“Besides a large floating population, Zayla contains about 1,500 souls. They are comparatively a fine race of people, and suffer from little but fever and an occasional ophthalmia. Their greatest hardship is the want of the pure element: the Hissi or well is about four miles distant from the town, and all the pits within the walls supply brackish or bitter water, fit only for external use. This is probably the reason why vegetables are unknown, and why a horse, a mule, or even a dog, is not to be found in the place.” (Richard Burton, 1924).
Abstract
Historical,
cultural and tourism cities play major part in conserving and realizing value
of our heritage, physical heritages, landscape and cultural heritage. If people
protect and value their cultural heritage they understand who they are and
where they from, but in the contrary if they destroy and neglect their
ancestral heritages and physical heritages they lost their historical
identities. This is matter exist in Zeila historical site (s), because all
physical and cultural heritages were destroyed civil wars, mater of elate
immatureness or archeologists activities those who investigate the history of
that sites.
This
article identifies how Zeila is neglected either government or its community.
It would point out brief historical background of this place and how it is
valuable, because the theory of heritage conservation people preserve their
ancestral and historical heritages.
The
article also dig out and reveal other problems which are treat and challenges
to the people in Zeila at present such
as lack of infrastructure, weak of health service and educational institutions.
The article would also give a message to the government and other concerned
stakeholders.
Brief
Historical Prospective of Zeila
The Zeila
(Saylac, Zaila/Zayla) is officially under the Awdal region (unofficially is the
capital city of Salel), on the north coast of Somaliland. It is historical port
city Zeila situated around 25 km from the Djibouti border. As far back in the historical prospective, Zeila
is historical site which became part of British Somaliland in 1888. Before this
era Zeila was under the Ottoman Empire rule
for more than three centuries.
At the end of
9th century it was the time that Ziela had appeared in the Arab Record when Al
Ya’qubi mentioned and later other historian wrote a lot about it. The town
became the political and economic place of Arab, because of its geographical
location. In the eye of economic, it was one of the main ports of Abyssinian
traders with Arabian and orient. At this time Somalis in Zeila had been traded,
produced and exported leather, gums, ghee and ostrich feathers and slaves and
Ivory from Abyssinian hinterland, they also imported clothes, dates, iron,
weapons, China ware and pottery (Lewis, 1981).
Apart from the economic, Lewis also explained
that Zeila was a dynastic city and politically important place, because it had
been the center of Muslim Emirate of
Adal (Part of the state of Ifat) and when the port enters the record of Arab
history the population of the town had became Arab, Somalis and Danakil (Afar).
Historians argue that no one knows when these three populations form the Zeila
culture and dialect which had combined Arabic, Somali and Afar. There are also
other minor groups such as Indian and Persian who settled the port.
In 1081 A.H
(1670-71 A.D) the Shanabila Sayyids were the Kazis of Ziela and have the
control of the town for 138 years, because it passed two generations ago into
the hands of Mohammed Musa, A Hawiyah. In 13th century Zeila was ruled by
Walashma dynasty claiming Arab origins and in the 14 century Zeila became place
of holly war, because Muslims and Abyssinian Christian competed and fought the
control of the town. Nevertheless, Abyssinia kings conquered it and the Muslim
territories in Zeila fall into the hands of Christian. The land were laid
waste, mosques were destroyed and converted into churches, while Abyssinians
returned their mountains. After A.D 1400 prince of Zayla, Saad el Din surrounded
his city by the Hatze David II and he run away his people in the hands of their
enemies, while his sons, Sabr el Din,
Ali, Mansur and Jamal El Din fled to Arabia and found refugee with the kind of
Yemen, after they were returned and Walashma dynasty took the title of kind of
Adal (Richard Burton, 1924)
After nearly
hundred years of war, Adal found their
charismatic leader, Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Ghazi (Left handed(1306-43) and his
powerful army had recovered and recapture Zeila from Abyssinian Christians
(Lewis, 1981).
Ibnu Batuta in
his voyage of Africa-which he wrote the book called Al Buldanah- he mentioned and described Zeila town as this,
“I then went from Aden by sea, and after four days
came to the city of Zayla. This is a settlement, of the Berbers, a people of
Sudan (Black), of the Shafia sect. Their country is a desert of two months’
extent; the first part is termed Zayla, the last Makdashu. The greatest number
of the inhabitants, however, it is one of the Rafizah sect. Their food is mostly
camels’ flesh and fish. The stench of
the country is extreme, as is also its filth, from the stink of the fish and
the blood of camels which are slaughtered in its streets.”
Turkeys or
Ottoman Empire defeated kingdoms in
Yemen about A.D 1500, then all traders such Indian took refuge in Adel and its
partners, then Turkeys saw the great wealthy in to the opposite kingdom. They took
also the possession of Zayla and established what they called custom-house and
after long possession of Ottoman in Zeila as route of slave trade, gold and
other precious commercial things, it became competing port, because an Armament
of Portuguese under the Lopes Suares Alberguiera was taken Zayla in July 1516, but
they didn’t last long and they returned where they from (Richard, 1924).
 |
|
Zeila
old Mosque and Minarat
|
In 1888, the
Ottoman Empire and Britain entered into agreement which defined the boundaries
of their protectorates, that was the
time when Zeila became under the British Protectorate as other part of
Somaliland, but Britain hadn’t made any effort, while France had build
real-ways, roads and other infrastructures in Djibouti, but there had been
strong historical buildings in Zeila such as mosques, governmental centers and
other beautiful building from the Ottoman Empire and pre-dynasties; as you can
see if you visit Zeila at this moment, although they are vanished and destroyed
by the different wars which Zeila passed through, at least you can see most of the foundations of these historical
buildings.
On the other
hand, Zeila existed before the Islam spread in Sub-saharan African. The two
Mehrab (Qiblatayn) Mosque is the evidence of these argument, because Qiblatayn’s
one direction faced Mecca and one facing Jerusalem and early Muslims praying
toward Jerusalem and some historians claim that Prophet Muhammed’s family
(PBUH) travelled through Saylac to Aksum in the mid 17th century. In
addition to Qiblatayn mosque Zayla is the cemetery of Sh. Ibrahim Saylici. The
ancient Somali history mentions that Sheik Saylici was the first Sheik came to
spread Islam in Horn of Africa. (Sado,
2015).
Neglected
Ancestral History
 |
|
Qiblatayn
Mosque (Two Direction/Mehrab Mosque)
|
There are plenty
of historic cities in Zeila such as Qablatayn and other ancient cemeteries
which determines the different successor dynasties in the district, heroes and
Sheik from Zeila community, but unfortunately most of them are vanished and the
remaining or the foundation of such as the Qiblatayn Mosque (the two Mehrab
mosque) is still exist and also there are other cemeteries of Zeila foundries.
Sado Mire
mentioned the African Archeology review “Mapping the archaeology of Somaliland: religion, art,
script, time, urbanism, trade and empire in 2015, “that
the Qiblatayn has faced a lot of
destruction through digging and exposure of foundation without conservation or
reports.
In March 2016, I
visited Zeila and I was one of a group of researchers who were conducting a
research about Security assessment report in Zeila, 3 days tour I observed many
historical sites such as the Qiblatayn Mosque which is totally disappeared and
you can see the left foundations of the buildings. I talked about the Qiblatayn
and other buildings some people in Sayla community, they told me that some
foreigners dug and loot the sites and all the sites were destroyed by foreign
archeologists, but we can’t ignore that the civil wars in the country were parts
and parcel the destruction of these historical cities.
 |
|
Sheik
Ibrahim Saylici's Qudbi (Cementery)
|
Some Ancient Historians,
heroes, governors and religious men in Saylac are buried in Qudbi (Cemetery) in
the town, but most of them were destroyed and there no one who can identify
their graveyard, exclusion the well known cemetery of Sheikh Ibrahim Saylici
who is founder of Saylac. There are also Turkey or Ottoman Empire old buildings
which you can see how the decorations of that Empire was. The buildings had
built strong stones which you can feel how they were beautiful and strong in
the Ottoman era.
 |
|
Ottoman Empire Public
documentary storage
|
Government and
other international bodies who concern world heritage sites are ignored the
gradual disappearance of Zayla historical town. If Zayla disappear and become
new Zayla as its now, thousand years of history will be nothing and the new
generation will know nothing about their unique history.
“Human history has become too much a matter of
dogma taught by 'professionals' in ivory towers as though it's all fact.
Actually, much of human history is up for grabs. The further back you go, the
more that the history that's taught in the schools and universities begins to
look like some kind of faerie story.”
Archeologist Graham
Hancock.
In the future it
will be better to repair and renovate these historic cities either by
government or citizens or other international organization. If the government
maintains the preservation of Zayla historical cities, it will become tourism
and heritages site. Tourism is one of the sources of income which nations
manage their domestic and international developments as economics argue.
Infrastructure and other basic Necessities
Zaila as we
already mentioned had been a trade center before 7th century and
after 19th century, but at
the present time it is nothing, the
provision of public service-such as health care, education and living standard
are completely low ( people live under the poverty line).
After the independent
of Somaliland both 1960s and 1991 Zayla was neglected. People in Zayla told me during my observation that
governmental service are rare, because they are far from the capital city of Hargeisa
and Borama, the capital of Awdal Region. Some old men told me that Zayla health
center didn’t work properly in the last 3 years, because of lack of health
staffs, medical kits and other health equipments.
On the other
hand, OCVP (Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention) conducted in
Zaylac a district conflict and security assessment report. The report revealed
that Zeila’s formal justice system had no offices, and that there was no prison
in the district.
Coming to the facts we witnessed,
Zeila has no road and other routes. When we begun our travel from Hargeisa we
were struggling the mountains, valleys and other rough route to Sayla
districts. It was drought time; people
are suffering because of the severe situation they were in, they had no water,
food, shelters and even their livestock were gone. We ask ourselves, if these people would have
been road how the situation would be? Off course they would get rescue and
people will survive. Thank God, people are prospers now and rainy season come
and they get water to survive at least.
After 7 hours long travel and
struggle we reach Zeila. The person, who took and will take way to Zeila,
realizes the benefit of infrastructure, because community in this neglected
historical site would have get their
fundamental rights.
“Besides
a large floating population, Zayla contains about 1500 souls. They are
comparatively a fine race of people, and suffer from little but fever and an
occasional ophthalmia. Their greatest hardship is the want of the pure element:
the Hissi or well, is about four miles distant from the town, and all the pits
Within the walls supply brackish or bitter water, fit only for external use.
This is probably the reason why vegetables are unknown, and why a horse, a
mule, or even a dog, is not to be found in the place.” (Richard Burton, 1924.
When you look these quote you
would realize the problems existed in that era still exist in Zeila; what was
wrong with the successor governments? Why don’t they understand the importance
of Zeila and its community? When would they conserve the historical sites? I
left the answers of these questions and many
more to any Somaliland government and citizens who are interested patriotically
the conservation of their ancestral and
holy places.
The economics of Zeila Community is
based on fishing and trading activities with especially Djibouti and Yemen, but
as they told us they don’t have boats and other fishing equipments. Also the
port of Zeila is an important route trade between Middle East and Horn of
Africa, but It needs development and investment. At the present it is like no
man’s land.
The
last dangerous thingthat Zeila’s people
told us was; that the sea surrounds the city during the rainy season and the city
enters what they called “ZERO,” because water from the sea block all the roads goes
into the town. At this time strong men escapes from the city to the neighbor
towns and they left vulnerable people in the town such as women, children and
old people. During “ZERO” situation people in Zeila need special care and
welfare from the government or any other bodies.
Conclusion
In
Zeila there are historical sites such as Qiblatayn (Two direction mosque) and
other important sites which need special preservation. These cities determined
that Zeila is one of the earliest cities established in East Africa. Islamic
religion also reached to Zeila when Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and his companion
migrated to Medina from Mecca. Most of Historian pointed out that Zeila had
been the center of Adel and Ifat dynasties. Apart from these ancient history,
it is heritage center, because ancestral signs and history are hiding beneath
it.
Most
of ancestral history in Zeila is gone, but archeologically they can retrieve
and conserve. The foundations of historical buildings and other heritage stuffs
are better to protect from international and national physical and cultural
heritage looters.
On the other side, this neglected
historical town needs to provide governmental service because community in
Zeila doesn’t get basic necessities such as health, education and clean water.
Infrastructure is other main problem; without roads, hospitals, schools and
other public place these vulnerable and neglected people wouldn’t get any
better life and their history and live would vanish like they are nothing.
Sea water is also a danger to their
lives, because as we already mentioned during rainy season sea water encircles
the town and it can drown the town and its people. At this time people in Zeila
don’t get escape route and they live fear and worried. Their children don’t go
out and can’t go to their schools.
Bibliography
1.
Lewis, H.
S. (1981). A Modern History of Somalia; Nation and State in the Horn of Africa.
By IM Lewis. London: Longman 1980.
2.
Burton, S.
R. F., Speke, J. H., & Barker, W. C. (1924). First Footsteps in East
Africa. JM Dent & Sons.
3.
Mire, S.
(2015). Mapping the archaeology of Somaliland: religion, art, script, time,
urbanism, trade and empire. African Archaeological Review, 32(1),
111-136.
4.
Hassan. . M-Rashiid
(2015). Somali History: 1960-1991; Islam, The Clan and The State in Somali
Context, Sagaljet, Hargeisa 2015
5.
Walls, M.
(2014). A Somali Nation-State: history, culture and Somaliland's political
transition.
By:
Ibrahim Khadar Saed
LLB, CND MA
Researcher
Contact
at: Email: ibraahimkhs@hotmail.com
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