Region
Bargaal (Bargal)
Bargaal is a small coastal town on the Guardafui Channel in Bari, Puntland, about 35 nautical miles south of Cape Guardafui. It was the usual residence of Boqor Osman Mahamud of the Majeerteen Sultanate, with four forts and about 120 brick buildings in 1925, until Italian forces bombed and destroyed it on 28–29 October 1925.
Where it is
Bargaal is the centre of Bargaal district in the Bari region of Puntland. It faces the Guardafui Channel of the Indian Ocean, 26 nautical miles north of Gumbah, 11 north of Ras Binnah, 30 south of Tohen and 35 south of Cape Guardafui (Wikipedia: Bargal), at about 11.29°N, 51.08°E and 6 m above sea level (Wikidata). Wikipedia gives the district about 6,798 people (Wikipedia: Bargal).
Seat of the Majeerteen Sultan
Bargaal may date from the early modern period, when it served as the seasonal seat of the Majeerteen Sultanate (Wikipedia: Bargal). The Italian study Migiurtinia ed il Territorio del Nugál, written in early 1925, describes it as the usual home of Boqor Osman Mahamud (Wikipedia: Bargal; Roma Tre University archive).
That study recorded (Wikipedia: Bargal):
- about 800 people of the Adan Abdirahman and 150 of the Osman Mahmud, both Majeerteen
- four forts, the king's house, about 120 brick buildings and about 200 huts
- drinking water on site, slightly salty
- two parts: Old Bargaal and Eirod, where the Sultan lived
Destruction in 1925
Italian forces bombed and destroyed Bargaal on 28–29 October 1925, during the campaign to bring the northern sultanates under direct Italian rule (Wikipedia: Bargal). Caluula, Hafun, Qandala and Habo were also heavily damaged in that campaign (Wikipedia: Alula, Somalia). See Caluula and Qandala.
See also the Majeerteen and Hobyo sultanates.
Since 2000
- June 2007: fighting at Bargaal, known as the Battle of Bargal (Wikipedia: Bargal).
- 2012: the Puntland Highway Authority announced a project to connect Bargaal and other towns to the 750 km main road linking Bosaso, Garowe and Galkacyo (Sabahi, June 2012).
Schools
Puntland's education ministry lists three primary schools, one secondary school and an institute in Bargaal district, among them Wadikhayr, Taageer, Qorraxad, Abdehan and Bargaal Primary (Puntland Ministry of Education).
Sources
Sources
- Wikipedia: Bargal · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikidata · wikidata.org
- Roma Tre University archive · web.archive.org
- Wikipedia: Alula, Somalia · en.wikipedia.org
- Sabahi, June 2012 · sabahionline.com
- Puntland Ministry of Education · moepuntland.com
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