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Hafun

Coordinates:10°25′00″N51°16′00″E/ 10.41667°N 51.26667°E/10.41667; 51.26667
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Hafun
Xaafuun
حافون
Οπώνη
Town
One of the forts of the Majeerteen Sultanate in Hafun (early 1900s).
One of the forts of theMajeerteen Sultanatein Hafun (early 1900s).
Hafun is located in Somalia
Hafun
Hafun
Location in Somalia.
Coordinates:10°25′00″N51°16′00″E/ 10.41667°N 51.26667°E/10.41667; 51.26667
CountrySomalia
Regional StatePuntland
RegionBari
DistrictHafun
Established1st millennium BC–500 AD
Population
(2000 HH)
• Total13,200
Time zoneUTC+3(EAT)

Hafun(Somali:Xaafuun;Arabic:حافون;Ancient Greek:Οπώνη,romanized:Opṓnē,Italian:Dante) is a town in the northeasternBariprovince ofSomalia.Situated inRas Hafunon the coast of theGuardafui Channel,it is the centre of theHafun District,and theeasternmosttown in continentalAfrica(this means that it sees the first sunrise on the African continent). It is an ancient town previously known asOpone.

History

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See also:Hafun Salt Factory
17th centurymasjidin Hafun.

Hafun has been identified as the ancient trading port ofOpone,an ancientproto-Somalicity which was described in the 1st century CE Greek travelogue thePeriplus of the Erythraean Sea.Pottery found by an expedition led byNeville Chittick,in OponeantombsatDamo,date back to theMycenaeankingdom ofGreecethat flourished during the 16th century BC.[1]Opone was primarily known for its trade with theAncient Egyptians,Romans,Greeks,Persians,and the states ofancient India.Through archaeological remains, the historic port has been identified with the city of Hafun.[2]It is possible that it corresponds to theLand of Puntas known by the ancient Egyptians during theOld,Middle,andNew Kingdom.[3][4][5]Merchants from as far afield asIndonesiaandMalaysiaalso passed through the settlement. By 50 CE, the area was well known as a centre for thecinnamontrade, along with the bartering ofclovesand otherspices,ivory,exoticanimal hides,andincense.It also traded intortoiseshells.[6]

The Majeerteen Sultanate was established possible around 1600s bySomalisfrom theMajeerteenDarodclan.[7]It reached prominence during the 19th century, under the reign of the resourcefulBoqor(King)Osman Mahamuud.[8]

In the mid-17th to early 20th centuries city was among the area ruled byMajeerteen SultanateMigiurtinia.Later forming a part ofItalian Somaliland.[9][10][11] Hafun was most strategic place of theMajeerteen Sultanate.The historical city of Hafun likewise had a number ofcastlesandfortsin various areas within its realm, including a fortress at Ras Hafun.[9]

History and trade

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Main articles:Maritime history of SomaliaandSomali aristocratic and court titles

Pottery found in Oponeantombsdate back to theMycenaeanKingdomofGreecethat flourished between the 16th and 11th century BC.[12]Its major periods of activity were during the 1st century BC and the 3rd to the 5th centuries AD.[13]Opone was mentioned by an anonymousGreekmerchant in the 1st century ADPeriplus of the Erythraean Sea.The town is featured in the ancient document's thirteenth entry, which in part states:

And then, after sailing four hundredstadiaalong a promontory, toward which place thecurrentalso draws you, there is another market-town called Opone, into which the same things are imported as those already mentioned, and in it, the greatest quantity ofcinnamonis produced, (the arebo and moto), and a great quantity oftortoiseshell,better than that found elsewhere.

Opone served as a port of call for merchants fromPhoenicia,Egypt,Greece,Persia,Yemen,Nabataea,Azania,theRoman Empireand elsewhere,[14]as it sat at a strategic location along the coastal route from theMochantrading center of Azania to theRed Sea.Merchants from as far afield asIndonesiaandMalaysiapassed through the city, exchanging spices, silks, and other goods, before departing south for Azania or north toYemenorEgypton thetrade routesthat spanned the length of theIndian Ocean's rim. As early as 50 AD, it was well known as a center for thecinnamontrade, along with the barter ofclovesand otherspices,ivory,exoticanimal skinsandincense.

During the early modern period, Hafun was part of theMajeerteen Sultanate's realm.

In 1930, anItalianfirm invested capital to exploitsaltdeposits in Hafun and Hurdiyo. The Italians renamed the city Dante and created the biggest salt production plant in the world.[15]By 1933 or 1934, theHafun salt workswere producing more than 200,000 tonnes of salt, most of which was exported to theFar East.[16]

Following independence in 1960, the town was made the official centre ofHafun District.

Archaeological remains

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Ancient Egyptian,RomanandPersian Gulfpottery has been recovered from the site by anarchaeologicalteam from theUniversity of Michigan.In the 1970s,Neville Chittick,aBritisharchaeologist,initiated the British-Somali expedition where he and hisSomalicolleagues encountered remains of ancientdrystone walls,houses withcourtyards,and the location of the oldharbour.

Demographics

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As of 2000,Hafun had a population of around 13,200 inhabitants. Mainly dominated byMajeerteen.[17]

Education

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According to the Puntland Ministry of Education, there are eight primary schools inHafun District.Among these are Hurdiya, Laamiye, Gardush, and Xandha.[18]

Economy

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TheHafun Salt Factory,built in the 1930s.[19]

TheHafun Fishing Company(HFC) was established in July 1992, inBosaso.[20][21]It was named after Hafun, where HFC also has an office. The firm exports a wide range offishproducts to international markets. Among these arelobsters,frozen fish, driedshark meat,and fin, which it mainly sends toYemen,theUnited Arab Emirates,andOman,as well as some products toKenya.The company is exploring additional global markets for its fish.[20]

In late 2014, the Udug Ltd. Company, in conjunction with theUnited States–based REDD Engineering & Construction Incorporated,[22]began conducting feasibility studies for the renovation of the salt production plants in Hafun, Hurdiyo, and other littoral areas in Puntland. The first phase of the initiative was completed in March 2015 and saw the historic salt works in both towns refurbished following community-wide consultations. According to the Puntland Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, the project focuses on stimulating entrepreneurship and sustaining job creation. It was inspired by calls for national reinvestment by the Puntland presidential office and the Puntland Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, REDD Engineering official Lowry Redd indicated that the initiative's second phase aims to restore the Hafun plant to its place as one of the main global suppliers of salt.[19]

Transportation

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In 2012, thePuntland Highway Authority(PHA) announced a project to connect Hafun and other coastal towns in Puntland to the main regional highway.[23]The thoroughfare, which is 750 km (470 miles) long, would link major cities in the northern part of Somalia, such asBosaso,GalkayoandGarowe,with towns in the south.[24]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Chittick, Neville (1975).An Archaeological Reconnaissance of the Horn: The British-Somali Expedition.pp. 117–133.
  2. ^The Indian Ocean in antiquity By Julian Reade pg 449
  3. ^"Punt".Ancient History Encyclopedia.Retrieved2017-11-27.
  4. ^Flückiger, Friedrich August; Hanbury, Daniel (2014-03-20).Pharmacographia.Cambridge University Press. p. 136.ISBN9781108069304.
  5. ^Wood, Michael (2005).In Search of Myths & Heroes: Exploring Four Epic Legends of the World.University of California Press. p.155.ISBN9780520247246.opone punt.
  6. ^Charlesworth, M.P. (1970).Trade routes and commerce of the roman Empire(2nd ed. rev. ed.). New-York: Cooper Square Publishers. p. 65.ISBN978-0815403289.
  7. ^Fergusson, James (2013-05-01).The World's Most Dangerous Place: Inside the Outlaw State of Somalia.Da Capo Press.ISBN978-0306821585.
  8. ^Helen Chapin Metz,ed.,Somalia: a country study,(The Division: 1993), p.10.
  9. ^abS. B. Miles,On the Neighbourhood of Bunder Marayah,Vol. 42, (Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the institute of British Geographers): 1872), p.61-63.
  10. ^Fergusson, James (2013-05-01).The World's Most Dangerous Place: Inside the Outlaw State of Somalia.Da Capo Press.ISBN978-0306821585.
  11. ^"Information on the Majerteen Clan and the Democratic Front for the Salvation of Somalia (DFSS), Somalia [SOM1546]".24 July 1989.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-12-30.Retrieved2017-12-30.
  12. ^An Archaeological Reconnaissance of the Horn: The British-Somali Expedition 1975, Neville Chittick pg 133
  13. ^Shaw, Ian; Robert Jameson (2002).A Dictionary of Archaeology.Wiley. p. 264.ISBN978-0-631-23583-5.Retrieved25 September2010.
  14. ^"Steam Workshop::Gedemo Opone City-State".steamcommunity.com.Retrieved2020-05-25.
  15. ^"Italianised cities of Banadir".dadfeatured.blogspot.com.Dad Featured. 5 June 2018.
  16. ^Ahmed, Ahmed Abbas. "Transformation Towards a Regulated Economy": 74.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  17. ^"Somalia City & Town Population".Tageo.Retrieved4 October2013.
  18. ^"Puntland – Primary schools".Ministry of Education of Puntland.Retrieved26 May2013.
  19. ^ab"Somalia salt industry revives".Garowe Online. 7 March 2015.Retrieved8 March2015.
  20. ^ab"Hafun Fishing Company".Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2014.Retrieved5 July2014.
  21. ^"Hafun Fishing".Hotfrog.Retrieved6 July2014.
  22. ^"REDD".REDD Engineering & Construction Incorporation.Retrieved2017-03-28.
  23. ^"Puntland to upgrade Bosaso-Garowe highway".Sabahi.28 June 2012.Retrieved6 November2012.
  24. ^"H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Mohamud (Farole)".Waayaha.net. Archived fromthe originalon 23 March 2012.Retrieved6 December2013.
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