Barawa, also known as Barawe and Brava, is the capital of the South West state of Somalia. It functions as a port town in the southwestern Lower Shebelle region of Somalia. Facing the Somali Sea, Barawa serves as the main port of the South West State.
History
Barawa along with Merca is considered a successor to the ancient emporiums of Essina and Toniki mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. It reached its golden age as part of the Sultanate of Mogadishu. The city became a commercial power in the Indian Ocean - so much so that merchants from the city visited China as early as the 15th century. These envoys travelled in the ships of the renowned "treasure fleet" of admiral Zheng He, and they returned to Africa several years later during another one of Zheng He's voyages. In 1430, Barawa was one of only 18 western ports mentioned by name in an imperial decree that was issued by the Xuande Emperor, it was named as Pu-la-wa,.
Medieval
During the Middle Ages, Barawa and its surrounding area was part of the Ajuran Empire that governed much of southern Somalia and eastern Ethiopia. The domain extended from Hobyo in the north, to Qelafo in the west, to Kismayo in the south. From his experiences during the Ming treasure voyages in the early 15th century, the Chinese mariner Fei Xin characterized the people of Barawa as pure and honest. In 1506, the Battle of Barawa began after the Portuguese Empire decided to invade and capture the wealthy Somali harbour city. The commander of the Portuguese army was Tristão da Cunha: he set wanted to conquer the Ajuran territory, where the battle of Barawa was fought. After a long period of engagement, the Portuguese soldiers burned the city and looted it. However, fierce resistance by the local population and soldiers resulted in the Portuguese failing to permanently occupy the city. Refugees who had fled to the interior eventually returned and rebuilt Barawa, Tristão da Cunha was wounded in this battle.After the battle, the city of Barawa quickly recovered from the attack.
Early Modern Period
In the early modern period, Barawa was ruled by the Geledi Sultanate. Eventually, in 1910, Barawa was ceded to the control of Italy when the Geledi Sultanate was forced to agree to the annexation of all the Banadir ports to the Italian Company already established in the Horn of Africa after the 1910 death of the last Sultan Osman Ahmed. But the Italians faced stiff resistance from many parts of the Banadir coast. The inland regions and the trade of the Somali merchants would remain unchallenged in their independence for years to come. Sheikh Uways al-Barawi organised an Ikhwaan and led the Banadir revolt, but it was crushed by Italian forces in 1908.
In 2009, Al-Shabaab militants seized control of Barawa. In September of that year, a United States military raid in the area killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a suspected Al-Qaeda operative. In October 2013, United States Navy SEAL Team Six launched an unsuccessful raid against a beachside house in Barawa, targeting Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, the leader of Al-Shabaab. Following the raid, al-Shabab began a crackdown of the town. Following the launch of Operation Indian Ocean, the Somali Armed Forces assisted by AMISOM troops re-seized control of Barawa from Al-Shabaab in October 2014. On October 11, during a trip to Barawa, President Hassan banned the charcoal trade in the city.
Demographics
Barawa has a population of around 32,800 inhabitants. The broader Barawa District has a total population of 96,0901 residents. As of recent, the town inhabitant became the Tunni clan, they lived in the outskirts of Barawa but gradually moved in to Barawa, becoming the majority inhabitants of the town. In the main town of Barawa, the Bravanese people consist of various tribes who lived in Barawa for much longer centuries, such as the Hatimi clan, Bidda, Ooja, Gabra, Ashraaf, Shanshiya, Reer Faqi, Omar ba Omar and various others. All these clans came into Barawa in different time periods, together they managed to come up with the language, Chimwiini, and establish a trading network with neighboring Swahili coastal towns. In addition to the standard Bravanese Language, which is a dialect of Swahili, the Tunni speak Tunni and the remaining people speak the standard Somali language.
