Region
Warsheekh (Warsheikh)
Warsheekh (Warsheikh) is a coastal district town in Middle Shabelle, Hirshabelle state, just north of Banadir. It was a settlement of the medieval Sultanate of Mogadishu, and coins of the Mogadishu sultans were dug up there in 1920–21. In April 1890 two Italian naval officers were killed offshore, which led to the first colonial naval bombardment of the coast.
Where it is
Warsheekh is the centre of Warsheekh district, on the coast of south-eastern Middle Shabelle, in Hirshabelle state. The district borders Banadir to the south and Adale district to the north (Wikipedia: Warsheikh), at about 2.3°N, 45.8°E (Wikidata). The Italian spelling was Uarsceik (Wikidata).
Medieval town and coins
Warsheekh is described as an early Muslim centre and one of the main settlements of the Sultanate of Mogadishu in the Middle Ages (Wikipedia: Warsheikh). It later fell under the Ajuran state, and after Ajuran's fall in the late 1600s under the Hiraab Imamate (Wikipedia: Warsheikh). See the Ajuran state and Hobyo.
In three digs at Warsheekh in 1920 and 1921, the Italian scholar Enrico Cerulli found coins of the medieval sultans of Mogadishu. They were kept at the Scuola Orientale of the University of Rome and lost in the Second World War. Cerulli reported similar coins from the village of Moos, about 14 km north-west, and G. S. P. Freeman-Grenville recorded another find there in 1963 (Wikipedia: Warsheikh). See early Mogadishu and the Benadir coast.
The old mosque
An old mosque near the cape has an inscription dating its building to 1278 AH (1861–62 CE), by Sheikh Abu Bakr bin Mihzar bin Ahmad al-Kasadi. It has three rows of east–west piers, a mihrab decorated with leaf patterns, and side rooms, one holding the Sheikh's tomb (Wikipedia: Warsheikh).
1890 and Italian rule
In April 1890 the Italian naval lieutenant Carlo Zavagli and Captain Angelo Bartorello were killed offshore by local Somalis. Italy answered with the first colonial naval bombardment of the coast (Wikipedia: Warsheikh). Around 1900 the town became part of the Italian Somaliland protectorate, and after independence in 1960 it became the seat of Warsheekh district (Wikipedia: Warsheikh). See colonial treaties, 1884 to 1897.
People today
There is no official count for the town; Wikipedia gives an estimate of 65,000, and 150,573 for the district in 2016 (Wikipedia: Warsheikh). The district's people are Abgaal Hawiye, mainly the Cumar Galmaax branch (Celi and Mataan) (Wikipedia: Warsheikh). The district has its own website (Warsheikh district), and Star FM has reported on the district hospital (Star FM). The coast near the town is described as a destination for visitors (Somali Safari).
Sources
Sources
- Wikipedia: Warsheikh · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikidata · wikidata.org
- Warsheikh district · warsheikhdistrict.so
- Star FM · starfmsomalia.com
- Somali Safari · somalisafari.com
- UNDP 2005 rural and urban population estimates · docs.unocha.org
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