Somalia is a beautiful country, and its people are indigenous to the Horn of Africa. They have given their name to the region as the Somali Peninsula. Somali history goes back to the myths of time, before even the ancient Egyptians, who called the Land of the Somali, the land of their ancestry and the land of the Gods. 

Somalis still continue to maintain and enjoy some of the old Egyptian-claimed cultures, including some dress styles and tools like the hangol (the ‘Was’ Sceptre) and the Barkin or  the headrest and many others. They were and still are of Somali origin, who still use them today. The current Somali language maintains many words of the Ancient Egyptians. They include words like ‘aar’ for lion, ‘Besat’ for cat, ‘Usha’ for sceptre, ‘Dab’ for fire, ‘Hes’ for song, and many others.

Somalis also share many cultural ties with other Cushitic peoples, like the Saho and the Afar. The Somali culture is rich in oral traditions including poetry, storytelling, music and indeed, sciences such as astronomy, weather sciences, medicinal sciences, agriculture and livestock rearing and husbandry. Somalis are said to have identified the monsoon winds that blow in the seas around them through their voyages to Arabia, India, Persia and East Asia. A Somali always stands out of every other race or people and is easily identifiable as Somali, one of their unique traits. 

The native land of the Somali is currently harsh and dry and is climatically hostile. In the past, however, it would appear to have been more of a savannah country with all the animal folk, vegetation and birds of the East African savannah countries. It is what has enabled the Somali to thrive with their livestock which they have tamed long ago including camels, cattle, goats and sheep. The Somali sheep is another unique animal and is adorned by a black head and can only live and thrive in Somali lands. Somalis were also, indeed, the first to tame the one humped camel, the dromedary.

They cope with all kinds of environments – from deserts to icy and snowy countries and have travelled far from their native regions to........

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