Gold and Mines of Precious Stones") c. 935 ; and Ibn Hawqal who described it as the port of embarkation from Ethiopia for Hijaz and Yemen in his Kitab Surat al-'Ard ("Configuration of the Earth"), which he completed in 988 . Its importance as a trading port is further confirmed by al-Idrisi and ibn Said , who describe Zeila as a considerable town, a center of the slave trade , and under Ethiopian control. Pankhurst, amongst other writers, thought Marco Polo was referring to Zeila (then the capital of Adal ) when he recounts how the " sultan of Aden " seized a bishop of Ethiopia travelling through his realm, attempted to convert the man by force, then had him circumcised according to Islamic practice. This outrage provoked the Emperor into raising an army and capturing the Sultan's capital. The traveller Ibn Battuta visited Zeila in 1329 , but was not impressed at the city, writing that it was "the dirtiest, most disagreeable, and most stinking town in the world", which he blamed on the fish and the blood from the camels that they slaughtered in the streets. He claimed to have found the town so revolting that he spent the night aboard ship, despite the rough seas. By this time, Zeila was subject to the Walashma dynasty , who also ruled over Ifat . Although later in the 14th century Zeila came under the sway of the rulers of Yemen, by the reign of Sultan Sa'ad ad-Din II the Walashma family had sufficient control of the town for that sultan to take refuge there in 1403 (other sources say 1415 ) from Emperor Dawit I . The Ethiopian Emperor besieged the sultan there for several days, depriving sultan Sa'ad ad-Din of water, until at last the Ethiopians entered the city and killed the unfortunate ruler. Following his death, the sultan came to be considered a saint , and his tomb was venerated for the next several centuries. Travellers' reports in the 16th century show that Zeila had become an important marketplace, despite being ravaged by the Portuguese in 1517 and 1528 . Later that century, destructive raids by nearby Somali nomads caused the ruler of the port, Garad Lado, to have a strong wall built around Zeila. Although, with Tadjoura , Zeila was one of the principal ports for the city of Harar and the regions of Aussa and Shewa , the town fell in importance over the next centuries. At the beginning of the 19th century, according to Pankhurst, this port city had become a dependency of the ruler of Mocha , who "farmed out the governorship of the African port to one of his courtiers who in return took a toll on its trade. Zeila briefly became a province of Egypt , but in 1885 Zeila and its eastern neighbor Berbera were annexed into British Somaliland . The construction of a railway from Djibouti to Addis Ababa in the late 19th century led to a further decline in status for Zeila. At the beginning of the next century Zeila was described in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica as having a "good sheltered anchorage much frequented by Arab sailing craft," however, heavy draught steamers are obliged to anchor a mile and a half from the shore. Small coasting boats lie off the pier and there is no difficulty in loading or discharging cargo. The water supply of the town is drawn from the wells of Takosha , about three miles distant; every morning camels, in charge of old Somali women and bearing goatskins filled with water, come into the town in picturesque procession. ... [Zeila's] imports, which reach Zaila chiefly via Aden, are mainly cotton goods, rice , jowaree , dates and silk ; the exports, 90% of which are from Abyssinia, are principally coffee , skins , ivory , cattle , ghee and mother-of-pearl . [Add Practical address] kanding Edit This Somaliland Here I will try to put some info about Somaliland . I asked here some time ago, but I do not get so much answers at all. LP Africa on shoestring and the last Ethiopea and Eritrea guidebook have only limited info. Somaliland is quasi independent country. It in area of formal British Somalia. When Brits left this former colony was shortly independent and then decided to join former Italian Somalia. Some 15 years ago after to many years ago of civil war the guys in the more.. type: Tourist information World66 rating: [rate it] ______________Getting There Edit This pradise place somaliland pradise place somaliland There are a number of commercial airliners that serve daily flights to the capital city of Somaliland, Hargeisa. These include, Daallo Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines which makes 3 flights a week via Addis Abeba. Those who want to travel to Somaliland can obtain visa from Somaliland consulates in their host countries. For more you can check the Somaliland Government website at http://www.somalilandgov.com. ____________Economy Edit This Economy-overview: The main national source of government revenue, trade in camels, sheep and goats to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, has been hard hit by a second import ban caused by fears of the spread of Rift Valley Fever. Somaliland is not recognised internationally as a separate state, and this hampers anything other than minimal aid flows from major donors. Conversely lack of recognition has created a culture of self-reliance among the Somali people, supported by relatives and friends in the diaspora. The population has made enormous efforts to re-establish basic health and education services. The majority of the Somali people are pastoral nomads. Camels (the traditional currency of prestige and wealth), sheep, goats and some cattle are raised in large numbers across the plains and rangelands of Somaliland and provide both daily subsistence and the economic backbone of the country. An estimated 60 per cent of the population depends either directly or indirectly on livestock and livestock products for their livelihood. Agriculture provides subsistence for nearly 20 per cent of the country's population and is practised mostly in the east of the country and towards the northwest where sufficient rainfall allows. Crops grown include sorghum, maize, fruit and vegetables. Somaliland is also a producer of frankincense. The informal economy and trade is strong and the results can be seen in the variety of goods available within the major urban areas. There is a flourishing trade in the mild stimulant qat. However, unemployment is high and there are few formal job opportunities for young people. The government's ability to promote economic development is constrained by its meager budget. The 2004 budget was $25 million, of which nearly two-thirds went to security-related expenses. Economy Principal exports: Livestock (sheep, goats, camels, cattle) ... GDP per capita: $200 External debt: nil Remittances: $200-500 million per annum Livelihoods Pastoralism/agro-pastoralism: 59% Agriculture: 17% Urban: 24% ____________People Edit This A Somali Wedding A Somali Wedding Unknown Borders: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia Population: 3.5 million Population growth rate: 2.76% Internally displaced people: 100,000 Refugees in neighbouring countries: 246,400 Life expectancy: 47 years Maternal mortality: 1600/100,000 live births Infant mortality: 132/1000 live births Under 5 child mortality: 224/1000 live births Access to health services: 28% HIV/AIDS Prevalence: 0.002 % (illegal ethiopians mostly) Education Literacy rate - total: 17.1% Literacy rate - male: 22.1% Literacy rate - female aged 15 and above: 12% BY: S. Warsame All statistics derived from the UNDP Human Development Report on Somalia 2001 :::::::::Berbera Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Abdikarim Said Salah Abdikarim Said Salah Photo by Nagib Berbera is a coastal town (Red Sea) in the northwestern part of Somaliland. Although the former somalia government had built a major port that in the mid 1980's was a port of call for USS Enterprise as well as massive oil tankers and large ships, in civil war, it had been stripped of many of its service essentials such as state of the art refined fuel tanks, oil pipelines, water purification systems. The significance of supporting trade through Berbera port has not been missed, however, by international humanitarian agencies, and has become a focus for development work. Berbera received a boost when Ethiopia lost access to the sea through the Eritrean ports of Assab and Massawa. By the time Ethiopia was showing serious interest in Berbera, the port had developed significantly from the decrepit and abandoned place it was in the early days of Somaliland independence. Development money was also used to upgrade and repair the road from Berbera to the Somaliland capital, Hargeysa - a critical move, which transformed a long, rough ride to less than three hours on a tarmacked highway. From 1996, the EC funded a number of high-priority and labour-intensive civil works, and provided additional funding to boost UNCTAD port management projects. From 1997, operational and administrative procedures were improved in Berbera port, and job-training schemes introduced and expanded. Spare parts were bought, equipment rehabilitated, drivers trained, and communication equipment - such as VHF, hand-held radios, faxes and phones - brought in to modernise operations. Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: http://www.afrol.com/News2001/som007_berbera_port.htm :::::::::Borama Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see New houses in Sh. Ali Jowhar area of Borama New houses in Sh. Ali Jowhar area of Borama Borama (Boorama) is the capital of the Awdal region in Somaliland, Borama is just 10 km of the border with Ethiopia. Borama has a population between 150,000 till 200,000 residents. Borama is the commercial center of an arid region in which livestock herding is mixed with subsistence farming. Borama is an important education center and is the home of the historic Amoud University . The first postwar institution of higher learning throughout Somaliland. Borama has as only somali town a American University called EELO, this university was opened in December 2007 in the town. The city also 6 secondary schools: The Al-Aqsa, Ubaya-Ibnuka'ab, Sh. Al Jowhar, Al Nuur, New Amoud and Hassan Arbile Secondary School. There are a lot of primary and private schools in the city. Also, Borama is the home of the first Deaf school in Somaliland. Borama Deaf School trains and provides the deaf children with education that extends up to high school. Since the school is the first and the only one of its type, it has attracted a great number of deaf pupils from across Somaliland and even beyond. Borama is a mountainous and hilly city and has one of the wonderful and beautiful landscapes in the country. It has green meadows and fields and a key wildlife area in the country. The fertility and greenery of Borama has attracted many animals into the region: gazelles, birds, camels and other animals as well. Borama has three major hotels: Rays Hotel on the west coner of the city near the SHEERA BORAMA, Hotel Nasimo and Hotel Cape Town both located in downtown. Annalena Tonelli winner of the 2003 Nansen Refugee Award from the UNHCR , was murdered in October 2003 at the Tuberculosis hospital she founded in Borama. The president of Republic of Somaliland, Dahir Riyale Kahin is from the Boorama district, Awdal region. ::::::::Burao Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Burao Mosque Burao Mosque Raage Burao is the second largest city in Somaliland. It has a population between 300,000 and 350,000 people. It is an important commercial centre. It has the largest livestock market in the region, and brings together traders from as far as Bossaso in the North East of Somalia, Luq, on the boundary with Kenya, in the South, and Djibouti in the West. Like many other cities in the region, it had previously suffered from destruction and internal displacement due to a prolonged civil war in the 1980s. In 1988, almost all its residents were forced to flee for their lives. The majority of its inhabitants ended up in refugee camps in Ethiopia. When they came back home in 1991, they returned to a ghost town striped of every thing of value that could be moved or removed. Almost all the dwellings in the city were either roofless or without windows, or both. Many of them were left in ruins, and the streets were conquered by natural vegetation in the absence of human population for nearly three years. Public facilities, including schools were not spared destruction. Before the civil war, the town boasted of a well known technical school, and a vocational school for range management. Both of them were national institutions. It had also two secondary schools (Sh. Bashir, and Sh. Osman Nur). All of them were looted, and damaged extensively. Reconstruction started in earnest as soon as people returned to the city. Restoration of schools also began though slowly. Primary and pre-primary schools were first repaired. Unfortunately, the process of rehabilitation was twice interrupted by local conflict, first in 1992, and then in 1994. The situation was exasperated by the ban on livestock exports to the Middle East in 2000. As the principle livestock market in the country, this had a disproportionate effect on the economy of Burao, and caused its recovery to lag behind that of other main cities. But things are changing for the better. The city has now enjoyed almost nine years of fairly uninterrupted peace. There is a strong sense of community and a determination to rebuild what has been destroyed. This has already created an environment much more conducive to investment and regeneration. As a result, the city is now going through a fervent period of renewal and rebuilding and is enjoying an unprecedented expansion. The majority of the city’s primary and secondary schools have been already rebuilt, renovated or restored. According to the statistics of the Somaliland Ministry of Education, there were 31 public and private primary schools in Burao, in which 11,627 students were enrolled in the scholastic year 2003/4. The region as whole had 73 primary schools in which nearly 16,000 students were enrolled (see Table 1). The expansion of secondary education has been equally impressive. The city has now six secondary schools, and a seventh secondary school is under construction. Public and Private Secondary Schools in Burao for the Scholastic Year 2004/2005 Secondary Schools 1 Candle light 2 Al-Faaruuq 3 Abdllaa Nori 4 A/Naser 5 Sh. Bashir 6 Sh. Ibrahim 7 Machad The first class graduated from Burao secondary schools in 2003, and many more will do so in the coming years. The question which parents and educators in Burao and the region have faced until now has been, ‘What to do with these young secondary school leavers?’ That question has been finally answered with the establishment of the university of Burao, which has been set up to offer them and others an opportunity for higher education without leaving home. ::::::::Erigavo Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see i_2 Erigavo lies in the NE of Somaliland, at the bottom of the highest peak in Somalia Surud about 2670 ft above the sea level. It is surrounded by very beautiful natural views like MT Daallo. There is a road which goes to the top of this high mountain. On the top of it you can see an extremely beautiful sight of the sea as well as a tiny village called Mait, this view is about 60 Km away. Sometimes you will hear leopards roar and the local people would tell you about the many leopards in the forests of Daallo. ::::::::::::Gabiley Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Baaruud Qalinleh his camel Baaruud Qalinleh his camel Hersi Location Gabiley is a beautiful city 54 km west of Hargeisa the nation's capital of Somaliland. Gabiley locates on Somaliland's western fertile region known as "Dhul-beereed". Gabiley is called the bread basket of Somaliland because of its agricultural productivity level compared to the other regions of the country. It is also the administrative center of the district of Gabiley. The district of Gabiley is bounded on the west by Awdal region, and on the north by the Gulf of Aden. On the east it is bordered by the nation's capital Hargeisa, and on the south Gabiley district is bounded by the fifth-Somali State in the Ethiopian Federation. Agriculture With the application of new system, technology and new methods for farming it is generally noticeable that the district's agricultural productivity is increasing year after year, even though the demand for the agricultural products in the country is far greater than the supply in this sector of the economy. Only huge public and private investment in this sector will increase the productivity and the supply of these products. A good example of these products : a) Corn known as "Elmi Jama" b) Maize, Wheat, and barley c) Beans, Peas, and groundnuts d) Potato, tomato, Onion, Garlic, Salad, and Cabbage e) Orange, Papaya, and watermelon. Population Gabiley district is probably one of the most densely populated regions in Somaliland. It is roughly estimated about 500,000 or half a million people live in the district alone. Even though there is no general census in Somaliland, the majority of Somalilander's believe that Gabiley district is the 3rd most populated region in the country, Hargeisa city is 1st and Togdheer region is the 2nd. Townships Because the majority of the people in the district are settled for the last 300 years, there are more townships in Gabiley district compared to the other regions of the country due to this early settlement, and also there are more major and minor towns in Gabiley district than anywhere else in the country for the same reason. Examples of Major towns: 1. Togwajale 2. Allaybaday 3. Arabsiyo 4. Kalabaydh Examples of Minors towns: 1. Geedbalaadh 2. Ceel-Sheekh 3. Harcadaad 4. Qabri-bahar 5. Agabar 6. Argeegta 7. Teysa 8. Xidhinta 9. Ijaara 10. Elbardaale 11. Boqor 12. Bus 13. AliHaydh 14. Gogeysa 15. GeedAbeera Education Primary education is almost available in the whole district; even the smaller communities have their own primary schools. On the other hand the chances to enrol a child at school in Gabiley district is far better than most of the country. Hospitals Even though the district is the bread basket of Somaliland, country's 3rd most populated region, has more townships, more Schools and probably more number of students than the majority of the regions and districts as well, but unfortunately the whole district has no hospitals from Togwajale to Ceel-Sheekh on the Gulf of Aden; therefore, the patient's chances to get a medical treatment is almost zero. Finally, it is both the responsibility of the local people and the Somaliland Diaspora to find a solution about this problem and at least build One (1) Hospital for the district's 500,000 or half a million people without hospitals. Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: http://www.gabileyhospital.com/gabiley.htm ::::::::::::Garadag Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Grand Mosque in Garadag Grand Mosque in Garadag Garadag is a District in Somaliland, located in the Sanaag Region. It is the blenty of sheep, camels and horses makes it one of the livestock rich districts of the country. With its wondorful historical background, it was selected to become the base of SNM struggle in eastren regions. Garadag is well known for its rapid development in the current Somaliland weak economy. It is an ideal example of a place where diaspora is playing a major role in development as a whole, and in education specially. ::::::::::Hargeisa Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Telesom Hargeisa Telesom Hargeisa Abdi Hargeisa is the Capital of the Republic of Somaliland. Hargeisa is located North West of Somaliland (Latitude 9°18' N Longitude 44°03' E). Hargeisa is the largest city in Somaliland. It was almost completely decimated in 1988 by airstrikes conducted by the regime of former Somali president Siad Barre. More than 50,000 people are said to have died in the attacks on Hargeisa. An MIG plane in the center of the city serves as a memorial and a reminder of that tragedy. Hargeisa has grown rapidly since the collapse of Somalia in 1991, as its population has been swollen by the return of former refugees. The rapid population growth has considerably strained the city's resources and infrastructure. The stability of Somaliland has aided Hargeisa's reconstruction process - the city is now dotted by new villas built by returnees from the diaspora. In addition, its bustling markets are a source of pride for Somalilanders keen on advertising to the world a sense of prosperity compared to the continued conflict that plagues Somalia. The city has recently benefited from an influx of investment capital from the diaspora. Other key cities in Somaliland include: Burao, Berbera and Borama. Hargeisa has a population of (2,000,000) people according to the year 2000 City Hall estimate. The president, Dahir Riyale Kahin is the third president since 1991, the vice president is Ahmed Yusuf Yasin. There is also a parliament and local governments. Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: library ____________Practical Information Edit This Arriving at Hargeisa Airport for the first time can be slightly disconcerting. The arrivals hall is pretty basic, and you need to complete a landing card. You then take this to immigration, who will stamp your passport. (You will need a visa before you arrive - it is too risky to hope to get one on arrival). You then go to the bank official next to the immigration desk and change $50 into Somaliland Shillings. You will get a receipt for this, which you then show to the official at the exit. The exchange rate is terrible, but there is no way around this unless you can get in as an "official" guest. On the way out of Somaliland you will be charged an airport/departure tax, which seems to vary every trip. $12 seems to be the going rate at the moment, although amounts up to $30 have been asked for. ::::::::::Lasanod Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Lasanod Lasanod lasanod Lasanod is one of the most beautiful cities in Somalia. It literally means The milky stream. The city is modernizing rapidly due do to the contributions from abroad. Internet cafes (cheapest int the nation), large villas , gas stations, nice hotels are all visible in the city. It lies between two mountains. In recent years the city became famous with farming , thanks to many locals who moved from the south with the experties in farming. Becouse of the it's peacefull environment the city attracted interpenuers from North america and Europe to invest in their hometown. large communities from all around the country also came to work ,specially farming and construction. Lasanod has been the capital of Sool Region since 1984, as well as capital of Lasanod District. Sool Region has other three districts, Ainabo, Taleh and Hudun (Ceynabo, Taleex and Xuddun, respectively) as shown on the Map. Geographically, Lasanod is located at the centre of a prime grazing area known as the Nugal Valley. The town is also close to the other high potential grazing areas of Hawd and Sool plateaus. Thus, Lasanod's location gives the town a unique characteristic of strong urban- pastoral linkage Before the collapse of the government in 1990, Lasanod was a small town with a population of about 20,000. However, within one decade, the population skyrocketed to 60,000 by 2001 (WHO, 2001). A study conducted by SC-UK in 1998 on IDP and returnee population in Somaliland revealed that 73% of the population in the town were returnees from other parts of the country. Of the returnees, most came from other parts of Somaliland, especially Sanaag Region as well as Hargeisa, Burao and Berbera towns. These households had been displaced by 1988-1992 civil war and armed clan conflicts in those areas. However, many others in Lasanod have returned from the main towns in the south due ethnic tensions and clan affiliation. Others still are internally displaced people (IDPs) from the inter-riverine area in the south who were forced out from their villages and who lost their assets. Some of these households came as early as 1994 in search of a secure working environment and better living conditions. ::::::::::Lughaya Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see The beach at Lughaya The beach at Lughaya Lughaya is a hot and dry coastal town in the Guban Coast. The Lughaya district is part of Somalilands Awdal Region. Lughaya has a population below 15,000. The whole district has a population of around 75,000. Lughaya is a small coastal town about 200km to the north of the main port of Berbera, Sahil Region. The people of the Lughaya district are nomads and farmers that are mostly dependent on the sea for their income and money of the diaspora family members. Lughaya has huge oil reserves, American Oil Company Chevron was exploring in this area from 1985 till 1988 (The stopped they works because the unrest of the Somali cival war) :::::::::Qorulugud Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Qorulugud is located togdheer region 150km southeastern burao its beautyful town its famous for its highlands its people are stimated 30,000 most of them are nomads Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: cabdi semed ::::::::Sahil (Saaxil) Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Colonial Buildings in the town of Sheikh Colonial Buildings in the town of Sheikh Saaxil (Sahel) is a region in Somaliland, and one of the six regions of the Republic of Somaliland. The Regional capital is Berbera. It is bordered by Gulf of Aden and the Somaliland regions of Woqooyi Galbeed, Sanaag, Togdheer and Awdal. ::::::::Saylac (Zeila) Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see i_1 Saylac (Zeila) is a city on the Gulf of Aden coast in the Awdal Region of northern Somalia , and as of 2006 is part of Republic of Somaliland . It is surrounded on three sides by the sea, landward the country is unbroken desert for some fifty miles. Berbera is 170 miles southeast of Zeila, while the Ethiopian city of Harar is 200 miles to the west. The town is known for its offshore islands , coral reef and mangroves . Its lack of a sufficient supply of good drinking water has historically hobbled its commercial value, pointed out as late as 1698 , (in this instance in a Dutch East India Company report). Since the war, Zeila has been bombed frequently and nearly all the buildings were either demolished or semi-demolished. Residents fled the town and emigrated to neighbouring countries such as Djibouti . However when Somaliland was declared a separate country from Somalia residents went back to Zeila and rebuilt their town. Remittance money sent from overseas relatives contributed tremendously in the reconstruction of the town as well as the trade and fishing industry. History: Zeila has been identified with what was called in Classical Antiquity the city of the Avalitae . According to Richard Pankhurst, the city first appears under its own name at least as early as 891 , when the geographer al-Ya'qubi mentions Zeila in his Kitab al-Balden ("Book of the countries"). [2] Zeila is described by successive geographers who include al-Mas'udi , who wrote his Murugal al-Dahab wa-Ma'adin al-Guwahir ("Meadows of Gold and Mines of Precious Stones") c. 935 ; and Ibn Hawqal who described it as the port of embarkation from Ethiopia for Hijaz and Yemen in his Kitab Surat al-'Ard ("Configuration of the Earth"), which he completed in 988 . Its importance as a trading port is further confirmed by al-Idrisi and ibn Said , who describe Zeila as a considerable town, a center of the slave trade , and under Ethiopian control. Pankhurst, amongst other writers, thought Marco Polo was referring to Zeila (then the capital of Adal ) when he recounts how the " sultan of Aden " seized a bishop of Ethiopia travelling through his realm, attempted to convert the man by force, then had him circumcised according to Islamic practice. This outrage provoked the Emperor into raising an army and capturing the Sultan's capital. The traveller Ibn Battuta visited Zeila in 1329 , but was not impressed at the city, writing that it was "the dirtiest, most disagreeable, and most stinking town in the world", which he blamed on the fish and the blood from the camels that they slaughtered in the streets. He claimed to have found the town so revolting that he spent the night aboard ship, despite the rough seas. By this time, Zeila was subject to the Walashma dynasty , who also ruled over Ifat . Although later in the 14th century Zeila came under the sway of the rulers of Yemen, by the reign of Sultan Sa'ad ad-Din II the Walashma family had sufficient control of the town for that sultan to take refuge there in 1403 (other sources say 1415 ) from Emperor Dawit I . The Ethiopian Emperor besieged the sultan there for several days, depriving sultan Sa'ad ad-Din of water, until at last the Ethiopians entered the city and killed the unfortunate ruler. Following his death, the sultan came to be considered a saint , and his tomb was venerated for the next several centuries. Travellers' reports in the 16th century show that Zeila had become an important marketplace, despite being ravaged by the Portuguese in 1517 and 1528 . Later that century, destructive raids by nearby Somali nomads caused the ruler of the port, Garad Lado, to have a strong wall built around Zeila. Although, with Tadjoura , Zeila was one of the principal ports for the city of Harar and the regions of Aussa and Shewa , the town fell in importance over the next centuries. At the beginning of the 19th century, according to Pankhurst, this port city had become a dependency of the ruler of Mocha , who "farmed out the governorship of the African port to one of his courtiers who in return took a toll on its trade. Zeila briefly became a province of Egypt , but in 1885 Zeila and its eastern neighbor Berbera were annexed into British Somaliland . The construction of a railway from Djibouti to Addis Ababa in the late 19th century led to a further decline in status for Zeila. At the beginning of the next century Zeila was described in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica as having a "good sheltered anchorage much frequented by Arab sailing craft," however, heavy draught steamers are obliged to anchor a mile and a half from the shore. Small coasting boats lie off the pier and there is no difficulty in loading or discharging cargo. The water supply of the town is drawn from the wells of Takosha , about three miles distant; every morning camels, in charge of old Somali women and bearing goatskins filled with water, come into the town in picturesque procession. ... [Zeila's] imports, which reach Zaila chiefly via Aden, are mainly cotton goods, rice , jowaree , dates and silk ; the exports, 90% of which are from Abyssinia, are principally coffee , skins , ivory , cattle , ghee and mother-of-pearl . :::::::::Warcimran Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Warcimraan town is located in Togdheer region in Somaliland, and it is located in a very beautiful area which is very attractive to tourists. It has magnificient scenery........ Warcimran population is about 50,000 people most of them nomadic people. Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: Mr. Abdirahman M. Jama :::::::::XIIS Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Xiis iyo maydh bada agteeda Xiis iyo maydh bada agteeda Worsame abdi Xiis [Hees] is a small but ancient town located on Somaliland's Red Sea coast in Sanaag region.