- published: 09 Feb 2013
- views: 4380
- author: Khadir Tarar
The Borama script is a writing script for the Somali language. It was devised around 1933 by Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur of the Gadabuursi clan.
Though not as widely known as Osmanya, the other major writing orthography for transcribing Somali, Borama has produced a notable body of literature mainly consisting of qasidas.
A quite accurate phonetic writing system, the Borama script was principally used by Nuur and his circle of associates in his native city of Borama.
This script is also generally known as the Gadabuursi script.
Borama (Somali: Boorama, Arabic: بوراما), also known as Borame, is the capital city in the northwestern Awdal province of Somalia. The commercial seat of the province, it is situated near the border with Djibouti and Ethiopia.
During the Middle Ages, Borama was ruled by the Adal Sultanate. It later formed a part of the British Somaliland protectorate in the first half of the 20th century.
The city has a population of 300,000 residents. It has been a leading example in community organizing, having been the first area in northwestern Somalia to adopt a self-help scheme in the wake of the civil war.
As with several nearby towns such as Amud, numerous archaeological finds have been discovered in the Borama area that point to an eventful past. The latter include ancient remains of tombs, houses and mosques, in addition to sherds of Oriental wares, particularly Chinese porcelain. The artefacts and structures date from various historical periods, ranging from the 12th through to the 18th centuries. Most, however, are from the 15th and 16th centuries, a time of great commercial activity in the region that is associated with the medieval Adal Sultanate.