Bosaso, Somalia
Sister City since 2014
Welcome:
Soo Dhawoow
Mayor:
Miles/kms to Minneapolis:
8,159mi/13130.6 kms
Population:
700,000
History:
Bosaso's population is estimated at about 700,000 residents. It is the third largest city in the country after Mogadishu and Hargeisa. While Bosaso is a melting pot, with residents hailing from all the major clans of Somalia, most of its population is from the Harti confederation of Darod sub-clans.
Bosaso was previously known as Bender Qassim, a name derived from a Somali trader of the same name who is said to have first settled in the area during the 14th century. It is believed that Qasim's favourite camel was called Boosaas, from which derived the current name of the town. The town was thus first called Bender Qassim after its founder ("Qasim's town"), then later dubbed Bosaso after its founder's trusted camel. This story is, however, purely speculative. Historically, Bosaso has been a Harti Darod stronghold, and evolved as a coastal outpost of their Sultanates. Near Bosaso, at the end of the Baladi valley, lies a 2 km to 3 km long earthwork. Local tradition recounts that the massive embankment marks the grave of a community matriarch. It is the largest such structure in the wider Horn region.
In the mid-18th to early 20th centuries, the city was among the areas ruled by the Majeerteen Sultanate (Migiurtinia). Later forming a part of Italian Somaliland, Bosaso was represented in the parliament of the succeeding Trust Territory of Somalia by the MPs Haji Bashir Ismail Yusufand Ugaas Yassin Ugaas Abdirahman. The town would eventually be administered through the official Bari region in the post-independence period. With the start of the Somali Civil War and the subsequent formation of Puntland in the 1990s, Bosaso has become the business capital of the northeastern regions of Somalia. In recent years, it has served as a refueling station for maritime transport between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf ports, and has also become an important commercial point of entry.
Did you know?
- Bender Qassim: Historically known as “Bender Qassim,” the name was changed to Bosaso, but it’s Airport retains the name “Bender Qassim International Airport.”
- Livestock Exports: The Port of Bosaso is the busiest livestock terminal in the world. Somalia is the primary exporter of livestock to Saudi Arabia, with Bosaso’s port being the preferred export port for the Arabian peninsula. The Port of Bosaso is known for shipping millions of livestock annually, with hundreds of thousands camels, goats, sheep and cattle shipped during the 10 days preceding the Eid Al-Adha celebration following the Hajj alone. The Port’s output has helped make Somalia become the #1 exporter of livestock in the world.
- Frankincense: Bosaso is one of the few places on Earth where the Boswellia Sacra tree grows, making Bosaso and the surrounding region a global hub for processing and exporting high-grade frankincense.
