Extracts from Ibn Battuta - On Somalia
- Thread starter Khaemwaset
- Start date
The book
The fish butchering he mentions giving Zayla the stench, we now know was being processed and shipped into the interior of Galbeed to complete their diet. @Emir of Zayla posted the study of it:
www.heritagedaily.com
It sounds like it was a place where they processed and exported a lot of food. It's a shame he didn't stay there much and preferred to sleep on the boat, he could have given us more valuable insight into the city workings aside from mentioning it's great market place.
Another interesting thing is how he mentions mango's when listing the diet of Mogadishu and calls it by the Somali name ''Cambe'' and the Shaykh goes from talking to Ibn Battuta in Arabic and talks to one of the students in the local language
He also calls the boats ''Sambuq'' , which shows that the dhow was present in that time in the 1300 and it wasn't introduced to the Indian ocean communities by the Portuguese as some have suggested.
Early Muslims in Africa had a cosmopolitan halal diet
Excavations by archaeologists in Ethiopia have discovered that early Muslim communities ate a cosmopolitan diet as the region became a trading centre for luxury goods. - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News
www.heritagedaily.com
It sounds like it was a place where they processed and exported a lot of food. It's a shame he didn't stay there much and preferred to sleep on the boat, he could have given us more valuable insight into the city workings aside from mentioning it's great market place.
Another interesting thing is how he mentions mango's when listing the diet of Mogadishu and calls it by the Somali name ''Cambe'' and the Shaykh goes from talking to Ibn Battuta in Arabic and talks to one of the students in the local language
He also calls the boats ''Sambuq'' , which shows that the dhow was present in that time in the 1300 and it wasn't introduced to the Indian ocean communities by the Portuguese as some have suggested.
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The fish butchering he mentions giving Zayla the stench, we now know was being processed and shipped into the interior of Galbeed to complete their diet. @Emir of Zayla posted the study of it:
Early Muslims in Africa had a cosmopolitan halal diet
Excavations by archaeologists in Ethiopia have discovered that early Muslim communities ate a cosmopolitan diet as the region became a trading centre for luxury goods. - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News
It sounds like it was a place where they processed and exported a lot of food. It's a shame he didn't stay there much and preferred to sleep on the boat, he could have given us more valuable insight into the city workings aside from mentioning it's great market place.
Another interesting thing is how he mentions mango's when listing the diet of Mogadishu and calls it by the Somali name ''Cambe'' and the Shaykh goes from talking to Ibn Battuta in Arabic and talks to one of the students in the local language
He also calls the boats ''Sambuq'' , which shows that the dhow was present in that time in the 1300 and it wasn't introduced to the Indian ocean communities by the Portuguese as some have suggested.
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Idk maybe that's just his rank or standing, I'm not sure tbf
I'm sure you would be able to find it somewhere, judging by how ibn battuta is well known and is seen as a prized national figure by Morrocans.
Also I'd go looking around other Arab texts held in libraries and archives in places like Yemen Egypt Syria and Oman. There are definitely many texts about Somalia. We have found quits a few already.
The language spoken by the Sultan is actually mentioned twice. Many people have discussed the first, yet you rarely see the second reference to the language being spoken by the elites being brought up.
When Ibn Batuta lands in Muqdisho, he is welcomed by a Qadi by the name of Abu Burhan al Masri. Some of the western translators lazily translate this as an “Egyptian”. While he certainly may have been of Egyptian descent lineage wise, it could also be a nickname (due to his travels or studies, or some other reason what have you). On the day of the Jumuah, the Sultan arrives and speaks to the Qadi, about which Ibn Batuta writes:
الشيخ من باب المقصورة سلّمت عليه مع القاضي، فرحّب و تكلّم بلسانهم مع القاضي، ثم قال باللسان العربيّ:
When the sheikh came out of the door of the chamber, I greeted him with the judge, and he welcomed him and spoke in their language to the judge, then he said in the Arabic language
سلطنة مقديشو الإسلامية من خلال رحلة ابن بطوطة
سلطنة مقديشو الإسلامية من خلال رحلة ابن بطوطة -
www.shiafrica-ar.blogfa.com
As you can see, the Qadi Al Burhan Al Masri also spoke in the local “Maqdishi” language, so two of the most elite people in the town are conversing in a local language despite the prestige Arabic held and the presence of an honourable Arab-speaking guest.
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His cock and balls were cut off so he probably looked kinda feminine with a high-pitched voice. Powerful men all around the world came to the same conclusion that you cannot have a male slave with working gentiles around their female family members.
His cock and balls were cut off so he probably looked kinda feminine with a high-pitched voice. Powerful men all around the world came to the same conclusion that you cannot have a male slave with working gentiles around their female family members.
thats fucked up lol cant imagine any somali culture doing that wild times
Wild times
thats fucked up lol cant imagine any somali culture doing that wild times
Judge Ibn Al-Burhan is of Egyptian origin.
ولما وصلت مع القاضي المذكور وهو يعرف بابن البرهان المصري الأصل إلى دار السلطان خرج بعض الفتيان فسلم على القاضي
When I arrived with the aforementioned judge, known as Ibn Al-Burhan, of Egyptian origin, at the Sultan's house, some young men came out and greeted the judge.
Thanks, I missed that bit. This “Egyptian” is still speaking the local language which would mean he was born there or came there at an early age. It could also mean that his “Asal” was of Egyptian origin but his people moved to Muqdisho and married into the locals. This should not be ruled out because we know there was continuous waves of Arab Migrants settling in Muqdisho; his family could have arrived several centuries earlier. I lean towards the latter because Ibn Batuta notes the “Berbers” Sultan speaks Arabic as a second language, then when he mentions the second encounter he refers to them speaking in their tongue. He doesn’t mention the Qadis ability to speak a second language, which would have been the case if the Qadi was a migrant from Egypt. He would have had some roots in the local area to have been made a Qadi and have spoken the local language fluently. I don’t think he was a straight up Masri imported to assume a high ranking position.
The important point here is the confirmation by an eyewitness of local elites speaking a local language in the medieval period. Given the importance of Arabic as a religious literary language amongst the elites at the time, one can assume the local Somali population had a substantial role in forming the culture and socio economics of the City. We also have an earlier inscription which alludes to the usage of the Somali east Cushitic calendar in Muqdisho. The language being spoken at that time and ibn Batuta clearly stating the Sultans heritage as being from Berberi goes against the Somalis “didn’t have much influence in the city” narrative. Such an argument makes no linguistic, cultural or economic sense. This is similar to other claims about Muqdisho being named after Maqd As Shah or Xamar being named after the Arabic colour red. Some of these claims are taken as fact when they’re just theories. An equal argument could well be made for both those terms having a Somali origin.
Wild times
Learned something new, the Eunuch he mentioned was most likely an Ethiopian slave as they were very common throughout the Muslim world.
The legacy of Ethiopian slavery in Mogadishu is reflected on (Xabash) being synonymous with a slave and it's persistence in the southern dialects both on the benadiri coast and in the interriverine interior. Which still continue to call slaves Xabash.
Somali dictionary synonyms:
I also remember reading that Portuguese mentioned Ethiopian slave in Mogadishu, but i can't really find where i read it.
So if anyone could help me out and find it, it will be good.
It will offer strong proof against the false notion that Southern Somalia had Bantu plantation slaves during the medieval period.
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What's known and claimed by reer xamars is that Xamar is from Ximyar and that Muqdisho is from Maq'ad Shaah, you won't see any reer xamar saying it's from the maxatiri word muuq disho. People of Xamar know xamar better than any other people, vast majority of history of xamar is known through the manuscripts held by Reer Xamars
Yeah, some reer Xamar wrote in a manuscript that Muqdisho comes from Maqadshah and that Xamar comes from the word Arabic-red, so know we must take it as fact and explore no other alternatives.
So when was the Persian King ruling Muqdisho and when was the first recorded mention of muqdisho being named after the shah? When was the first record connection of the word Xamar being derived from Arabic?
Not at all, this first hand Arab account disproves the bs your kind love to put out there. Keep meatriding Somalis Reer Hindi
Also why haven't Arabs and Iranians layed claim to it in their records? These two people's are known for recording it all, we have concrete proof for Arabs taking parts of southern Italy but not a city right below Arabia? Even worse for reer hindi, detailed Arabic sources about Mogadishu and Somalia claim that it is a land of Ajami (non arabs) ruled by a King who spoke Arabic as a second language with his first being the local tounge. Just give up lil bro @Banadiri WarriorYeah, some reer Xamar wrote in a manuscript that Muqdisho comes from Maqadshah and that Xamar comes from the word Arabic-red, so know we must take it as fact and explore no other alternatives.
Primary sources from natives precede anything else and no first hand account mentions etymology of any names
