Gondershe
Gondershe, also known as Gandershe or El Torre, is an ancient landmark on the Somali Sea as well as a town in the south-central Banaadir province of Somalia.[1] It is noted for its various historical structures.
Gondershe | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Historical citadel ruins in Gondershe. | |
| Country |  |
| Region | Banaadir |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Overview
Gondershe is situated a few kilometers northeast of Merca and southwest of Mogadishu.[2]
It is an ancient stone city built on an oasis. The town's ruins consist of typical Somali architecture, such as coral stone houses, fortifications, tombs and mosques. It is said to date from the medieval Ajuran period, when it became a center of trade that handled smaller vessels sailing from India, Arabia, Persia and the Far East.
Gondershe later evolved into a popular tourist attraction during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The film La Conchiglia (1992) by the award-winning Somali filmmaker Abdulkadir Ahmed Said was also shot here, and features the town's local residents.[3]
Notes
- Jönsson, Sune. Archaeological Research Co-operation between Somalia and Sweden: Report on a Three-Month Visit to Somalia in 1982. No. 1. Central board of national antiquities, 1983.
- Universität Frankfurt am Main. Frobenius-Institut, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kulturmorphologie, Frobenius Gesellschaft, Paideuma: Mitteilungen zur Kulturkunde, Volumes 26-28, (F. Steiner: 1980), p.202.
- Xodo, p.31
References
- Xodo, Chiara (August 2008). "Catalogo Audiovisivi (con schede didattiche)" (PDF). Centro Interculturale Millevoci, Provincia Autonoma di Trento Dipartimento Istruzione. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-22. Retrieved 2009-09-25.