In an earlier post I’d explained the construction of a Somali hut. But when I was passing by this place – Goob Ramaas – I noticed a small Somali hut being built and brought you some images. The above picture of Goob Ramaas, near Ceelbuh, clearly illustrates the vast open terrain called Sool. Like a giant carpet spread upon the earth, it rolls for miles and miles in every direction – as far as your eye can see!
This is the Somali hut being constructed – and as I mentioned before, you’d notice that it is only women who build the huts. The men usually gather the wood from the Galool, Dhumay trees etc, and then the women get to work. The above hut being constructed is called Saddex-dhigood, meaning it is made out of three arched Gob branches as you can see above. This is the smallest hut constructed and the largest is made out of Seven. The most common huts though are made out of either three or four Dhigood.
Though not of the same hut, this is how the inside of some huts looks like. In this picture, the thin branches that run somewhat perpendicular to the three Dhigo, along the entire hut, are called lool. These lool form a spread above the Dhigo so that the woven mats can be fastened onto the hut.
And this is how the mats are then fastened to the hut. What you see in the picture on the left is Udub-Dhexaad – the middle, or sometimes on either sides of the hut, wood made usually out of Dayyib tree that fortifies the hut and keeps it erect.
And this is how the inside looks like when it is finally built, with a small branch for hanging clothes as an extra.
Now that the hut is almost complete with all the pillars of wood erected and the hut standing firmly, the only thing left to do is fasten the skilfully woven mats onto the pillars wood. The mats too though, have to be made by hand. First the Caw (above left) is gathered from the woodland after days of scouting, then after getting rid of the impurities, it is assembled as above and the interlacing or plaiting of the Caw begins (above right). This process of interlacing the Caw is called Falag and is usually done over drinks when women gather for conversations late in the afternoon.
After interlacing the Caw, a single long sheet of Caw is made. This sheet is called Gadaan (above left). The name is derived from the meaning of the word Gadaan which is “round” – and because the Caw, after each plait, is rounded up as in the above picture, it is given such a name. Hundreds of single plaits of Caw are then interweaved to form a large mat called Dermo (Plural – Dermooyin). The picture on the right shows the Dermooyin on top of the hut.
And here is the final result… As for the time it takes – well I passed by the hut being built (top) on my way to Ceelbuh. By the time I came back, about and hour and a half later, the hut was completed! Kudos to the female Somali nomads I say!
shaafiyow adeer, thank you very much for reminding us the artistry of erecting Aqals. Asashaiina meeday… weli xaggar inta loo xoqay ud-baha mala asliyey. waxaanan arkeyn calgadii inta la duugo bilo kadib dufulka laga samayn jirey…
Sxbow thanks again …waayo baad na soo xusuusisey :d
Interesting that the huts are built by women.
I was wondering if the roofs are woven from mats how does one prevent water from leaking through when it rains?
Advocate – I haven’t seen Udbahoo la aslayo – but i have indeed tasted water poured from Qarbad Galool lagu aslay! The reddish brown water sure does taste somewhat sweet!
Bubbles – The nomads, being very well aware of the rainy seasons, usually have in store a waterproof covering for the entire hut called Shiraac – and it goes on top of the woven mats so they don’t get wet!
ramzan mubaarako saxiba yaal bal iiwarana cafimdka
Ah, aqal Soomaali; I have to hand it to our Somali ladies. Without their skills, I don’t know how the geel jire men would survive. Thanks for this informative piece on Somali culture; and I’m sure it would bring out a need for dhaqan celis in some. :)
wow this looks so cool, when i went to somalia i really wanted to say in one but my uncle wouldn’t let me (sob sob).
i good way to keep the youth ( and lets face it the rest of us) in touch with our culture would be to have hut making days….any takers
Lol Shafi, if you’ve spent a night or two I bet you’ve heard haamaha oo la culayo sxb? Some live charcoal and herbs put inside the haan and then shaken until a nice smell spreads across the environs :D. I use to like marka subagga bur-cadka laga dhalinayo and the flavouring of Reexaan to go with it… heaven, I tell you lol.
I never had the pleasure of watching an aqal being built from zero to top but i really am looking forward to it.I hear they do it so quickly that it doesn’t take that much time,they got all the materials loaded on the camels so its all about finding the good spot and start building.Thats awesome i tell ya!
Ruweydo, Ramadan Mubarak walaal. Waa la fiicanyahaye adigu waran!
Sam, I believe its not just the Nomadic women who are the ones holding the fractured society together, but throughout Somalia, woman seem to be the bedrock of the society!
Naima, I am in! You can’t know the pleasure of an Aqal until you’ve slept in one and woke up adigoo dhinacyada haysta.
Advocate, I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the process of Subag making – but the making of sixin is amazing. The xoor it gathers once the milk is boiled is supposed to be splendid I hear. One taste and you are hooked.
As for Haama la culayo – I have seen that and sat by the fire whilst they shook it up and down with a log and smoke starts oozing out… I should have taken a pic!
Citizen, that hard part if getting the materials. That can take some time but the building process is fairly quick. You’ve gotta hand it to them mate.
[…] – made from Caw, the Hadhuub is used for milking goats and, very rarely, […]
Wow! Fantastic blog. I’ve always dreamed about spending a few weeks in the baadye. That way of life is so artistic, masha allah. I like your photos. Just a comment on the names; do they vary from region to region? My (nomadic) Somali is not great but I’m sure dayyib and dhigo were called something else. which would be something, if I remembered. Never mind, great work and thank you.
Xalimah, Thank you very much walaal. The Nomads are exceptionally disciplined people and live a life of an amazing quality when the season is good and water is plentiful.
As for the names, they do vary from region to region as does the Somali language in any case. I will find out what they are called in different regions insha-Allah and let you know soon…
[…] The Haan is never used with Asal being applied to it. The Asal is left in the Haan for several days to disinfect it and mend any tiny holes it may have had. The Asal is also used as a coating for the Dhigo, Udbo, and lool branches used for building the Somali hut (explained here). […]
aqal somali is so cool
[…] Click here for a detailed post on how Somali Aqals are made. […]
thank you very much shakiir, aqal soomaali is our mine building , that 60% of somali people life now , thank you for remembering our architecture again . its very fantatastic
difaaca roobka iyo dabaysha waxaa loo siticmaalaa hargaha geela ama lo,da , seen barina waxaa loo jeedshaa aqalka dhanka dabayshu ka socoto maahee dhanka kale .
waxuuna cadayn fiican u yahay farsamada gabdhaheena soomaaliyeed iyadoo uusan nini isku dayi karin , laba udubnah isku xiri karin .
sidoo kalenah waxa la oran karaa waa dhismah soomaalida ay gaarka u leedahay .
go ahead shaakir , and thank you again and again
i spend couple of nights in “Aqal Somali”in my life, first i was told we (boy) should sleep “ardaaga” outside ..lol it was little bit scary to me although when i get between older men did get better,but i had one night i can n’t never forget that it was a raining all night and all night we spend stand inside that “aqal somali” because water has pouring all corners.another poor side is the safety “lions and hyne can enter …dee lol.. another thng men with DABAGUR ..nomadic “shukaansi” style can enter easly…and there you have men in your room…oh my God ..poor somali lady
i have been in baadiyo but here is my concern with “aqal Somali” when i got “baadiyo” i was told, i should slept at “ardaaga” becuase i was a man. and coming from Muqdishu at that time “baysani” and sleeping out side it was nt a pleasent moment cause i was scare all night, i could hear lions,one night we had a rain all night and i have to be standing all night in that “aqal somali”. another thing is the safety for women and ladies , as you all know somali nomadic culture they have this wierd style of seduction, which men enter the house and talk the lady at middle of night in the dark..
i hope shafi will adress some time “dabagur style” lol
Eng Xakar, Your welcome walaal, aad iyo aad baadna ugu mahadsantahay for the added information that you have provided us.
Lafoole, loool. You made me laugh walaahi. As a man you sleep outside the hut – that is the custom. But come on mate, you did not hear a lion that night and yet manage to sleep – it was the Qalaad of the Orgi that you mistook for a lion you coward! lol
As for the hasaawaha habeenkii – it does happen and sometimes young men, after making an appointment with the females, would enter the hut whilst the head of the house is sleeping inside it! It is sort of an accepted thing there now. Why did you have a man step on you while trying to get to the girl in the hut?
hey shafi bro
im n’t lying, my Uncle has still injuries sustained from lion on his upper tight and arm, he and his cousins went to hunt down a killer lion in Nugal region,when they come to face to face with the lion, they had only one “karabiin” old rifle and somali swords, the man with rifle run away when my uncle got attacked, it was a night and the moon was shining my uncle got under tree, the lion could nt trace him, then his older brother got the “karabiin” and fired and killed the lion instantly …. althought im “baysaani” and i do nt kill even mouse but those were my uncle real brave man….
by they shafi i have a two old noble somali books, one is dictionary of yasiin kaynadiid somali to somali and another written by xaange in 1973 very book with somali heritage i want share wit u bro…. let me know if yu are interesting ..
Hello,
I was just wondering where do Somalie nomads keep their food stuff and personal items? I am supposed to construct a display for my childrens’ school and I’d like to do the Somalie culture justice.
This site has been very helpful so far, but it can do with a step by step picture to the process. Just call it Aqal construction for dummies. =o)
I’ve been reading through your website. You have some great posts on here, especially this one – I really liked it…nice post. Consider yourself bookmarked
waxad akhrideen Somaali -waxadna u hanqal taagaysaan barashada dhaqanka iyo hiddaha Somaalida af-qalaadna wad ku hadlaysaan -waa qayb kamid ah dhibaatada inahaysata inaan afkeeni ka faano -hadana jecelahay in aan macaankiisana fahano
??
[…] to urban areas either. In Ber Village, in Togdheer region, solar panels sit next to farmers’ aqal Somali homes, fashioned from branches and woven […]
These aren’t technically “huts” but tents:
“A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs. First used as portable homes by nomadic peoples, tents are now more often used for recreational camping and temporary shelters.”
A hut implies a somewhat more sedentary life-style like with huts in the Ethiopian Highlands. But honestly, I guess the distinctions are a bit arbitrary in some cases as huts have historically been used by nomadic foraging communities.
wonderful pictures, profoundly informative ethnography
[…] to urban areas either. In Ber Village, in Togdheer region, solar panels sit next to farmers’ aqal Somali homes, fashioned from branches and woven […]