Traditional houses were built to cater to the needs of a community. For the Somali, their main economic activity was nomadic pastoralism, and their houses were built to reflect this lifestyle. A traditional Somali home was called Aqal Soomaali, simply known as Aqal. Aqal were designed to enable families to dismantle the structures when moving from one place, pack them on to the backs of their camels, and re-build them in their new destinations.
Men and women played different roles in designing the homestead. Men oversaw the selection of new building grounds. From this point on, the women took charge and constructed the huts.
Construction began with collecting the materials needed to make mats which formed the walls of the Aqal. These mats were made using acacia branches, palm fronds, and grass. These materials were then woven together with ropes and fibers.
Next was putting up the structure itself. For this step, Somali women collected poles (udub), pillars (kabaal), short wooden branches (siid), and a bundle of saplings (heego). Udub were the centre poles that held the Aqal upright, and so they were the first to be constructed. Once the udub were in place, two kabaal were put up at the entrance where the door opening went. The heego were then dug into the ground in a circle and tied to the udub to create a dome shape. The siid were the final pieces that were tied to the udub, the kabaal and the heego to reinforce the entire Aqal.
The inside of an Aqal was separated into two areas: the sleeping area near the back wall, and the living area which was closer to the door.
Mats were then added onto the existing structure and secured using ropes. The more colourful side of the mats faced inward while the neutral coloured side formed the exterior of the Aqal. The mat that was nearest to the ground was removable during the hot seasons. Once the Aqal was completed, it was tied down so as not to be blown away by strong winds.
Have you been inside an Aqal Soomaali before? What fascinates you the most about traditional Somali home designs?
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