Bargal (Somali: Baargaal, Arabic: بارجال) is a town in the northeastern Bari region of Puntland, Somalia.

Bargal
Baargaal
بارجال
Town
Overview of Bargal.
Overview of Bargal.
Bargal is located in Somalia
Bargal
Bargal
Location in Somalia.
Coordinates: 11°17′00″N 51°05′00″E / 11.28333°N 51.08333°E / 11.28333; 51.08333
Country Somalia
RegionBari
DistrictBargal
Population
 • Total6,798[1]
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)

Location

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Bargal is situated in the mountainous Bari province of the autonomous Puntland state. It serves as the center of the Bargal District.[2]

A coastal town, Bargal faces the Guardafui Channel in the Indian Ocean. It lies 26 nautical miles (30 miles) north of Gumbah, 11 nautical miles (13 miles) north of Ras Binnah, 30 nautical miles (35 miles) south of Tohen, and 35 nautical miles (40 miles) south of Cape Guardafui and the entrance to the Gulf of Aden.

Overview

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Majeerteen Sultanate residence HQ

The book Migiurtinia Ed Il Territorio Del Nugál says the following: "Bargaal is the habitual residence of Boqor Osman Mahmud. The village is mainly inhabited by Majeerteen 800 Adan Abdirahman and 150 Osman Mahmud. There are four forts, the Kings house, 120 other brick buildings and about 200 huts. Drinking water, slightly brackish, is available on site. The village is divided into two parts: old Bargal and Eirod;  the Sultan lives in the latter. 

(Footnote) This monograph was written in early 1925, that is, before the military occupation of the Sultanate took place. Bargal no longer exists: it was bombed and razed to the ground on the 28 and 29 of October, 1925."[3]

In June 2007, it was the location of the Battle of Bargal.

In 2012, the Puntland Highway Authority (PHA) announced a project to connect Bargal and other cities in Puntland to the main regional highway.[4] The 750 km thoroughfare links major cities in the northern part of Somalia, such as Bosaso, Galkayo and Garowe, with towns in the south.[5]

History

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The Majeerteen Sultanate was established possible around 1600s by Somalis from the Majeerteen Darod clan.[6] It reached prominence during the 19th century, under the reign of the resourceful Boqor (King) Osman Mahamuud.[7]

In the mid-17th to early 20th centuries city was among the area ruled by Majeerteen Sultanate Migiurtinia. Later forming a part of Italian Somaliland.[8][6][9] Bargal was seasonal headquarters of the Majeerteen Sultanate.Bargal likewise had a number of castles and forts in various areas within its realm, including a fortress at Alula.[8]

Demographics

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Bargal District has a population of around 6,798 inhabitants.[2]

Education

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Bargal has a number of academic institutions. According to the Puntland Ministry of Education, there are three primary schools, one secondary school and institute in the Bargal District. These include Wadikhayr, Taageer, Qorraxad, Abdehan and Bargaal Primary.[10]

References

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  1. ^ https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/somalia
  2. ^ a b "Bargaal: Somalia". Geographical Names. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Migiurtinia Ed Il Territorio Del Nugál,". 1925. p. 16. Archived from the original on 2020-09-23.
  4. ^ "Puntland to upgrade Bosaso-Garowe highway". Sabahi. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  5. ^ The First 100 Days in Office Archived February 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b Fergusson, James (2013-05-01). The World's Most Dangerous Place: Inside the Outlaw State of Somalia. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0306821585.
  7. ^ Helen Chapin Metz, ed., Somalia: a country study, (The Division: 1993), p.10.
  8. ^ a b S. 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.
  9. ^ "Information on the Majerteen Clan and the Democratic Front for the Salvation of Somalia (DFSS), Somalia [SOM1546]". 24 July 1989. Archived from the original on 2017-12-30. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  10. ^ "Puntland - Primary schools". Ministry of Education of Puntland. Retrieved 26 May 2013.