Taleh

Author(s): W. A. MacFadyen
Reviewed work(s):
Source: The Geographical Journal, Vol. 78, No. 2 (Aug., 1931), pp. 125-128
Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of
British Geographers)
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1784443 .
Accessed: 22/02/2012 15:32

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Blackwell Publishing and The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) are
collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Geographical Journal.

http://www.jstor.org
 TALEH 125

some time I was puzzled to account for this sulphuretted hydrogen, but eventually
came to the conclusion that it was due to the chemical reduction of a part of the
dissolved gypsum by organic matter actually in the wells, probably through
bacterial action. This organic matter is the dung of the various cattle, partly
blown in in dry weather and partly washed in as a foul black stream during
watering operations. To save labour the watering takes place as close as possible
to the wells, and as these are frequently found in solution cavities in the gypsum
country rock, the ground often slopes down towards them, and any spilt water
trickles back into the well. One day I pointed this out to a Somali, and suggested
that it would be better if they took steps to prevent it. He answered that on the
contrary it was a very good way to conserve the water supply.

TALEH

W. A. MACFADYEN
has written the story of Muhammad bin 'Abdullah Hasan,f the
"Mad Mullah" of Somaliland, and ofthe series of British campaigns against
JARDINE*
him. I have been unable however to find published any detailed account ofthe
remarkable stronghold built by him as his headquarters at Taleh, in the eastern
part of British Somaliland, in lat. 90 9' N., long. 480 25' E., which it is the pur?
pose of this note to describe. Since it is an out-of-the-way spot it is rarely
visited by Europeans. The very brief official account of the last operations
(The Times, 18 February 1920, p. 9) only mentions the place, while a further
note (op. cit., p. 15) refers to it as a walled town surrounded by thirteen forts. A
few air photographs taken by the R.A.F. during the aerial bombardment of
4 February 1920 were published by the Illustrated London News and the
Sphere, both of 17 April 1920, and in the latter a short account ofthe place was
given, obviously written up from the air photographs alone; this was reprinted
by Jardine (pp. 282, 283). The writer found an interesting mare's nest in his
speculations as to the probable great antiquity of the buildings. Jardine
reproduced two ofthe air photographs and added a single ground photograph.
That he is not literally accurate in his statement (p. 283) that the place was
"razed to the ground" is shown by the present photographs, taken in 1930.
The topographical data for the accompanying plan, and some of the photo?
graphs, were most kindly placed at my disposal by Lieutenant Taylor, R.A.,
who visited Taleh in 1930 during the work of the Anglo-Italian Boundary
Commission.
Taleh is by far the largest and most impressive fortress constructed by the
Mullah, though he built a number of smaller forts in the country eastwards
from Shimber Berris in the Bur Dab range in the Ain country as far as the
present frontier or beyond; they were all partially or wholly destroyed by our
Forces. Having camped there for one night I spent some time examining the
place, and noted down the information obtained by questioning the Somalis
of my staff. Three of them were or had been Camel Corps reservists, and two
*Douglas Jardine, 'The Mad Mullah of Somaliland.' 8vo. London 1923.
fThis is the more correct transliteration of the name which appears on the map as
"Abdulla Hassan."?Ed. G.J.
lake
 Dar Ilalo and Taleh Tower

Taleh Tower and Tomb of 'Abdullah Hasan from Dar Ilalo Tower above
granaries
Hfe.
 TALEH 127

claimed to have been present at its capture by our tribal levies on 9-10 February
1920. They seemed sure of what they told me, and I have no reason to doubt
that it is substantially correct.
Taleh is situated at an altitude of about 2000 feet, in open, treeless country,
some 15 miles south of the main southward-facing scarp of the Sorl Haud
plateau. The country rock is gypsum (or more correctly anhydrite) of Middle
Eocene age, which outcrops extensively round about, and forms the material,
collected on the spot, out of which the buildings were constructed; when
burnt it probably yielded the plaster to cover the tombs and for other purposes.
The strata are flat-bedded and form a few erosion hillocks, on one of which is
built the look-out tower, Dar llalo.
Muhammad bin *Abdullah Hasan is said to have commenced building Taleh
about 1913; prior to this there were no buildings there. It was built under the
supervision of Yemeni Arab masons engaged for the purpose, possibly with a
Turk as architect, though on this point I have found no good information.
The walls are built of unshaped blocks of anhydrite, some weighing 150-200
pounds, but mostly smaller, with some rubble infilling. The blocks are very
well set in a mortar of mud mixed with dung. The lintels of doorways and
openings are made from small tree trunks of a particular hard wood. A pro-
fusion of these has been used, and must have meant widespread collection in
the country.
The plan shows the general location of the buildings and the name of each,
as given to me by my Somalis. The main fortress, Silsilat, is about 350 feet
long by 300 feet broad. At the breach on the east side, made by the Camel
Corps, the wall at the base is 8 J feet thick. The walls of the strong points on the
south side, clearly intended to be the front to be attacked by an enemy, are
about 35 feet high. The north side is by no means so strongly fortified, and
serious attack does not appear to have been contemplated from there. A curious
point is the absence of a gateway to Silsilat; how entrance was effected is not
quite clear. One is left with the feeling that the Mullah must have built it
largely as a show place, both to flatter his vanity and to increase his prestige,
rather than purely for defence.
The two buildings next in importance are Dar llalo, the look-out tower,
some 50 feet high, built on the top of a hillock close behind Silsilat, and Taleh
(in a restricted sense) of similar height, built on lower ground to the east. The
latter was built over a well, and a large plastered watering-trough for cattle is
still intact and stands close outside. This well is now closed by the wreckage
of the tower, but a cave-well lies 50 yards to the south, close below a pile
of rocks marking a grave, and at a couple of feet below ground-level yields a
large supply of somewhat gypseous water smelling of sulphuretted hydrogen;
this seems to be the best water available in the district, and is now largely used
by Somalis. Water underlies much ofthe ground at a shallow depth, and many
small wells with water still in them are to be seen inside Silsilat, particularly
in the western part, and outside towards Falat. A Turk and a German are said
to have had their quarters in Taleh tower; the history of the latter unfortunate
is given by Jardine (pp. 247, 248).
Falat is said to have been the dwelling-place of 'Abdullah Hasan's wives,
and between Falat and Silsilat the ground is covered with the remains of brush-
128 TALEH

wood huts, graves (of "people who died hisself," as one Somali put it), small
shallow wells, and kitchen middens.
A curious feature of the buildings is the conical towers; two are seen at the
corner of Dar Ilalo, one is isolated inside Silsilat, and there are possibly two
(left unfinished) built into the outer walls. These are granaries, and the only
opening is close to the top, through which a man may climb. The openings
are reached by a series of rude stone steps projecting from the outside (and
probably from the inside) of the wall of the tower. Mr. Taylor tells me that
he found a considerable cultivated area about 3 miles to the north-east, where
jowari had apparently been grown by the Mullah.
South of the main cave-well is the considerable tomb of 'Abdullah Hasan
senior, well plastered inside and out; it is now said to be empty. Adjoining this
on the west is a walled garden with massive gateway and guard-house; the rest
ofthe wall is not more than 5 feet high and plastered. There are still odd bushes
and signs of cultivation to be seen, but the comparatively deep well in the middle
is dry. To the east lies a row of four tombs. The most northerly is that of one
Soldan Nur of the Habr Yunis tribe; the next two, neither being plastered.
and the first with the top left unfinished, are those of Hawiya notables whose
names my Somalis did not know. The most southerly tomb is that of a
man of the Habr Jaalo tribe. The isolated tomb still farther east is that of
'AbdullahHasan's mother. All the tombs are provided with narrow but very
massive wooden doors, swinging about vertical extensions from top and base
of one side.
A little east of Soldan Nur's tomb is a shallow nulla, seen as a dark line in the
photograph, and known as Hed Kaldig, the Place of Blood. This was the
execution ground where those to whom the Mullah had taken a dislike were
shot, with or without torture. Had such anticipated trouble and escaped, any
members of their families on whom hands could be laid, including women and
children, are said to have been shot in their stead, and their bodies left for the
hyaenas. After the capture of Taleh pious Somalis collected the quantities of
human bones found hereabouts and gave them burial. However this may be
there are no human bones about now.
According to Jardine the R.A.F. bombed Taleh on 4 February 1920, and
set fire to brushwood huts inside and outside Silsilat, but did little damage to
the main structures, which is not surprising. The place was attacked by our
tribal levies under Captain Gibb on the evening of February 9; 'Abdullah
Hasan had already fled, and by the morning of the 10th the levies were in com?
plete possession. A detachment of the Camel Corps remained for two or three
weeks to demolish the fortifications. Dar Ilalo,Taleh, and Falat were severely
damaged and made unusable, and the strong points fronting Silsilat were
partly destroyed. Razing such a structure would have required much further
work and explosives, so that a considerable part has been left with little damage.
It will remain as a relic of that rather remarkable person its builder, the only
Somali who has so far created substantial buildings in his country.