TheDir(Somali:Dir) is one of the largest and most prominentSomali clansin theHorn of Africa.[2][3][4]They are also considered to be the oldest Somali stock to have inhabited the region.[2][5][6]Its members inhabitDjibouti,Somalia,Ethiopia(Somali,Harar,Dire Dawa,OromiaandAfarregions), and northeasternKenya(North Eastern Province).[3][7][4][8]

Dir
در
Regions with significant populations
Somalia,Djibouti,Ethiopia,Kenya,Somaliland,Saudi Arabia[1]
Languages
Somali
Religion
Islam(Sunni)

Origins

Like the great majority ofSomali clans,the Dir trace their ancestry toAqil ibn Abi Talib(c. 580 – 670 or 683),[9]a cousin of the prophetMuhammad(c. 570 – 632) and an older brother ofAli ibn Abi Talib(c. 600 – 661) andJa'far ibn Abi Talib(c. 590 – 629).[10]They trace their lineage to Aqil throughSamaale(the source of the name 'Somali'), the purported forefather of the northernpastoralistclans such as the Dir, theHawiye,and –matrilineallythrough the Dir– theIsaaqand theDarod.[9]Although these genealogical claims are historically untenable legends, they do reflect the longstanding cultural contacts betweenSomalia(especially, though not exclusively, its most northern partSomaliland) andSouthern Arabia.[11]

History

The history of Islam being practised by the Dir clan goes back 1400 years. InZeila,a Dir city, a mosque calledMasjid al-Qiblataynis known as the site of where early companions of the Prophet established a mosque shortly after the firstMigration to Abyssinia[12]By the 7th century, a large-scale conversion to Islam was taking place in the Somali peninsula, first spread by the Dir clan family, to the rest of the nation.[13]

The earlyAdal Kingdom(9th century to 13th century) was an exclusive kingdom with its capital beingZeila.[14]In the 10th century, the Jarso clan a sub-division of Dir established theDawaro Sultanatecentred in Hararghe Highlands.

Dir is one of the oldest clans in the Horn of Africa. According to the Muslim chronicles, two of the oldest monarchies in the northern region, the Ifat and Adal sultanates, were led by Dir.[15]

The Dir, along with theAkisho,Gurgura,IssaandGadabuursisubclans of the Dir represent the most native and indigenous Somaliclantree inHarar.[16][17][18]

The cityDire Dawawas originally calledDir Dhabeand used to be part ofAdal Sultanateduring the medieval times and was exclusively settled by Dir which is a major Somali tribe and after the weakening of Adal Sultanate, theOromostook advantage and were able to penetrate through the city and settle into these areas and also assimilate some of the localGurguraclan.[19]

The Somali Dir clan used to be the predominant inhabitants of Hararghe Highlands in the medieval times until the weakening ofAdal SultanatetheOromostook advantage of the crippling state and decided to invade and occupy the Haraghe Highlands and assimilate the local native Somali population which wereGurguraandBursukwho were all sub-clans of Dir a major Somali tribe tree and were later confederated into Oromo Ethnics, the Afran Qallo tribes.

The Dir were supporters ofImamAhmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghaziduring his 16th centuryconquest of Abyssinia;especially theGurgura,Issa,BursukandGadabuursi.[20]In his medievalFutuh Al-Habashdocumenting this campaign, the chronicler Shihāb al-Dīn indicates that thousands of Dir soldiers took part in Imam Ahmad'sAdal Sultanatearmy.[21]

The Dir clan also led a revolt against the Italians during the colonial period. This revolt was mainly led by the Biimaal section of the Dir. TheBiimaalclan is widely known for leading a resistance against the colonials in southernSomalia.The Biimaal violently resisted the imposition of colonialism and fought against the Italian colonialists of Italian Somaliland in a twenty-year war known as theBimal revoltin which many of their warriors assassinated several Italian governors. This revolt can be compared to the war of the Mad Mullah inSomaliland.[22][23][24]The Biimaal mainly lives inSomalia,theSomali regionofEthiopia,which their Gaadsen sub-clan mainly inhabits and in theNEPregion ofKenya.[25][26]The Biimaal are pastoralists. They were also successful merchants and traders in the 19th century.[27]In the 19th century they have engaged in multiple wars with theGelediclan, which they were victorious in.[27][24]

Lineage

I.M. Lewis and many sources maintain that the Dir, aProto-Somali,together with the Hawiye trace ancestry through Irir son of Samaale.[28][29][30][31][32]Dir is regarded as the father-in-law of Darod, the progenitor of theDarodclan[33]Although some sources state it was the daughter ofHawiyewho Darod married.[34][35][36]

Dir clan lineages:

According to others, Dir had a fifth son, Qaldho Dir.

DNA analysis of Dir clan members inhabitingDjiboutifound that all of the individuals belonged to the Y-DNAT1paternal haplogroup.[37]

Branches

The main subclans of the Dir today are: 1. Mahe 2. Madaluug 3. Madoobe 4. Madahweyne

For the first time since several centuries the Dir clan which widely dispersed in the Horn of Africa has successfully convened a meeting with all the major Dir subclans in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Suldaan Dhawal, of the Habr 'AffanGadabuursiwas elected the head and representative of the Dir clan in theHorn of Africa.[citation needed]

Notable Dir figures

Historical publications

  • Bughyaat al-amaal fii taariikh as-Soomaal, published in Mogadishu, Shariif 'Aydaruus Shariif 'Ali
  • Political History of Lower Shabelle, Dr. Mohamed Abukar Mahad (Gaetano)

See also

Notes

  1. ^al-Huzaimi, Nasir (10 December 2020).The Mecca Uprising: An Insider's Account of Salafism and Insurrection in Saudi Arabia.Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN978-0-7556-0215-5.
  2. ^abFage, J. D.; Oliver, Roland; Oliver, Roland Anthony; Clark, John Desmond; Gray, Richard; Flint, John E.; Roberts, A. D.; Sanderson, G. N.; Crowder, Michael (1975).The Cambridge History of Africa.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-20981-6.
  3. ^abAmbroso, Guido (March 2002)."Clanship, Conflict and Refugees: An Introduction to Somalis in the Horn of Africa"(PDF).p. 6.Retrieved7 February2017.
  4. ^abHayward, R.J.; Lewis, I.M. (17 August 2005).Voice and Power.Routledge. p. 242.ISBN9781135751753.
  5. ^Lewis, I. M. (3 February 2017).Peoples of the Horn of Africa (Somali, Afar and Saho): North Eastern Africa Part I.Routledge.ISBN978-1-315-30817-3.
  6. ^Jama, Hassan Ali (2005).Who Cares about Somalia: Hassan's Ordeal; Reflections on a Nation's Future.Verlag Hans Schiler.ISBN978-3-89930-075-8.
  7. ^Ojielo, Ozzonia (May 2010)."Dynamics and Trends of Conflict in Greater Mandera"(PDF).undp.org.UNDP Kenya. p. 7. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 May 2018.Retrieved7 February2017.Garre live in Southern Somalia, North Eastern Kenya and Southern Ethiopia. In Southern Somalia, they live in Kofur near Mogadishu and El Wak District in Gedo Province. In Ethiopia, they live in Moyale, Hudet and Woreda of Liban zone. In Kenya, the Garre inhabit Wajir North and Moyale.
  8. ^Ozzonia (2010), page 7. The Quranyo section of the Garre claim descent from Dirr, who are born of the Irrir Samal.
  9. ^abLewis 1961,pp. 11–12.
  10. ^Rubin 2009.
  11. ^Lewis 1994,pp. 102–106, esp. p. 105.
  12. ^Briggs, Phillip (2012).Somaliland.Bradt Travel Guides. p. 7.ISBN978-1841623719.
  13. ^Holzer, Georg-Sebastian (2008). "POLITICAL ISLAM IN SOMALIA: A fertile ground for radical Islamic groups?".Geo Politics of the Middle East.1:23.
  14. ^Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 25.Americana Corporation. 1965. p. 255.
  15. ^Futūḥ al-Ḥabasha. (n.d.). Christian-Muslim Relations 1500 - 1900.doi:10.1163/2451-9537_cmrii_com_26077
  16. ^Slikkerveer (28 October 2013).Plural Medical Systems In The Horn Of Africa: The Legacy Of Sheikh Hippocrates.Routledge. p. 140.ISBN9781136143304.
  17. ^Lewis, I. M. (1998).Saints and Somalis: Popular Islam in a Clan-based Society.The Red Sea Press. p. 100.ISBN9781569021033.
  18. ^Lewis, I. M. (17 March 2003).A Modern History of the Somali: Nation and State in the Horn of Africa.Ohio University Press.ISBN9780821445730.
  19. ^ʻArabfaqīh, Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd al-Qādir (1 January 2003).The conquest of Abyssinia: 16th century.Annotation: Dir, According to Huntingford a settlement which may be modern Dire Dawa. Tsehai Publishers & Distributors. p. 24.ISBN9780972317269.
  20. ^Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin'Abd al-Qader,Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia,translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), pp. 50, 76
  21. ^Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd al-Qādir ʻArabfaqīh, Translated by Paul Stenhouse, Richard Pankhurst (2003).The conquest of Abyssinia: 16th century.Tsehai Publishers & Distributors. p. 77.ISBN9780972317269.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^Ciisa-Salwe, Cabdisalaam M. (1 January 1996).The collapse of the Somali state: the impact of the colonial legacy.HAAN. p. 19.ISBN9781874209270.
  23. ^Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye (1 January 2001).Culture and Customs of Somalia.Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 23.ISBN9780313313332.
  24. ^abKariye, Badal (23 July 2010).The Kaleidoscopic Lover: The Civil War in the Horn of Africa & My Itinerary for a Peaceful Lover.Author House. p. 83.ISBN9781452004648.Twenty year war
  25. ^Schlee, Günther (1 January 1989).Identities on the Move: Clanship and Pastoralism in Northern Kenya.Manchester University Press. pp. 107, 108, 275 and 99.ISBN9780719030109.Biimal
  26. ^Kefale, Asnake (31 July 2013).Federalism and Ethnic Conflict in Ethiopia: A Comparative Regional Study.Routledge. p. 89.ISBN9781135017989.gadsan
  27. ^abOlson, James Stuart (1 January 1996).The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary.Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 97.ISBN9780313279188.
  28. ^Ahmed, Ali Jimale (1995).The Invention of Somalia.Lawrenceville, NJ: The Red Sea Press Inc. p. 124.ISBN978-0-932415-98-1.
  29. ^Lewis 1994,p.104.
  30. ^Lewis, I.M. (2008).Understanding Somali and Somaliland Society: Culture History and Society.Hurst. p. 4.ISBN978-1-85065-898-6.
  31. ^Lewis, I.M. (1 January 1998).Saints and Somalis: Popular Islam in a Clan-based Society.The Red Sea Press. p. 99-Chapter 8.ISBN9781569021033.
  32. ^Ahmed, Ali Jimale (1 January 1995).The Invention of Somalia.The Red Sea Press. p. 246.ISBN9780932415998.
  33. ^Mukhtar, Mohamed Haji (25 February 2003).Historical Dictionary of Somalia.Scarecrow Press. p. 71.ISBN9780810866041.
  34. ^Burton, Sir Richard Francis; Burton, Lady Isabel (1893).The Works of Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton: First footsteps in East Africa.Tylston & Edwards. p. 74.where he married a daughter of the Hawiyah tribe: rival races declare him to have been a Galla slave
  35. ^Journal of the East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society.Longmans, Green. 1 January 1921. p. 54.was shipwrecked on the Somali coast where he married a Hawiyah woman
  36. ^Burton, Richard Francis (1 January 1856).First Footsteps in East Africa.Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans. pp.104.where he married a daughter of the Hawiyah tribe
  37. ^Iacovacci, Giuseppe; et al. (2017)."Forensic data and microvariant sequence characterization of 27 Y-STR loci analyzed in four Eastern African countries".Forensic Science International: Genetics.27:123–131.doi:10.1016/j.fsigen.2016.12.015.PMID28068531.Retrieved19 January2018.
  38. ^abcdefgLewis, I.M. (1 January 1998).Peoples of the Horn of Africa: Somali, Afar and Saho.Red Sea Press.ISBN9781569021057.At the end of the book "Tribal Distribution of Somali Afar and Saho"
  39. ^abAhmed, Ali Jimale (1 January 1995).The Invention of Somalia.The Red Sea Press. p. 131.ISBN9780932415998.
  40. ^Africa Confidential.Miramoor Publications Limited. 1 January 1994. p. 17.
  41. ^Verdier, Isabelle (31 May 1997).Ethiopia: the top 100 people.Indigo Publications. p. 13.ISBN9782905760128.
  42. ^Regional & Federal Studies. Volume 24, Issue 5, 2014. Special Issue: Federalism and Decentralization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ethnic Decentralization and the Challenges of Inclusive Governance in Multiethnic Cities: The Case of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.
  43. ^Abdullahi, p. 172.
  44. ^Johnson, p. xv.
  45. ^Phillips, Sarah.Developmental Leadership Program – Policy and Practice for Developmental Leaders, Elites and Coalitions Political Settlements and State Formation: The Case of SomalilandArchived2017-02-02 at theWayback MachineUniversity of Sydney, December 2013, page 9.
  46. ^The Indian Ocean Newsletter — PM Desalegn picks his candidate to head IGADArchived19 April 2017 at theWayback Machine"Abdirahman Duale Beyle, a former Somali Foreign Minister" "an economist who hails from the Gadabursi community."
  47. ^"Vice President Saylici (whose Gadabursi)".Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2017.Retrieved1 February2017.
  48. ^"Nominated Ministers and Their Clans".Goobjoog. 28 January 2015.Retrieved28 January2015.
  49. ^ʻArabfaqīh, Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd al-Qādir (1 January 2003).The conquest of Abyssinia: 16th century.The Habar Makadur, underneath the page as a note [I.M. Lewis] by Richard Pankhurst. Tsehai Publishers & Distributors. p. 27.ISBN9780972317269.
  50. ^Lewis, I.M. (1998).Peoples of the Horn of Africa: Somali, Afar and Saho.Red Sea Press. p. 25.ISBN978-1569021040.There are two main fractions, the Habr Afan and Habr Makadur, formerly united under a common hereditary chief (ogaz).{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  51. ^page 210
  52. ^geeskadmin (10 December 2014)."Kenya: Ethiopia Replaced Ambassador Shemsedin Ahmed for security reasons - Geeska Afrika Online".Retrieved18 August2016.
  53. ^Untitled"Mawlid Hayir Hassan, Regional Vice president," page 27.
  54. ^The Indian Ocean Newsletter — Rise of SPDP in Addis gives green light for internal purge""including the Vice President of SNRS, Mawlid Hayir. "
  55. ^Mukhtar, Mohamed Haji (25 February 2003).Historical Dictionary of Somalia.Scarecrow Press. p. 199.ISBN9780810866041.Sheikh Abdi Abitkar "Gaafle"
  56. ^Lewis, I.M. (1 January 1958). "The Gadabuursi Somali Script".Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.21(1/3): 134–156.doi:10.1017/s0041977x00063278.JSTOR610496.S2CID161856327.
  57. ^Rayne, Henry a (8 August 2015).Sun, Sand and Somals; Leaves from the Note-Book of a District Commissioner in British Somaliland.BiblioLife.ISBN9781297569760.
  58. ^Farah, Rachad (1 September 2013).Un embajador en el centro de los acontecimientos(in Spanish). Editions L'Harmattan. p. 17.ISBN9782336321356.
  59. ^As indicated in Morin (2005:640) the name of "Cote francaise des Somalis" itself is said to have been proposed by hağği Diideh (Mahad-Ase clan of Gedebursi. He was Prosperous merchant of Zayla who built the first Mosque in Djibouti Ğami ar-Rahma in 1891) to the French administration in imitation of British Somaliland, page 92
  60. ^Mukhtar, Mohamed Haji (25 February 2003).Historical Dictionary of Somalia.Scarecrow Press. p. 247.ISBN9780810866041.
  61. ^Yussur Abrar (Dir/Gadabursi), who hails from Borama in Somaliland
  62. ^Quath, Faati (1957).Islam Walbaasha Cabra Taarikh[Islam and Abyssinia throughout history] (in Arabic). Cairo, Egypt.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Sources