History of Somalia

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Somalia (Somali: Somaliya; aṣ-Ṣūmāl), officially the Federal Republic of Somalia (Somali: Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya, Jumhūriyyat aṣ-Ṣūmāl al-Fideraaliya) and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. In antiquity, the region now known as Somalia was referred to as the second "Barbaria" by the Greeks and Romans; similarly, Arab sources, including the geographer al Idrisi, identified it as al-Barbara. The country was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world, and according to most scholars, it was the seat of ancient Land of Punt that thrived during bronze age. During the classic era until the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali states and port towns dominated the regional trade, including the Sultanate of Mogadishu and the Ajuran Sultanate, both centered around the port town of Mogadishu. Additionally, the port towns of Barawe and Merca played significant roles in this commercial network which were part...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Dr. Neville H. Chittick, CC BY 4.0