Luuq
| Luuq | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
 Luuq
|
|
| Coordinates: 3°49′N 42°33′E / 3.817°N 42.55°ECoordinates: 3°49′N 42°33′E / 3.817°N 42.55°E | |
| Country |  Somalia |
| Region | Gedo |
| District | Luuq |
| Population | |
| • Total | 34,000 |
| Time zone | East Africa Time (UTC+3) |
| Area code(s) | 0225 |
Luuq or Lugh (لوق) is a city in the southern Gedo province of Somalia. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, and is the seat of the Luuq District, one of the region's seven districts. The town is located in a bend of the Juba River, where the river flows down from north to south in a horseshoe shape. Luuq is also known as Luuq Ganaane.
[edit] Overview
The name Luuq in the Somali language means "alley" by virtue of the city's geographical setting. The river has great influence on the city and its surrounding areas. The entrance of the city gate is situated not more than 100 meters from the river banks on both the eastern and western sides of the town. About 4 km past the city center and main Luuq Market, the river encloses the city again completely. Only the extreme southern side of the city has open land free from the river's enclosures.
Historically, Luuq is one of the oldest settlements in Somalia. In his 1811 report to the authorities of British India, captain Thomas Smee wrote Luuq had 300 huts, in comparison to Mogadishu which at the time had between 100 and 150 stone houses.[1] Beginning in 1893, Luuq was attacked by Ethiopian raiding parties travelling down the Juba, which forced the local sultan to unsuccessfully appeal to the Sultan of Zanzibar for help; only when the Italian explorers Vittorio Bottego and Ugo Ferrandi arrived in 1895 were the Ethiopian attacks successfully repelled.[2] Luuq came under indirect Italian control by 1907, and Italian interest in the town was serious enough for them to demarcate the only segment of the Somali-Ethiopian boundary in order to include Luuq as part of Italian Somaliland.[3] For decades, it was the political center of the Gedo region.
On March 7, 2011, militia forces loyal to the Transitional Federal Government captured Luuq from Al-Shabaab rebels, encountering little or no resistance.[4][5]
[edit] References
- ^ Edward A. Alpers, "Muqdisho in the Nineteenth Century: A Regional Perspective", Journal of African History, 24 (1983), p. 444
- ^ I.M. Lewis, A Modern History of Somalia, fourth edition (Oxford: Currey, 2002), p. 57
- ^ Lewis, Modern History, pp. 88f
- ^ Guled, Abdi (2011-03-07). "Somali president claims victory in war with rebels". Seattle Times. Associated Press. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014424654_apafsomalia.html. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
- ^ "Somali troops, militia take two towns from rebels". Reuters. 2011-03-07. http://af.reuters.com/article/ethiopiaNews/idAFLDE72604720110307?sp=true. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
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