# Gabiley (Gebiley)

> Gabiley (Gebiley): farming town 58 km west of Hargeisa, centre of the Gabiley region created by Somaliland, called its main farmland.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/regions/gabiley/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Where it is

Gabiley lies 58 km west of Hargeisa in the Qalax valley ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)), at about 10.18°N, 45.56°E ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1016892)). Gabiley district is bounded by the [Gulf of Aden](/en/relations/yemen/) to the north, [Awdal](/en/regions/awdal/) to the west, Hargeisa district to the east and the Somali Region of Ethiopia to the south ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)).

Before 1991 the town was in the [Woqooyi Galbeed](/en/regions/woqooyi-galbeed/) region. Somaliland later made Gabiley a region of its own, and the Somaliland government lists it among its regions ([Wikipedia: Regions of Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_Somaliland); [Statoids](http://www.statoids.com/yso.html)). For the wider picture see [Somaliland, 1991 to 2026](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/).

## The name

The name is said to come from the Somali word *gebi*, a cliff or ridge, after the cliffs and ridges of the area ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)).

## Rock art

Dhagax Gurre, a rock-art site about 45 km north-east of Gabiley, has painted shelters on a rocky hill. The main shelter shows cattle, one giraffe and one human-like figure; a second shows sheep or goats and people holding bows. The paintings are said to be more than 5,000 years old ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)).
See also [medieval towns of Gebiley and Kabab](/en/history/medieval-towns-of-gebiley-and-kabab/).

## Farming

Gabiley is described as the most fertile part of Somaliland and its main farmland, producing up to 85% of its food supplies ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)). Crops named for the area include maize, sorghum, wheat, barley, beans, groundnuts, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cabbages, watermelon, papaya, oranges and lemons ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)). The UK government has run a programme in Gabiley on women's work and income ([UK Government case study](https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/gabiley-somalia-uk-aid-promoting-womens-economic-empowerment)).

## Climate

Gabiley has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), cooled by its height. The average temperature is 21.4°C and average rain is 489 mm a year. June is the hottest month (24.5°C) and January the coolest (17.6°C). August is the wettest month with 91 mm, and December the driest with 2 mm ([Climate-Data.org](https://en.climate-data.org/location/56199/)).

## People

Most people in Gabiley district are from the Jibril Abokor and Abdalla Abokor branches of the Sa'ad Musa, part of the Habar Awal Isaaq ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)). Wikipedia gives a town population of about 141,000 ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)).

People from the Gabiley area include the poet [Abdillahi Suldaan Mohammed](/en/people/timacadde/) Timacade, and the family of the British Olympic runner [Mo Farah](/en/people/mo-farah/) comes from the area ([The Guardian, 2012](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/aug/10/mo-farah-mother-somaliland)).

## Schools, health and services

Timacade University opened in 1999, and the district has secondary schools including Qalax Secondary and Al-Irshaad Secondary ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)). The [Gabiley National Library](/en/society/public-libraries-in-somaliland/) opened in April 2021 ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)). Wikipedia lists six general hospitals in Gabiley ([Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)).

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Gabiley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabiley)
- [Wikidata Q1016892](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1016892)
- [Climate-Data.org: Gabiley](https://en.climate-data.org/location/56199/)
- [Statoids: regions of Somalia and Somaliland](http://www.statoids.com/yso.html)
- [UK Government: Gabiley women's economic empowerment](https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/gabiley-somalia-uk-aid-promoting-womens-economic-empowerment)

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