# Somali art: rock painting, carving, weaving, metalwork and building

> Somali visual art and crafts: Laas Geel rock art, aniconism and geometric design, qoris wood carving, Mogadishu's textile trade, gold and silver work, the Somali dagger, and building traditions.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/somali-art/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Pattern rather than pictures

Somali art covers pottery, music, architecture, wood carving, weaving and metalwork. Wikipedia describes it as largely aniconic, avoiding images of living things, and links this to Muslim belief and older Somali traditions. Images of animals and people do exist, such as golden birds on Mogadishu canopies, the rock paintings of the north and plant decorations on tombs, but they are rare. Intricate patterns, geometric designs, bold colour and monumental building are the norm ([Somali art, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_art)).

## Rock art

The oldest art in the Somali lands is prehistoric rock painting. At Laas Geel near Hargeisa, cattle are painted in ceremonial robes, with decorated necks, alongside people, dogs, other canids and a giraffe. Wikipedia calls them some of the best preserved in Africa ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_art)). In 2016 The Peninsula reported on the risks the paintings face ([The Peninsula, June 2016](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/27/06/2016/Rocky-future-for-Somalia-s-ancient-cave-art)). Rock paintings are also found at Balho in Djibouti ([Djiboutian art, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djiboutian_art)).

## Carving (qoris)

Carving, *qoris* in Somali, has long been a respected trade. In the medieval period wealthy townspeople hired the best wood and marble carvers for their houses, and the carved mihrabs and pillars of old Somali mosques are among the oldest on the continent, according to Wikipedia. Carving was men's work, while weaving was mainly women's. Among nomads, carving decorated everyday objects such as spoons, combs and bowls, and the parts of the portable house, the *aqal*. In recent decades, workshops with electric machines have largely replaced hand-carved doors, windows and furniture ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_art)).

## Textiles

Mogadishu's weaving industry was, from at least the 13th century to the late 19th century, one of the main textile centres of the Indian Ocean. Its cloth competed with Indian and later American cloth in home markets and abroad, including Egypt and Syria ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_art)).

## Metalwork

Goldsmiths and blacksmiths in the towns made the jewellery that townswomen wore and the decorated Somali dagger (*toraay*) carried by men. Wikipedia notes that metalworkers were often shunned by the dominant nomadic culture because of their trade ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_art)). Occupational groups such as smiths are described on the minority communities page.

## Building

Somali building traditions include stone towns, forts, mosques, tombs, towers and lighthouses. In ancient times, drystone burial cairns called *taalo* were common, and hundreds survive. Under Islam, the Mogadishu sultanate and the Ajuran period are especially known for their architecture, and mosques were often built on the ruins of older buildings ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_art)). In Djibouti, Islamic, Ottoman and French influences show in plasterwork, motifs and calligraphy, and much original art is passed on orally through song ([Djiboutian art, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djiboutian_art)).

## Read more

- [Heritage sites](/en/society/heritage-sites/)
- [Somali culture](/en/society/somali-culture/)
- [Minority communities](/en/society/minority-communities/)
- [Somali instruments and dances](/en/society/somali-instruments-and-dances/)

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