© L.F. Paoluzzi
Another destination not to be missed is Hargeisa, which became the capital of Somaliland under British colonisation, before independence was declared in 1960. During the civil war that led to its separation from Somalia in 1991, the city was almost entirely destroyed and, after secession, rebuilt to its current appearance.
It’s a capital with some infrastructures and several attempts at modernisation, but one that still retains the flavour of the tradition of a people divided into families and clans and where 50% of the inhabitants are still nomads or semi-nomads. So alongside a new airport, two universities, a significant civil war memorial consisting of a MIG jet, some modern buildings, the legacies of its past and the typical places of a traditionalist people coexist, such as the great Jama mosque, the British colonial town hall and above all the fascinating and bustling cattle market.
Thousands of animals, mainly camels and sheep, gather here every day to be displayed and sold. Considering that much of Somaliland’s economy is based on raising and exporting livestock, you can see how busy its market can be.
