Habr Gidr clan
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Languages | |
| Somali | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam, Sufism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| abgaal and other hawiye clans |
The Habar Gidir (Somali: Habargidir) is a Somali clan, part of the larger Hawiye group.
The clan has produced some prominent Somali figures, such as Abdullahi Issa, the chairman of the Somali Youth League (SYL) and first Prime Minister of Somalia prior to independence, Dr. Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, the former President of Somalia, and Mohamed Farrah Aidid, Chairman of the United Somali Congress (USC)
Lee Cassanelli in his book, "The Shaping of Somali society," provides a historical picture of the Hiraab Immate. He writes:
"According to local oral tradition, the Hiraab imamate was a powerful alliance of closely related groups who shared a common lineage under the Gorgaarte clan divisions. It successfully revolted against the Ajuran Sultanate and established an independent rule for at least two centuries from the seventeen hundreds and onwards.
The alliance involved the army leaders and advisors of the Habar Gidir and Duduble, a Fiqhi/Qadi of Sheekhaal , and the Imam was reserved for the Mudulood branch who is believed to have been the first born. Once established, the Imamate ruled the territories from the Shabeelle valley, the Benaadir provinces, the Mareeg areas all the way to the arid lands of Mudug, whilst the ancient port of Hobyo emerged as the commercial capital.
Hobyo served as a prosperous commercial centre for the Imamate. The agricultural centres of Eldher and Harardhere included the production of sorghum and beans, supplementing with herds of camels, cattle, goats and sheep. Livestock, hides and skin, whilst the aromatic woods and raisins were the primary exports as rice, other foodstuffs and clothes were imported. Merchants looking for exotic goods came to Hobyo to buy textiles, precious metals and pearls. The commercial goods harvested along the Shabelle river were brought to Hobyo for trade. Also, the increasing importance and rapid settlement of more southernly cities such as Mogadishu further boosted the prosperity of Hobyo, as more and more ships made their way down the Somali coast and stopped in Hobyo to trade and replenish their supplies.
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Wikipedia