http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/17/cave-paintings-found-in-somaliland

Pretty interesting.
Somalia (espeically the stable parts) is just waiting to be explored and discovered.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Users/Help/screenshots/2010/9/17/1284736902731/dr-sada-mire-rock-art-som-006.jpg
Dr Sada Mire of University College London with some of the ancient art finds at Dhambalin, Somaliland. She headed a local team that discovered almost 100 rock art sites. Photograph: Sada Mire.

Striking prehistoric rock art created up to 5,000 years ago has been discovered at almost 100 sites in Somaliland on the Gulf of Aden in eastern Africa.

A local team headed by Dr Sada Mire, of the Institute of Archaeology at University College London (UCL), made the finds, which include a man on horseback, painted around 4,000 years ago – one of the earliest known depictions of a mounted hunter.

Leaping antelopes, prancing giraffes and snakes poised to strike are among animals and reptiles depicted with astonishing clarity.

Such is the quality of the paintings that at least 10 sites, scattered across semi-desert terrain, are likely to be given World Heritage status.

Mire, who has just become a UN consultant for Somaliland, said: "These are among the best prehistoric paintings in the world.

"Yet Somaliland is a country whose history is totally hidden. With wars, droughts and piracy in Somalia, hardly anyone has researched the archaeology until now. But it's absolutely full of extraordinarily well-preserved rock art."

Dhambalin, about 40 miles from the Red Sea, features horned cattle, sheep and goats painted about 5,000 years ago. The animals have distinctive bands around their backs and bellies, which suggests farming or ritual traditions.

The pictures also depict animals, such as giraffes, no longer found in Somaliland.

Mire, who is Somali-born, has been struck by paintings of "eerie headless creatures". She said: "Sometimes the cattle are represented as necks or horns, a pictorial shorthand that was evidently sufficient to convey meaning."

Other paintings are more mysterious, such as the 2,000-year-old colourful images of the full moon, half-moon and geometric signs at Dawa'aleh. Mire believes these depict the ancient artists' view of the world, time and space.

Somaliland is in the northern part of Somalia, an area slightly larger than England but with a population of just 3.5m. More than half are nomads.

Once part of the Ottoman Empire, it was a British colony from 1884 until 1960. Although it declared itself independent of Somalia in 1991 and has a
separate government, it is yet to be recognised as a separate state.

Mire said: "Whereas Somalia has suffered with an ongoing civil war
and piracy, Somaliland has remained peaceful.

"Yet despite boasting a stable, grass-roots democracy, the country has
not been recognised by the UN and so does not formally exist, leaving
it a breakaway state teetering on the edge of a violent region.

The discovery of the 100 sites follows that of cave paintings at Laas Geel in 2000. For centuries, they were known only to nomads, who believed the site was haunted by evil spirits.

Mire's research study will be published this month in Current World Archaeology.
...

Nice one.

I didn't even know this existed in Somaliland *sighs* :ohno:

What's with the animal paintings tho? Old time Somali's Pre Islam must have worshipped animals o.O

Nice :applause::applause:

In Somalia and the Horn of Africa in general, there is just too much that waits to be discovered. Our region is one of the oldest inhabited parts, its jsut sad enough archeological research isn't being carried out:(.

Nice :applause::applause:

In Somalia and the Horn of Africa in general, there is just too much that waits to be discovered. Our region is one of the oldest inhabited parts, its jsut sad enough archeological research isn't being carried out:(.

that can be said for all of Africa :|

that can be said for all of Africa :|

East Africa is the oldest inhabited place in Africa. This where they found the oldest human remains there.

Nice :applause::applause:

In Somalia and the Horn of Africa in general, there is just too much that waits to be discovered. Our region is one of the oldest inhabited parts, its just sad enough archeological research isn't being carried out:(.

It is the oldest and the people of the horn of Africa laid the foundations for civilization as a whole.

"We come from the beginning of the nile, where god happily dwell at the foothills of the mountain of the moon"- papyrus of hunefer

That's what the ancient Egyptains said about their origins and Mecca and Medina was part of the Axumite empire. I try to post that information on youtube and all those other sites that try to claim that Egypt wasn't an indigenous African civilization but they always delete it.:lol:

Some people can't handle the truth.:nuts:

It is the oldest and the people of the horn of Africa laid the foundations for civilization as a whole.

"We come from the beginning of the nile, where god happily dwell at the foothills of the mountain of the moon"- papyrus of hunefer

That's what the ancient Egyptains said about their origins and Mecca and Medina was part of the Axumite empire. I try to post that information on youtube and all those other sites that try to claim that Egypt wasn't an indigenous African civilization but they always delete it.:lol:

Some people can't handle the truth.:nuts:

South Yemen was part of the Axumite Empire not Mecca or Medina

East Africa is the oldest inhabited place in Africa. This where they found the oldest human remains there.

i know this! :bash:
was just saying, Africa isn't explored enough archaeologically.
no one doesn't even know shit about African civilization :ohno:

i know this! :bash:
was just saying, Africa isn't explored enough archaeologically.
no one doesn't even know shit about African civilization :ohno:

Sorry about that, mate

I agree, I bet there are numerous other civilizations in Africa that are waiting to be discovered

South Yemen was part of the Axumite Empire not Mecca or Medina

The Koran mentions that an Ethiopian ruler tried to conquer Mecca in the year Mohammad (PBUH) was born, however a war elephant decided to sit down and so the invasion failed.

Doesn't make much sense to me, but the takeaway is that Axum never controlled those parts of Arabia.

Later Mohammad would send his followers to Ethiopia in the first hijra to escape persecution, where the Christian Axumite ruler, Ashama, welcomed them. The Koran claims he later converted to Islam, but I doubt it. However the Muslims were grateful regardless and so the Koran specifically states that that they must respect and protect Ethiopia- which I think I can say they haven't paid too much attention too.

The Korean mentions that an Ethiopian ruler tried to conquer Mecca in the year Mohammad (PBUH) was born, however a war elephant decided to sit down and so the invasion failed.

Doesn't make much sense to me, but the takeaway is that Axum never controlled those parts of Arabia.

Later Mohammad would send his followers to Ethiopia in the first hijra to escape persecution, where the Christian Axumite ruler, Ashama, welcomed them. The Koran claims he later converted to Islam, but I doubt it. However the Muslims were grateful regardless and so the Koran specifically states that that they must respect and protect Ethiopia- which I think I can say they haven't paid too much attention too.

So what was the point of your post? :lol:

South Yemen was part of the Axumite Empire and this is well documented. But Mecca or Medina never were.

That Abyssinia and current Ethiopia are two different things. Muslims are always grateful for the generosity of the King. But since those days Ethiopian Christians have changed their ways. We all saw what the brutal kings especially Haile Selassie did in Oromia/Somali and Afar region during his rule.

Korean. :laugh:

Korean. :laugh:


Did I really say that? Now I feel stupid. :lol:

Korean :hilarious

Typos are just hilarious sometimes.
One of my professors doesn't know the difference between roster and roaster, so talks of the "class roaster" :lol:

Anyway, I'm glad to see African scientists exploring our continent. Maybe we'll get a more balanced presentation of our history as a result. Currently it's a very Eurocentric view that's out there.

Korean :hilarious

Typos are just hilarious sometimes.
One of my professors doesn't know the difference between roster and roaster, so talks of the "class roaster" :lol:

I suppose he's Ethiopian.

ANYWAYS back to the topic, this is a very interesting development and hopefully with the peace in Somaliland, foreign archeologists don't feel afraid to explore more of the area to see the historical artifacts. The documented history of Somalis before Islam is truly shrouded and minute.

Next time I am in the motherland (which could be a long while), I'm definitely visiting Laas Geel.

http://bluecaves.com/wp-content/gallery/laas-gaal/laas_geel_alcove.jpg

No, thankfully. The one Ethiopian teacher I had (teaching English!), used to say "boz ov zem" :rofl:

No, thankfully. The one Ethiopian teacher I had (teaching English!), used to say "boz ov zem" :rofl:

It took me three times saying that aloud to realize that was "both of them. :lol:

Indeed ANYWAYS I will have to visit Somalia one day.

South Yemen was part of the Axumite Empire not Mecca or Medina

There were over 100,000 Axumite troops in that entire area. I would post the proof but I don't know how to post pics and stuff on messageboards.:gaah:

There were over 100,000 Axumite troops in that entire area. I would post the proof but I don't know how to post pics and stuff on messageboards.:gaah:

Just give me the link

This is just one story:

Part III: Reign of Mehadeyis
On his eighteenth birthday, Mehadeyis, In the Year 373, ascended to the throne of Negusa Nagast. Of the Triumvirate, Ousanas and Eon had turned over their position as regiment commanders to younger men and assumed the duties of aging statesmen (they were each in their fifties). Datawnas still commanded his regiment, which was stationed in the province which would come to be known Yemen.

Eon, Mehadeyis’s most trusted advisor, suggested that the young king begin his reign by touring his vast realm. He agreed eagerly, and decided to begin his tour in Yemen, where Datawnas had asked him to come and listen to a proposal. He was accompanied across the Red Sea by Frumentius, the elderly Bishop of Ethiopia, who wished to see how the effort to convert the natives to Christianity was progressing.

He met Datawnas in the ancient city of Marib and accompanied him on a tour of the city. Datawnas’s proposal was that the ancient dam in the city be repaired and rebuilt so as to allow the countryside to once again be rich, irrigated land. As a side effect, the discontent of Himyarites may simmer down when they saw that Axum had their interests at heart and at the same time Axum would benefit from an increased spice trade. Mehadeyis readily agreed and construction began soon after.

While Mehadeyis was doing this, Frumentius and his cohort of Priests established a church in Marib with the intent of converting the natives and establishing churches in other neighboring cities. During their stay in Marib, the elders of Hadhramaut heard of this new religion and its young leader, and embarked on a journey to Marib to learn more. After a prolonged stay, the chief elder converted to Christianity, and many of his followers converted as a show of loyalty. Mehadeyis, who was gifted with a silver tongue, managed to convince the new converts that the best way to show their dedication to god was to pay “tidings” to the Ethiopian Church and the Axmite treasury. To the dismay of his compatriots, the chief elder agreed, bringing Hadhramaut firmly under the Axumite sphere of influence.

The King returned to Axum Proper, where a prominent trading family proposed that Axum annex the island of Socotra to give the traders a friendly port to stop at between Adulis and India. Mehadeyis agreed and dispatched Ousanas’s former regiment, now commanded by a man named Wazena, to secure the island. The islanders, who were found to be Christians, readily agreed to join the realm, though little changed for the people of Socotra.

In the fall of 374, Mehadeyis continued with his tour, riding the Atbara river north through Alodia into Meroe. He arrived in the ancient city a week before the death of its Governor, the man appointed by Ezana. So as to keep the Kushites from thinking that they had their own separate dynasty from Axum, Mehadeyis appointed the leader of a popular trading family who had demonstrated their loyalty to Axum.

With that sorted out, he continued north, into Noba. The Nubatae had been plotting behind Axum’s back for two decades now, and with the arrival of Mehadeyis’s regiment, they went into open revolt. The king quickly put it down, destroying the “army” that the rebels had thrown together. He expelled the most troublesome survivors to the western desert, and sent a message back to Axum, ordering Eon’s former regiment, now commanded by the young warrior Gadarat, to “travel to Noba with all haste, to maintain order and our border security”.

The Imperial Tour completed, Mehadeyis returned to Axum. With complete domination of both the Red Sea and the Nile trade, Axum continued to grow richer. With the completion of the dam in Marib, much of the agriculture was switched from Axum Proper to Yemen and the Nile Valley, preventing the over-farming of the soil.

In 377, when Mehadeyis was twenty-two years old, he arranged a marriage with the tribe of Azd, the dominant power in eastern Arabia who controlled the city of Mecca. He and his wife had many children, four of which were boys; Zoskales, Ouazebas, and the twins Endubis and Aphilas. In 383, Frumentius died in his sleep, thus ending the first chapter in the history of the Ethiopian Church.

The following year, the people of Hadhramaut imprisoned their Christian King and declared that they would pay “tithes” to no man. Datawnas was dispatched with his regiment to put down the rebels. After a short campaign, the rebels released their King. As they had done in Noba, the more rebellious tribes of Hadhramaut were resettled farther to the east, in Oman. The King was forced to swear homage to Mehadeyis and his descendants and the territory officially became a vassal of the Empire of Axum.

In 386, the ruler of Mecca, of the tribe of Azd, died. That same year, the Quraysh tribe began to gather allies in an open attempt to take Mecca. With no leadership, and a population outnumbered by the enemy, the people of Azd turned to Mehadeyis, husband of their princess, for protection. But Mehadeyis was still shrewd at age thirty-one, and demanded that in exchange for destroying their rivals, the people of Azd would become full subjects of Axum. The people acquiesced, and the regiments were sent in.

Mehadeyis arrived just in time to stop the Quraysh from taking Mecca, forcing them back into the desert. The Quraysh regrouped and tried again, only to be smashed at the battle of Jeddah. Their leader, Qusai ibn Kilab, was dragged back to Mecca in chains, where the people of Azd excuted him; their last act as a sovereign state.

The king stayed in Mecca for another year, to make sure that his rule of the area was solid. A month before he planned to return to Axum, a wave of smallpox spread the city. He quarantined everyone inside, before falling ill himself. In 389, Mehadeyis, Negusa Nagast of Axum, conquerer of Mecca, was the last man in that city to die of Smallpox.

http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=145100

This section and a map is at the very bottom of the page.

There were over 100,000 Axumite troops in that entire area. I would post the proof but I don't know how to post pics and stuff on messageboards.:gaah:

press the landscape button in advanced(when you're typing your message), then pop in your url and then, that will pop up with your URL inside it. when you press submit reply and your image should be there.
oh yah, the image needs to be on it's own page so press RMB and press view image to get the URL

This is just one story:

This section and a map is at the very bottom of the page.

You silly guy, that's an alternate history!!! I'm a member of that forum!!

You silly guy, that's an alternate history!!! I'm a member of that forum!!

Does that mean its not true?

Does that mean its not true?

:rofl:
Are you acting dumb? seriously, I want to know :lol:

press the landscape button in advanced(when you're typing your message), then pop in your url and then, that will pop up with your URL inside it. when you press submit reply and your image should be there.
oh yah, the image needs to be on it's own page so press RMB and press view image to get the URL

Thanks:cheers:

:rofl:
Are you acting dumb? seriously, I want to know :lol:

:lol:

Does that mean its not true?

Yes it does. I helped the writer of that thread with his history.

Yes it does. I helped the writer of that thread with his history.

:lol: I actually have some books and I've had discussions on the African presence in Arabia but I was trying to find some stuff online and that was the first thing that popped up.

There was a significent influential African population in Mecca and Medina before and after the rise of Islam. That was my point.

:lol: I actually have some books and I've had discussions on the African presence in Arabia but I was trying to find some stuff online and that was the first thing that popped up.

There was a significent influential African population in Mecca and Medina before and after the rise of Islam. That was my point.

Looking at this thread makes me modestly curious about those Books' sources - may I ask what books?

:lol: I actually have some books and I've had discussions on the African presence in Arabia but I was trying to find some stuff online and that was the first thing that popped up.

There was a significent influential African population in Mecca and Medina before and after the rise of Islam. That was my point.

No one is denying African presence in Arabia before and after Islam. But claiming Axumite controlled Mecca and Medina is a bit ludicrous