Luuq
Encyclopedia
Luuq or Lugh is a city in the southern Gedo
province of Somalia
. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, and is the seat of the Luuq District
, one of the region's seven districts. The town is located in a bend of the Juba River, where the river flows down from north to south in a horseshoe shape. Luuq is also known as Luuq Ganaane.
means "alley" by virtue of the city's geographical setting. The river has great influence on the city and its surrounding areas. The entrance of the city gate is situated not more than 100 meters from the river banks on both the eastern and western sides of the town. About 4 km past the city center and main Luuq Market, the river encloses the city again completely. Only the extreme southern side of the city has open land free from the river's enclosures.
Historically, Luuq is one of the oldest settlements in Somalia. In his 1811 report to the authorities of British India, captain Thomas Smee wrote Luuq had 300 huts, in comparison to Mogadishu
which at the time had between 100 and 150 stone houses. Beginning in 1893, Luuq was attacked by Ethiopia
n raiding parties travelling down the Juba, which forced the local sultan to unsuccessfully appeal to the Sultan of Zanzibar
for help; only when the Italian explorers Vittorio Bottego
and Ugo Ferrandi arrived in 1895 were the Ethiopian attacks successfully repelled. Luuq came under indirect Italian control by 1907, and Italian interest in the town was serious enough for them to demarcate the only segment of the Somali-Ethiopian boundary in order to include Luuq as part of Italian Somaliland
. For decades, it was the political center of the Gedo region.
On March 7, 2011, militia forces loyal to the Transitional Federal Government
captured Luuq from Al-Shabaab rebels, encountering little or no resistance.
Gedo
Gedo is an administrative region , formerly part of the historic Upper Juba Region in southern Somalia. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey. Gedo is a region created in 1980s and is bordered by the Ogaden in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province in Kenya, and the Somali regions of Bakool, Bay,...
province of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, and is the seat of the Luuq District
Luuq District
Luuq District is a district in the southwestern Gedo region of Somalia....
, one of the region's seven districts. The town is located in a bend of the Juba River, where the river flows down from north to south in a horseshoe shape. Luuq is also known as Luuq Ganaane.
Overview
The name Luuq in the Somali languageSomali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
means "alley" by virtue of the city's geographical setting. The river has great influence on the city and its surrounding areas. The entrance of the city gate is situated not more than 100 meters from the river banks on both the eastern and western sides of the town. About 4 km past the city center and main Luuq Market, the river encloses the city again completely. Only the extreme southern side of the city has open land free from the river's enclosures.
Historically, Luuq is one of the oldest settlements in Somalia. In his 1811 report to the authorities of British India, captain Thomas Smee wrote Luuq had 300 huts, in comparison to Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
which at the time had between 100 and 150 stone houses. Beginning in 1893, Luuq was attacked by Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n raiding parties travelling down the Juba, which forced the local sultan to unsuccessfully appeal to the Sultan of Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
for help; only when the Italian explorers Vittorio Bottego
Vittorio Bottego
Vittorio Bottego was an Italian army officer and one of the first Western explorers of Jubaland in the Horn of Africa , where he led two expeditions. Bottego was born in Parma....
and Ugo Ferrandi arrived in 1895 were the Ethiopian attacks successfully repelled. Luuq came under indirect Italian control by 1907, and Italian interest in the town was serious enough for them to demarcate the only segment of the Somali-Ethiopian boundary in order to include Luuq as part of Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland , also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1936 in the region of modern-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate, the territory was later acquired by Italy through various...
. For decades, it was the political center of the Gedo region.
On March 7, 2011, militia forces loyal to the Transitional Federal Government
Transitional Federal Government
The Transitional Federal Government is the current internationally recognized government of the Republic of Somalia. It was established as one of the Transitional Federal Institutions of government as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter adopted in November 2004 by the Transitional...
captured Luuq from Al-Shabaab rebels, encountering little or no resistance.