Isaaq
   
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| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Languages | |
| Somali | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (Sunni ) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Dir, Darod, Hawiye, Rahanweyn, and other Somali people |
The Isaaq (also Isaq, Ishaak) (Somali: Reer Sheik Isaxaaq, Arabic: إسحاق) is a Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans, with a large and densely populated traditional territory. Members principally live in the northwestern Somaliland region of Somalia, the Somali Region of Ethiopia and Djibouti, as well as Kenya where they are known as the Isahakia community.
The populations of five major cities in Somaliland – Hargeisa, Burao, Berbera, Erigavo and Gabiley – are predominantly Isaaq.
According to early Islamic books and Somali tradition, the Isaaq clan was founded in the 12th or 13th century with the arrival of Sheikh Isaaq Bin Ahmed Al Hashimi (Sheikh Isaaq) from Arabia, a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib in Maydh. He settled in the coastal town of Maydh in modern-day northeastern Somaliland, where he married into the Magaadle clan, the traditional inhabitants of northeastern Somaliland.
A similar tradition exists for the Darod, who are said to have descended from one Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, another Banu Hashim who came to Somalia around the same time.
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