Somalis

qas: question: What language family is Somali a part of?
answers: text: Afro-Asiatic

question: What part of the Afro-Asiatic language family is Somali a part of?
answers: text: Cushitic

question: What is the majority religion of Somalis?
answers: text: Sunni Muslim

question: How many people of Somali ethnicity live in Somalia?
answers: text: 12.3 million

question: What country has the second largest Somali population?
answers: text: Ethiopia
context: Somalis (Somali: Soomaali, Arabic: صومال‎) are an ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa (Somali Peninsula). The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. They are predominantly Sunni Muslim. Ethnic Somalis number around 16-20 million and are principally concentrated in Somalia (around 12.3 million), Ethiopia (4.6 million), Kenya (2.4 million), and Djibouti (464,600), with many also residing in parts of the Middle East, North America and Europe.

qas: question: From whom are several Somali clans descended?
answers: text: Irir Samaale

question: From what words is the term 'Somali' generally regarded as being derived?
answers: text: soo and maal

question: What does 'soo and maal' mean in English?
answers: text: go and milk

question: What word in Arabic means 'wealthy' in English?
answers: text: dhawamaal

question: What resource traditionally comprised Somali wealth?
answers: text: livestock
context: Irir Samaale, the oldest common ancestor of several Somali clans, is generally regarded as the source of the ethnonym Somali. The name "Somali" is, in turn, held to be derived from the words soo and maal, which together mean "go and milk" — a reference to the ubiquitous pastoralism of the Somali people. Another plausible etymology proposes that the term Somali is derived from the Arabic for "wealthy" (dhawamaal), again referring to Somali riches in livestock.

qas: question: What did the Arabs call the northern Somali coast in the 9th century?
answers: text: Berbera

question: What did the Chinese call the northern Somali coast in the 9th century?
answers: text: Po-pa-li

question: In what century was the term 'Somali' first used?
answers: text: 15th

question: Who ordered that a hymn be composed that first mentioned the Somalis?
answers: text: the Abyssinian Emperor

question: Where was the Sultanate of Ifat located?
answers: text: Zeila
context: An Ancient Chinese document from the 9th century referred to the northern Somali coast — which was then called "Berbera" by Arab geographers in reference to the region's "Berber" (Cushitic) inhabitants — as Po-pa-li. The first clear written reference of the sobriquet Somali, however, dates back to the 15th century. During the wars between the Sultanate of Ifat based at Zeila and the Solomonic Dynasty, the Abyssinian Emperor had one of his court officials compose a hymn celebrating a military victory over the Sultan of Ifat's eponymous troops.

qas: question: How long ago were rock paintings found in Somalia created?
answers: text: 5000 years

question: Where are the most notable rock paintings located?
answers: text: the Laas Geel complex

question: Along with animals, what is depicted on the rock paintings of Laas Geel?
answers: text: human figures

question: Where does a notable rock painting of a man on horseback exist?
answers: text: the northern Dhambalin region

question: In what geographic part of Somalia are these rock paintings commonly found?
answers: text: northern
context: Ancient rock paintings in Somalia which date back to 5000 years have been found in the northern part of the country, depicting early life in the territory. The most famous of these is the Laas Geel complex, which contains some of the earliest known rock art on the African continent and features many elaborate pastoralist sketches of animal and human figures. In other places, such as the northern Dhambalin region, a depiction of a man on a horse is postulated as being one of the earliest known examples of a mounted huntsman.

qas: question: Along with the Hargesian culture, what culture was present in Somalia in the Stone age?
answers: text: the Doian culture

question: What undeciphered writings were found alongside the rock paintings?
answers: text: Inscriptions

question: During what period did the Doian culture thrive?
answers: text: the Stone age
context: Inscriptions have been found beneath many of the rock paintings, but archaeologists have so far been unable to decipher this form of ancient writing. During the Stone age, the Doian culture and the Hargeisan culture flourished here with their respective industries and factories.

qas: question: In what country is the oldest evidence of ceremonial burial in the Horn of Africa located?
answers: text: Somalia

question: From what millennium do the oldest cemeteries in the Horn of Africa date?
answers: text: 4th millennium BC

question: At what site were important paleolithic stone tools found?
answers: text: the Jalelo site

question: In what geographic part of Somalia were important paleolithic stone tools found?
answers: text: northern
context: The oldest evidence of burial customs in the Horn of Africa comes from cemeteries in Somalia dating back to 4th millennium BC. The stone implements from the Jalelo site in northern Somalia are said to be the most important link in evidence of the universality in palaeolithic times between the East and the West.

qas: question: What economic activity in the Horn of Africa did the ancient Somalis connect to the rest of the world?
answers: text: commerce

question: Along with myrrh and spices, what important luxury did ancient Somali merchants provide?
answers: text: frankincense

question: Along with the ancient Phoenicians, Egyptians and Babylonians, what ancient people regarded myrrh as a luxury?
answers: text: Mycenaeans
context: In antiquity, the ancestors of the Somali people were an important link in the Horn of Africa connecting the region's commerce with the rest of the ancient world. Somali sailors and merchants were the main suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and spices, items which were considered valuable luxuries by the Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Mycenaeans and Babylonians.

qas: question: What ancient land was connected to the modern Somali people?
answers: text: Land of Punt

question: What nation did the Land of Put have a close relationship with?
answers: text: Pharaonic Egypt

question: Who was a Queen of Egypt during the time when Punt and Egypt were close?
answers: text: Hatshepsut

question: Along with houses of dressed stone, what ancient architecture may have been influenced by Egypt?
answers: text: pyramidal structures
context: According to most scholars, the ancient Land of Punt and its inhabitants formed part of the ethnogenesis of the Somali people. The ancient Puntites were a nation of people that had close relations with Pharaonic Egypt during the times of Pharaoh Sahure and Queen Hatshepsut. The pyramidal structures, temples and ancient houses of dressed stone littered around Somalia are said to date from this period.

qas: question: Near what headland was Mosylon located?
answers: text: Cape Guardafui

question: Along with Mosylon, Malao, Nikon, Sarapion, Opone and Essina, what city-state flourished in ancient Somalia?
answers: text: Damo

question: Along with the Parthians and Axumites, who were the commercial competitors of the ancient Somalis?
answers: text: Sabaeans

question: What trade did the ancient Somalis and others compete for?
answers: text: Indo-Greco-Roman
context: In the classical era, several ancient city-states such as Opone, Essina, Sarapion, Nikon, Malao, Damo and Mosylon near Cape Guardafui, which competed with the Sabaeans, Parthians and Axumites for the wealthy Indo-Greco-Roman trade, also flourished in Somalia.

qas: question: What body of water separated Somalia from the land where Islam was born?
answers: text: Red Sea

question: In what location was Islam born?
answers: text: the Arabian Peninsula

question: What civilization was Mogadishu a part of?
answers: text: Berberi

question: What was another name for Mogadishu?
answers: text: the City of Islam

question: The trade of what luxury in East Africa was once centered on Mogadishu?
answers: text: gold
context: The birth of Islam on the opposite side of Somalia's Red Sea coast meant that Somali merchants, sailors and expatriates living in the Arabian Peninsula gradually came under the influence of the new religion through their converted Arab Muslim trading partners. With the migration of fleeing Muslim families from the Islamic world to Somalia in the early centuries of Islam and the peaceful conversion of the Somali population by Somali Muslim scholars in the following centuries, the ancient city-states eventually transformed into Islamic Mogadishu, Berbera, Zeila, Barawa and Merca, which were part of the Berberi civilization. The city of Mogadishu came to be known as the City of Islam, and controlled the East African gold trade for several centuries.

qas: question: What dynasty ruled the Sultanate of Ifat?
answers: text: the Walashma dynasty

question: What was the capital of the Sultanate of Ifat?
answers: text: Zeila

question: Along with parts of Ethiopia and Somalia, in what modern-day country was the Sultanate of Ifat located?
answers: text: Djibouti

question: According to al-Umari, how many cavalry did the Sultanate of Ifat have?
answers: text: 15,000

question: Near what body of water did al-Umari say Ifat was located?
answers: text: the Red Sea
context: The Sultanate of Ifat, led by the Walashma dynasty with its capital at Zeila, ruled over parts of what is now eastern Ethiopia, Djibouti, and northern Somalia. The historian al-Umari records that Ifat was situated near the Red Sea coast, and states its size as 15 days travel by 20 days travel. Its army numbered 15,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers. Al-Umari also credits Ifat with seven "mother cities": Belqulzar, Kuljura, Shimi, Shewa, Adal, Jamme and Laboo.

qas: question: What Somali polity of the Middle Ages was known for its fortresses?
answers: text: the Ajuran Sultanate

question: What state employed Abmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi?
answers: text: the Sultanate of Adal

question: What was another name by which Abmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi was known?
answers: text: Ahmed Gurey

question: What state did Adal conquer?
answers: text: the Ethiopian Empire

question: What Somali leader received tribute from the Omani empire?
answers: text: Sultan Ahmed Yusuf
context: In the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade including the Ajuran Sultanate, which excelled in hydraulic engineering and fortress building, the Sultanate of Adal, whose general Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (Ahmed Gurey) was the first commander to use cannon warfare on the continent during Adal's conquest of the Ethiopian Empire, and the Sultanate of the Geledi, whose military dominance forced governors of the Omani empire north of the city of Lamu to pay tribute to the Somali Sultan Ahmed Yusuf.

qas: question: What states supported the Dervish State?
answers: text: the Ottoman and German empires

question: In what year did the British defeat the Dervishes?
answers: text: 1920

question: What was the capital of the Dervish State?
answers: text: Taleex

question: In what year did Fascist Italy achieve full control of Somalia?
answers: text: 1927

question: In what year did the Italian occupation of Somalia end?
answers: text: 1941
context: In the late 19th century, after the Berlin conference had ended, European empires sailed with their armies to the Horn of Africa. The imperial clouds wavering over Somalia alarmed the Dervish leader Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, who gathered Somali soldiers from across the Horn of Africa and began one of the longest anti-colonial wars ever. The Dervish State successfully repulsed the British empire four times and forced it to retreat to the coastal region. As a result of its successes against the British, the Dervish State received support from the Ottoman and German empires. The Turks also named Hassan Emir of the Somali nation, and the Germans promised to officially recognize any territories the Dervishes were to acquire. After a quarter of a century of holding the British at bay, the Dervishes were finally defeated in 1920, when Britain for the first time in Africa used airplanes to bomb the Dervish capital of Taleex. As a result of this bombardment, former Dervish territories were turned into a protectorate of Britain. Italy similarly faced the same opposition from Somali Sultans and armies and did not acquire full control of parts of modern Somalia until the Fascist era in late 1927. This occupation lasted till 1941 and was replaced by a British military administration.

qas: question: Along with British Somaliland, what country in the region was a British protectorate after the Second World War?
answers: text: Italian Somaliland

question: At what meeting did the United Nations give Italy trusteeship of Italian Somaliland?
answers: text: the Potsdam Conference

question: Along with the Somali Youth League and Somali National League, what was an early Somali political organization?
answers: text: Hizbia Digil Mirifle Somali

question: How many years would Italy have to allow Italian Somaliland to become independent? 
answers: text: ten

question: In what year was the British protectorate over British Somaliland ended?
answers: text: 1960
context: Following World War II, Britain retained control of both British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland as protectorates. In 1945, during the Potsdam Conference, the United Nations granted Italy trusteeship of Italian Somaliland, but only under close supervision and on the condition — first proposed by the Somali Youth League (SYL) and other nascent Somali political organizations, such as Hizbia Digil Mirifle Somali (HDMS) and the Somali National League (SNL) — that Somalia achieve independence within ten years. British Somaliland remained a protectorate of Britain until 1960.

qas: question: Along with the Haud, what area of Somalia was given to Ethiopia by the British?
answers: text: the Ogaden

question: In what year did the British give the Haud to Ethiopia?
answers: text: 1948

question: The Ogaden was given to Ethiopia on the basis of a treaty signed by the British with what Ethiopian leader?
answers: text: Emperor Menelik

question: In what year did Britain try to purchase Somali lands from Ethiopia?
answers: text: 1956

question: What people constituted almost the entire population of the Northern Frontier District?
answers: text: Somali
context: To the extent that Italy held the territory by UN mandate, the trusteeship provisions gave the Somalis the opportunity to gain experience in political education and self-government. These were advantages that British Somaliland, which was to be incorporated into the new Somali state, did not have. Although in the 1950s British colonial officials attempted, through various administrative development efforts, to make up for past neglect, the protectorate stagnated. The disparity between the two territories in economic development and political experience would cause serious difficulties when it came time to integrate the two parts. Meanwhile, in 1948, under pressure from their World War II allies and to the dismay of the Somalis, the British "returned" the Haud (an important Somali grazing area that was presumably 'protected' by British treaties with the Somalis in 1884 and 1886) and the Ogaden to Ethiopia, based on a treaty they signed in 1897 in which the British ceded Somali territory to the Ethiopian Emperor Menelik in exchange for his help against plundering by Somali clans. Britain included the proviso that the Somali nomads would retain their autonomy, but Ethiopia immediately claimed sovereignty over them. This prompted an unsuccessful bid by Britain in 1956 to buy back the Somali lands it had turned over. Britain also granted administration of the almost exclusively Somali-inhabited Northern Frontier District (NFD) to Kenyan nationalists despite an informal plebiscite demonstrating the overwhelming desire of the region's population to join the newly formed Somali Republic.

qas: question: What was Djibouti called in 1958?
answers: text: French Somaliland

question: In what year did Somalia become independent?
answers: text: 1960

question: What was Mahmoud Harbi's title?
answers: text: Vice President of the Government Council

question: When did Djibouti achieve independence?
answers: text: 1977

question: Who was the first president of Djibouti?
answers: text: Hassan Gouled Aptidon
context: A referendum was held in neighboring Djibouti (then known as French Somaliland) in 1958, on the eve of Somalia's independence in 1960, to decide whether or not to join the Somali Republic or to remain with France. The referendum turned out in favour of a continued association with France, largely due to a combined yes vote by the sizable Afar ethnic group and resident Europeans. There was also widespread vote rigging, with the French expelling thousands of Somalis before the referendum reached the polls. The majority of those who voted no were Somalis who were strongly in favour of joining a united Somalia, as had been proposed by Mahmoud Harbi, Vice President of the Government Council. Harbi was killed in a plane crash two years later. Djibouti finally gained its independence from France in 1977, and Hassan Gouled Aptidon, a Somali who had campaigned for a yes vote in the referendum of 1958, eventually wound up as Djibouti's first president (1977–1991).

qas: question: On what date did British Somaliland gain independence?
answers: text: 26 June 1960

question: What was British Somaliland known as upon achieving independence?
answers: text: the State of Somaliland

question: What state formed the Somali Republic with British Somaliland?
answers: text: the Trust Territory of Somalia

question: On what date did the former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland unite?
answers: text: 1 July 1960

question: Who was the first President of the Somali Republic?
answers: text: Aden Abdullah Osman Daar
context: British Somaliland became independent on 26 June 1960 as the State of Somaliland, and the Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somaliland) followed suit five days later. On 1 July 1960, the two territories united to form the Somali Republic, albeit within boundaries drawn up by Italy and Britain. A government was formed by Abdullahi Issa Mohamud and Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal other members of the trusteeship and protectorate governments, with Haji Bashir Ismail Yusuf as President of the Somali National Assembly, Aden Abdullah Osman Daar as the President of the Somali Republic and Abdirashid Ali Shermarke as Prime Minister (later to become President from 1967 to 1969). On 20 July 1961 and through a popular referendum, the people of Somalia ratified a new constitution, which was first drafted in 1960. In 1967, Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal became Prime Minister, a position to which he was appointed by Shermarke. Egal would later become the President of the autonomous Somaliland region in northwestern Somalia.

qas: question: On what date was Abdirashid Ali Shermarke assassinated?
answers: text: 15 October 1969

question: Who assassinated Abdirashid Ali Shermarke?
answers: text: one of his own bodyguards

question: On what day, the day after the funeral of Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, did a coup occur?
answers: text: 21 October 1969

question: Who was the commander of the army when the coup occurred?
answers: text: Mohamed Siad Barre

question: What was Mohamed Siad Barre's rank?
answers: text: Major General
context: On 15 October 1969, while paying a visit to the northern town of Las Anod, Somalia's then President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was shot dead by one of his own bodyguards. His assassination was quickly followed by a military coup d'état on 21 October 1969 (the day after his funeral), in which the Somali Army seized power without encountering armed opposition — essentially a bloodless takeover. The putsch was spearheaded by Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, who at the time commanded the army.

qas: question: Along with Jama Korshel, who led the Supreme Revolutionary Council?
answers: text: Salaad Gabeyre Kediye

question: What was Jama Korshel's title?
answers: text: Chief of Police

question: What was the military rank of Salaad Gabeyre Kediye?
answers: text: Lieutenant Colonel

question: What name did the Supreme Revolutionary Council give to Somalia?
answers: text: the Somali Democratic Republic

question: Along with dissolving the Supreme Court and parliament, what action did the Supreme Revolutionary Council take?
answers: text: suspended the constitution
context: Alongside Barre, the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC) that assumed power after President Sharmarke's assassination was led by Lieutenant Colonel Salaad Gabeyre Kediye and Chief of Police Jama Korshel. The SRC subsequently renamed the country the Somali Democratic Republic, dissolved the parliament and the Supreme Court, and suspended the constitution.

qas: question: What did the new government nationalize along with land?
answers: text: industry

question: What international body did the new government join?
answers: text: the Arab League

question: In what year did the new government enter the Arab League?
answers: text: 1974

question: What organization would the Organization of African Unity later become?
answers: text: the African Union

question: What rate did the new government's programs significantly increase?
answers: text: literacy
context: The revolutionary army established large-scale public works programs and successfully implemented an urban and rural literacy campaign, which helped dramatically increase the literacy rate. In addition to a nationalization program of industry and land, the new regime's foreign policy placed an emphasis on Somalia's traditional and religious links with the Arab world, eventually joining the Arab League (AL) in 1974. That same year, Barre also served as chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor of the African Union (AU).

qas: question: Along with Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia, in what Horn of Africa country do Somali people live?
answers: text: Ethiopia

question: In what geographic portion of Kenya can Somali people be found?
answers: text: northeastern

question: What is the name of the idea that believes all ethnic Somalis should live in the same country?
answers: text: Pan-Somalism

question: Along with the Soviet Union, what country supported Ethiopia in its war against Somalia?
answers: text: Cuba

question: What was the name of the conflict between Somalia and the Soviet Union, Cuba and Ethiopia?
answers: text: the Ogaden War
context: Somali people in the Horn of Africa are divided among different countries (Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and northeastern Kenya) that were artificially and some might say arbitrarily partitioned by the former imperial powers. Pan-Somalism is an ideology that advocates the unification of all ethnic Somalis once part of Somali empires such as the Ajuran Empire, the Adal Sultanate, the Gobroon Dynasty and the Dervish State under one flag and one nation. The Siad Barre regime actively promoted Pan-Somalism, which eventually led to the Ogaden War between Somalia on one side, and Ethiopia, Cuba and the Soviet Union on the other.

qas: question: In what year did Sanchez publish his study on Somali ethnicity?
answers: text: 2005

question: What language group speakers are ethnic Somalis closely related to?
answers: text: Afro-Asiatic

question: What haplogroup is present in a significant number of Somalis?
answers: text: E1b1b1a

question: Based on the presence of the M78 subclade, where do some researchers think Somalis originated?
answers: text: Egypt/Libya

question: What percentage of Somali males had DNA containing the M78 subclade of E1b1b?
answers: text: 77%
context: According to Y chromosome studies by Sanchez et al. (2005), Cruciani et al. (2004, 2007), the Somalis are paternally closely related to other Afro-Asiatic-speaking groups in Northeast Africa. Besides comprising the majority of the Y-DNA in Somalis, the E1b1b1a (formerly E3b1a) haplogroup also makes up a significant proportion of the paternal DNA of Ethiopians, Sudanese, Egyptians, Berbers, North African Arabs, as well as many Mediterranean populations. Sanchez et al. (2005) observed the M78 subclade of E1b1b in about 77% of their Somali male samples. According to Cruciani et al. (2007), the presence of this subhaplogroup in the Horn region may represent the traces of an ancient migration from Egypt/Libya. After haplogroup E1b1b, the second most frequently occurring Y-DNA haplogroup among Somalis is the West Asian haplogroup T (M70). It is observed in slightly more than 10% of Somali males. Haplogroup T, like haplogroup E1b1b, is also typically found among populations of Northeast Africa, North Africa, the Near East and the Mediterranean.

qas: question: When did Richards publish his mtDNA research?
answers: text: 2006

question: Along with Egyptians, Algerians and Somalis, what people commonly possess the M1 haplogroup?
answers: text: Ethiopians

question: On what continent is the M1 haplogroup believed to have originated?
answers: text: Asia

question: Who authored an mtDNA study in 2005?
answers: text: Holden

question: What family of languages is the M1 haplogroup associated with?
answers: text: Afro-Asiatic
context: According to mtDNA studies by Holden (2005) and Richards et al. (2006), a significant proportion of the maternal lineages of Somalis consists of the M1 haplogroup. This mitochondrial clade is common among Ethiopians and North Africans, particularly Egyptians and Algerians. M1 is believed to have originated in Asia, where its parent M clade represents the majority of mtDNA lineages. This haplogroup is also thought to possibly correlate with the Afro-Asiatic language family:

qas: question: When did Hodgson publish his DNA study?
answers: text: 2014

question: According to Hodgson, what ancestral people spread the Afro-Asiatic languages?
answers: text: Ethio-Somali

question: According to Hodgson, what people is mostly descended from Ethio-Somalis?
answers: text: Somalis

question: According to Hodgson, how long ago did the Ethio-Somalis diverge from other non-African ancestries?
answers: text: at least 23,000 years ago

question: According to Hodgson, where did the Ethio-Somalis originate?
answers: text: the Near East
context: According to an autosomal DNA study by Hodgson et al. (2014), the Afro-Asiatic languages were likely spread across Africa and the Near East by an ancestral population(s) carrying a newly identified non-African genetic component, which the researchers dub the "Ethio-Somali". This Ethio-Somali component is today most common among Afro-Asiatic-speaking populations in the Horn of Africa. It reaches a frequency peak among ethnic Somalis, representing the majority of their ancestry. The Ethio-Somali component is most closely related to the Maghrebi non-African genetic component, and is believed to have diverged from all other non-African ancestries at least 23,000 years ago. On this basis, the researchers suggest that the original Ethio-Somali carrying population(s) probably arrived in the pre-agricultural period from the Near East, having crossed over into northeastern Africa via the Sinai Peninsula. The population then likely split into two branches, with one group heading westward toward the Maghreb and the other moving south into the Horn.

qas: question: In what year did Mahamoud publish his research?
answers: text: 2006
context: The analysis of HLA antigens has also helped clarify the possible background of the Somali people, as the distribution of haplotype frequencies vary among population groups. According to Mohamoud et al. (2006):

qas: question: In what geographic part of Somalia is Zeila located?
answers: text: northern

question: From whom were the early Muslims fleeing?
answers: text: the Quraysh

question: Along with the Shafi'i, to what sect of Islam do most Somalis belong?
answers: text: Sunni

question: What is the majority religion in Somalia?
answers: text: Islam

question: A small minority of Somalis belong to what branch of Islam?
answers: text: Shia
context: The history of Islam in Somalia is as old as the religion itself. The early persecuted Muslims fled to various places in the region, including the city of Zeila in modern-day northern Somalia, so as to seek protection from the Quraysh. Somalis were among the first populations on the continent to embrace Islam. With very few exceptions, Somalis are entirely Muslims, the majority belonging to the Sunni branch of Islam and the Shafi`i school of Islamic jurisprudence, although a few are also adherents of the Shia Muslim denomination.

qas: question: What is another name for a Qur'anic school?
answers: text: dugsi

question: What percentage of students at Qur'anic schools are female?
answers: text: 40

question: What government body regulates Qur'anic education?
answers: text: the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs
context: Qur'anic schools (also known as dugsi) remain the basic system of traditional religious instruction in Somalia. They provide Islamic education for children, thereby filling a clear religious and social role in the country. Known as the most stable local, non-formal system of education providing basic religious and moral instruction, their strength rests on community support and their use of locally made and widely available teaching materials. The Qur'anic system, which teaches the greatest number of students relative to other educational sub-sectors, is oftentimes the only system accessible to Somalis in nomadic as compared to urban areas. A study from 1993 found, among other things, that "unlike in primary schools where gender disparity is enormous, around 40 per cent of Qur'anic school pupils are girls; but the teaching staff have minimum or no qualification necessary to ensure intellectual development of children." To address these concerns, the Somali government on its own part subsequently established the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs, under which Qur'anic education is now regulated.

qas: question: Along with Minneapolis, London and Birmingham, what city contains a notable population of Somalis?
answers: text: Toronto

question: What is the name of the mosque under construction in Minneapolis?
answers: text: the Abuubakar-As-Saddique Mosque

question: Along with floods, what natural disaster often spurs Islamic fundraising?
answers: text: droughts

question: Along with universities, the construction of what educational buildings are sometimes the focus of Islamic fundraising?
answers: text: schools
context: In the Somali diaspora, multiple Islamic fundraising events are held every year in cities like Birmingham, London, Toronto and Minneapolis, where Somali scholars and professionals give lectures and answer questions from the audience. The purpose of these events is usually to raise money for new schools or universities in Somalia, to help Somalis that have suffered as a consequence of floods and/or droughts, or to gather funds for the creation of new mosques like the Abuubakar-As-Saddique Mosque, which is currently undergoing construction in the Twin cities.

qas: question: Along with the Horn of Africa, what is a notable location where Somali Islamic figures have been influential?
answers: text: the Arabian Peninsula
context: In addition, the Somali community has produced numerous important Muslim figures over the centuries, many of whom have significantly shaped the course of Islamic learning and practice in the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and well beyond.

qas: question: What is a basic social unit of Somali society?
answers: text: clan

question: In what geographical portion of Somalia is the tomb of the founder of the Dir clan located?
answers: text: northern

question: Of what clan is the Abgaal a sub-clan?
answers: text: Hawiye
context: The clan groupings of the Somali people are important social units, and clan membership plays a central part in Somali culture and politics. Clans are patrilineal and are often divided into sub-clans, sometimes with many sub-divisions. The tombs of the founders of the Darod, Dir and Isaaq major clans as well as the Abgaal sub-clan of the Hawiye are all located in northern Somalia. Tradition holds this general area as an ancestral homeland of the Somali people.

qas: question: What practice is often used to bind different clans together?
answers: text: marriage

question: According to a recent study, how many men of the Dhulbahante clan married women from the Hawiye clan?
answers: text: 3

question: According to a recent study, how many Dhulbahante men married women of a different Dhulbahante sub-clan?
answers: text: 55

question: To what clan family do the Ogaden belong?
answers: text: Darod

question: What percentage of Dhulbahante men married women of the Majerteen or Ogaden?
answers: text: 4.3%
context: Somali society is traditionally ethnically endogamous. So to extend ties of alliance, marriage is often to another ethnic Somali from a different clan. Thus, for example, a recent study observed that in 89 marriages contracted by men of the Dhulbahante clan, 55 (62%) were with women of Dhulbahante sub-clans other than those of their husbands; 30 (33.7%) were with women of surrounding clans of other clan families (Isaaq, 28; Hawiye, 3); and 3 (4.3%) were with women of other clans of the Darod clan family (Majerteen 2, Ogaden 1).

qas: question: What law gave Somali husbands and wives equal rights over personal property?
answers: text: 1975 Somali Family Law

question: What was the official name of the country in which the 1975 Somali Family Law was passed?
answers: text: the Somali Democratic Republic

question: In addition to giving spouses equal rights over their personal property during marriage, what did the Somali Family Law give them?
answers: text: equal division of property between the husband and wife upon divorce
context: In 1975, the most prominent government reforms regarding family law in a Muslim country were set in motion in the Somali Democratic Republic, which put women and men, including husbands and wives, on complete equal footing. The 1975 Somali Family Law gave men and women equal division of property between the husband and wife upon divorce and the exclusive right to control by each spouse over his or her personal property.

qas: question: What is the biggest ethnic group in Somalia?
answers: text: Somalis

question: What percentage of Somalians are ethnic Somalis?
answers: text: 85%

question: During what century did the nomad lifestyle decline among Somalis?
answers: text: 20th

question: Why do many Somalis live in South Asia and Europe?
answers: text: their seafaring tradition

question: Along with Djibouti and Ethiopia, in what African country outside Somalia can Somalis be found?
answers: text: Kenya
context: Somalis constitute the largest ethnic group in Somalia, at approximately 85% of the nation's inhabitants. They are traditionally nomads, but since the late 20th century, many have moved to urban areas. While most Somalis can be found in Somalia proper, large numbers also live in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Yemen, the Middle East, South Asia and Europe due to their seafaring tradition.

qas: question: What led to an increase in the number of Somalis leaving the country?
answers: text: Civil strife

question: Along with the Middle East and North America, to what continent did the Somali diaspora go in the 1990s?
answers: text: Europe

question: Along with Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Winnipeg, Hamilton and Vancouver, what Canadian city has a significant Somali population?
answers: text: Toronto

question: As of 2006, where did Somalis rank in terms of population by ethnicity in Canada?
answers: text: 69th
context: Civil strife in the early 1990s greatly increased the size of the Somali diaspora, as many of the best educated Somalis left for the Middle East, Europe and North America. In Canada, the cities of Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Hamilton all harbor Somali populations. Statistics Canada's 2006 census ranks people of Somali descent as the 69th largest ethnic group in Canada.

qas: question: About how many Somalis live in the UK?
answers: text: 108,000

question: What percentage of Somalis living in Britain reside in London?
answers: text: 78%

question: As of 2014, how many Somalis lived in Sweden?
answers: text: 57,906

question: In 2014, how many Somalis resided in Norway?
answers: text: 38,413

question: How many Somalis lived in Finland as of 2014?
answers: text: 16,721
context: While the distribution of Somalis per country in Europe is hard to measure because the Somali community on the continent has grown so quickly in recent years, an official 2010 estimate reported 108,000 Somalis living in the United Kingdom. Somalis in Britain are largely concentrated in the cities of London, Sheffield, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, and Leicester, with London alone accounting for roughly 78% of Britain's Somali population. There are also significant Somali communities in Sweden: 57,906 (2014); the Netherlands: 37,432 (2014); Norway: 38,413 (2015); Denmark: 18,645 (2014); and Finland: 16,721 (2014).

qas: question: What country is Cedar Rapids located in?
answers: text: the United States
context: In the United States, Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Columbus, San Diego, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Portland, Denver, Nashville, Green Bay, Lewiston, Portland, Maine and Cedar Rapids have the largest Somali populations.

qas: question: Along with Saint Paul, what city constitutes the Twin Cities?
answers: text: Minneapolis

question: About how many Somalis moved to Minnesota ten years ago?
answers: text: 20,000

question: What area of Minneapolis contains a notable number of Somalis?
answers: text: Cedar-Riverside

question: What is hawala?
answers: text: money transfer services

question: What sort of meat is sold in Somali businesses in Minneapolis?
answers: text: halal
context: An estimated 20,000 Somalis emigrated to the U.S. state of Minnesota some ten years ago and the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and Saint Paul) now have the highest population of Somalis in North America. The city of Minneapolis hosts hundreds of Somali-owned and operated businesses offering a variety of products, including leather shoes, jewelry and other fashion items, halal meat, and hawala or money transfer services. Community-based video rental stores likewise carry the latest Somali films and music. The number of Somalis has especially surged in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis.

qas: question: In what Middle Eastern country is there a notable Somali population?
answers: text: the United Arab Emirates

question: What is another name for the city center of Dubai?
answers: text: Deira

question: People of what nationality export more products from Dubai than Somalis?
answers: text: Iranians

question: What is the name of an airline owned by Dubai-based Somalis?
answers: text: Star African Air

question: How many Dubai-based airlines are owned by Somalis?
answers: text: three
context: There is a sizable Somali community in the United Arab Emirates. Somali-owned businesses line the streets of Deira, the Dubai city centre, with only Iranians exporting more products from the city at large. Internet cafés, hotels, coffee shops, restaurants and import-export businesses are all testimony to the Somalis' entrepreneurial spirit. Star African Air is also one of three Somali-owned airlines which are based in Dubai.

qas: question: Near what city in Sudan do many Somalis reside?
answers: text: Khartoum

question: In what geographical portion of Sudan do some Somalis live?
answers: text: north

question: Along with businesspeople, what sort of Somalis live in Sudan?
answers: text: students

question: In what Somali enclave in Kenya have Somalis invested over $1.5 billion?
answers: text: Eastleigh

question: In what province of South Africa do Somalis congregate?
answers: text: Western Cape
context: Besides their traditional areas of inhabitation in Greater Somalia, a Somali community mainly consisting of entrepreneurs, academics, and students also exists in Egypt. In addition, there is an historical Somali community in the general Sudan area. Primarily concentrated in the north and Khartoum, the expatriate community mainly consists of students as well as some businesspeople. More recently, Somali entrepreneurs have established themselves in Kenya, investing over $1.5 billion in the Somali enclave of Eastleigh alone. In South Africa, Somali businesspeople also provide most of the retail trade in informal settlements around the Western Cape province.

qas: question: What language family does the Somali language belong to?
answers: text: Afro-Asiatic

question: What branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family does the Somali language belong to?
answers: text: Cushitic

question: Along with Saho, what language is closely related to Somali?
answers: text: Afar

question: Among the Cushitic languages, which is the most well-documented?
answers: text: Somali

question: Before what year did studies on the Somali language exist?
answers: text: 1900
context: The Somali language is a member of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. Its nearest relatives are the Afar and Saho languages. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies of it dating from before 1900.

qas: question: About how many people in Somalia speak Somali?
answers: text: 7.78 million

question: In millions, about how many global Somali speakers are there?
answers: text: 12.65

question: Along with Greater Somalia ethnic Somalis, who speaks Somali?
answers: text: the Somali diaspora
context: The exact number of speakers of Somali is unknown. One source estimates that there are 7.78 million speakers of Somali in Somalia itself and 12.65 million speakers globally. The Somali language is spoken by ethnic Somalis in Greater Somalia and the Somali diaspora.

qas: question: Along with Northern and Maay, what is the third main group of Somali dialects?
answers: text: Benaadir

question: What dialect is Standard Somali based on?
answers: text: Northern Somali

question: What is another name for Benaadir?
answers: text: Coastal Somali

question: What dialect is spoken on Mogadishu?
answers: text: Benaadir

question: In what geographic part of Somalia do the Rahanweyn live?
answers: text: southern
context: Somali dialects are divided into three main groups: Northern, Benaadir and Maay. Northern Somali (or Northern-Central Somali) forms the basis for Standard Somali. Benaadir (also known as Coastal Somali) is spoken on the Benadir coast from Adale to south of Merca, including Mogadishu, as well as in the immediate hinterland. The coastal dialects have additional phonemes which do not exist in Standard Somali. Maay is principally spoken by the Digil and Mirifle (Rahanweyn) clans in the southern areas of Somalia.

qas: question: What is the most frequently used writing script for the Somali language?
answers: text: the Somali alphabet

question: Who introduced the Somali alphabet?
answers: text: Mohamed Siad Barre

question: In what month and year was the Somali alphabet introduced?
answers: text: October 1972

question: Who created the Somali alphabet?
answers: text: Shire Jama Ahmed

question: Who invented the Osmanya script?
answers: text: Osman Yusuf Kenadid
context: A number of writing systems have been used over the years for transcribing the language. Of these, the Somali alphabet is the most widely used, and has been the official writing script in Somalia since the government of former President of Somalia Mohamed Siad Barre formally introduced it in October 1972. The script was developed by the Somali linguist Shire Jama Ahmed specifically for the Somali language, and uses all letters of the English Latin alphabet except p, v and z. Besides Ahmed's Latin script, other orthographies that have been used for centuries for writing Somali include the long-established Arabic script and Wadaad's writing. Indigenous writing systems developed in the twentieth century include the Osmanya, Borama and Kaddare scripts, which were invented by Osman Yusuf Kenadid, Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur and Hussein Sheikh Ahmed Kaddare, respectively.

qas: question: Other than Somali, what is an official language of Somalia?
answers: text: Arabic

question: To what language family does Arabic belong?
answers: text: Afro-Asiatic

question: In what neighboring country is Arabic also an official language?
answers: text: Djibouti

question: What organization do both Djibouti and Somalia belong to?
answers: text: the Arab League

question: For how long has Somalia had connections to the Arab world?
answers: text: centuries
context: In addition to Somali, Arabic, which is also an Afro-Asiatic tongue, is an official national language in both Somalia and Djibouti. Many Somalis speak it due to centuries-old ties with the Arab world, the far-reaching influence of the Arabic media, and religious education. Somalia and Djibouti are also both members of the Arab League.

qas: question: Civilizations from what geographic part of Africa influenced Somali culture?
answers: text: Northeast

question: Civilizations from what geographic part of Asia influenced Somali culture?
answers: text: Southeast

question: What Asian country notable influenced Somali culture?
answers: text: India

question: Along with Northeast Africa, Southeast Asia and India, what locale had a significant influence on Somali culture?
answers: text: the Arabian Peninsula
context: The culture of Somalia is an amalgamation of traditions developed independently and through interaction with neighbouring and far away civilizations, such as other parts of Northeast Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India and Southeast Asia.

qas: question: Somali food contains influences from what region?
answers: text: Southeast Asian

question: Along with textiles, wood carving and pottery, what ancient cultural activity still dominates Somalia today?
answers: text: monumental architecture

question: Who called Somalia a "Nation of Bards"?
answers: text: Margaret Laurence

question: Of what nationality is the person who called Somalia a "Nation of Bards"?
answers: text: Canadian

question: What is the profession of the individual who referred to Somalia as a "Nation of Bards"?
answers: text: novelist
context: The textile-making communities in Somalia are a continuation of an ancient textile industry, as is the culture of wood carving, pottery and monumental architecture that dominates Somali interiors and landscapes. The cultural diffusion of Somali commercial enterprise can be detected in its cuisine, which contains Southeast Asian influences. Due to the Somali people's passionate love for and facility with poetry, Somalia has often been referred to by scholars as a "Nation of Poets" and a "Nation of Bards" including, among others, the Canadian novelist Margaret Laurence.

qas: question: What is a notable game that is played in Somalia?
answers: text: Shax

question: Along with sport, games, literature, dress and festivals, what is a notable Somali cultural tradition?
answers: text: martial arts
context: All of these traditions, including festivals, martial arts, dress, literature, sport and games such as Shax, have immensely contributed to the enrichment of Somali heritage.

qas: question: What scale is used by most Somali songs?
answers: text: pentatonic

question: How many notes are in a hepatonic scale?
answers: text: seven

question: What is an exaple of a hepatonic scale?
answers: text: the major scale

question: Along with Arabia and Ethiopia, what land has songs that sound similar to those of Somalia?
answers: text: Sudan

question: What does midho mean in English?
answers: text: lyricists
context: Somalis have a rich musical heritage centered on traditional Somali folklore. Most Somali songs are pentatonic. That is, they only use five pitches per octave in contrast to a heptatonic (seven note) scale, such as the major scale. At first listen, Somali music might be mistaken for the sounds of nearby regions such as Ethiopia, Sudan or Arabia, but it is ultimately recognizable by its own unique tunes and styles. Somali songs are usually the product of collaboration between lyricists (midho), songwriters (lahan) and singers ('odka or "voice").

qas: question: In what decade were the first Somali feature films made?
answers: text: 1960s

question: In what year was the SFA founded?
answers: text: 1975

question: Who was the representative of the Somali Film Agency in Rome?
answers: text: Ali Said Hassan

question: What are riwaaydo?
answers: text: popular musicals

question: What was the name of Said Salah Ahmed's first feature?
answers: text: The Somali Darwish
context: Growing out of the Somali people's rich storytelling tradition, the first few feature-length Somali films and cinematic festivals emerged in the early 1960s, immediately after independence. Following the creation of the Somali Film Agency (SFA) regulatory body in 1975, the local film scene began to expand rapidly. The Somali filmmaker Ali Said Hassan concurrently served as the SFA's representative in Rome. In the 1970s and early 1980s, popular musicals known as riwaayado were the main driving force behind the Somali movie industry. Epic and period films as well as international co-productions followed suit, facilitated by the proliferation of video technology and national television networks. Said Salah Ahmed during this period directed his first feature film, The Somali Darwish (The Somalia Dervishes), devoted to the Dervish State. In the 1990s and 2000s, a new wave of more entertainment-oriented movies emerged. Referred to as Somaliwood, this upstart, youth-based cinematic movement has energized the Somali film industry and in the process introduced innovative storylines, marketing strategies and production techniques. The young directors Abdisalam Aato of Olol Films and Abdi Malik Isak are at the forefront of this quiet revolution.

qas: question: What is a notable characteristic of Somali art?
answers: text: aniconism

question: Along with wood carving, architecture and pottery, what is a notable Somali artistic tradition?
answers: text: music

question: In what geographic region of Somalia are ancient rock paintings located?
answers: text: northern

question: What animals are depicted on the Mogadishan canopies?
answers: text: birds

question: In what area of Somalia can one find the tombs decorated with plants?
answers: text: southern
context: Somali art is the artistic culture of the Somali people, both historic and contemporary. These include artistic traditions in pottery, music, architecture, wood carving and other genres. Somali art is characterized by its aniconism, partly as a result of the vestigial influence of the pre-Islamic mythology of the Somalis coupled with their ubiquitous Muslim beliefs. However, there have been cases in the past of artistic depictions representing living creatures, such as certain ancient rock paintings in northern Somalia, the golden birds on the Mogadishan canopies, and the plant decorations on religious tombs in southern Somalia. More typically, intricate patterns and geometric designs, bold colors and monumental architecture were the norm.

qas: question: What do Somali women wear on their feet during Eid?
answers: text: henna

question: Along with triangular shapes, what are common henna designs in Somalia?
answers: text: flower motifs

question: What do Somali women traditionally put around their eyes?
answers: text: kohl

question: From what ancient region did kuul application come?
answers: text: Land of Punt

question: What activity is often held before Somali weddings?
answers: text: Henna parties
context: Additionally, henna is an important part of Somali culture. It is worn by Somali women on their hands, arms, feet and neck during weddings, Eid, Ramadan, and other festive occasions. Somali henna designs are similar to those in the Arabian peninsula, often featuring flower motifs and triangular shapes. The palm is also frequently decorated with a dot of henna and the fingertips are dipped in the dye. Henna parties are usually held before the wedding takes place. Somali women have likewise traditionally applied kohl (kuul) to their eyes. Usage of the eye cosmetic in the Horn region is believed to date to the ancient Land of Punt.

qas: question: What sport do Somalis most enjoy?
answers: text: Football

question: What is the name of the Somali national football team?
answers: text: Ocean Stars

question: In what year did the Ocean Stars first compete in the Olympics?
answers: text: 1972

question: Along with Liban Abdi, Ayub Daud and Abdisalam Ibrahim, who is a notable Somali football player?
answers: text: Mohammed Ahamed Jama

question: Along with the Somalia Cup, what is an important Somali football competition?
answers: text: the Somalia League
context: Football is the most popular sport amongst Somalis. Important competitions are the Somalia League and Somalia Cup. The multi-ethnic Ocean Stars, Somalia's national team, first participated at the Olympic Games in 1972 and has sent athletes to compete in most Summer Olympic Games since then. The equally diverse Somali beach soccer team also represents the country in international beach soccer competitions. In addition, several international footballers such as Mohammed Ahamed Jama, Liban Abdi, Ayub Daud and Abdisalam Ibrahim have played in European top divisions.

qas: question: When did the 1981 FIBA African Championship take place?
answers: text: 15–23 December 1981

question: Who hosted the 1981 FIBA African Championship?
answers: text: Somalia

question: In what city did the 1981 FIBA African Championship take place?
answers: text: Mogadishu

question: For what nation did Hussein Ahmed Salah compete?
answers: text: Djibouti

question: Who did Mohammed Ahmed compete for in the Olympics?
answers: text: Canada
context: The FIBA Africa Championship 1981 was hosted by Somalia from 15–23 December 1981. The games were played in Mogadishu, and the Somali national team received the bronze prize. Abdi Bile won the 1500 m event at the World Championships in 1987, running the fastest final 800 m of any 1,500 meter race in history. He was a two-time Olympian (1984 and 1996) and dominated the event in the late 1980s. Hussein Ahmed Salah, a Somalia-born former long-distance runner from Djibouti, won a bronze medal in the marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He also won silver medals in this event at the 1987 and 1991 World Championships, as well as the 1985 IAAF World Marathon Cup. Mo Farah is a double Olympic gold medal winner and world champion, and holds the European track record for 10,000 metres, the British road record for 10,000 metres, the British indoor record in the 3000 metres, the British track record for 5000 metres and the European indoor record for 5000 metres. Mohammed Ahmed (athlete) is a Canadian long-distance runner who represented Canada in the 10,000 meter races at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2013 World Championships in Athletics.

qas: question: Who came in fourth in the 2013 Open World Taekwondo Challenge Cup?
answers: text: Mohamed Deq Abdulle

question: What medal did Faisal Jeylani Aweys win in the 2013 Open World Taekwondo Challenge Cup?
answers: text: silver

question: Where did the 2013 Open World Taekwondo Challenge Cup take place?
answers: text: Tongeren

question: Along with Thai Boxing, in what has Mohamed Jama won a European title?
answers: text: K1
context: In the martial arts, Faisal Jeylani Aweys and Mohamed Deq Abdulle also took home a silver medal and fourth place, respectively, at the 2013 Open World Taekwondo Challenge Cup in Tongeren. The Somali National Olympic committee has devised a special support program to ensure continued success in future tournaments. Additionally, Mohamed Jama has won both world and European titles in K1 and Thai Boxing.

qas: question: What is a koofiyad?
answers: text: an embroidered fez

question: What do Somali men wear when they aren't wearing Western clothing?
answers: text: the macawis

question: Where is the macawis worn?
answers: text: around the waist

question: What piece of clothing is the macawis similar to?
answers: text: sarong

question: Aside from the koofiyad, what do Somali men wear on their head?
answers: text: turban
context: When not dressed in Westernized clothing such as jeans and t-shirts, Somali men typically wear the macawis, which is a sarong-like garment worn around the waist. On their heads, they often wrap a colorful turban or wear the koofiyad, an embroidered fez.

qas: question: What is the jellabiya?
answers: text: a long white garment

question: Along with jellabiyad, what is the jellabiya called in Somali?
answers: text: qamiis

question: In what region do men commonly wear the jellabiya?
answers: text: the Arab world
context: Due to Somalia's proximity to and close ties with the Arabian Peninsula, many Somali men also wear the jellabiya (jellabiyad or qamiis in Somali), a long white garment common in the Arab world.

qas: question: What is the regular garment of Somali women?
answers: text: the guntiino

question: What is the guntiino normally made from?
answers: text: alandi

question: What is the usual formal attire for Somali women?
answers: text: the dirac

question: Along with silk, saree fabric or chiffon, what might the dirac be made out of?
answers: text: taffeta

question: What is the underskirt of the dirac called?
answers: text: the gorgorad
context: During regular, day-to-day activities, Somali women usually wear the guntiino, a long stretch of cloth tied over the shoulder and draped around the waist. It is usually made out of alandi, which is a textile common in the Horn region and some parts of North Africa. The garment can be worn in different styles. It can also be made with other fabrics, including white cloth with gold borders. For more formal settings, such as at weddings or religious celebrations like Eid, women wear the dirac. It is a long, light, diaphanous voile dress made of silk, chiffon, taffeta or saree fabric. The gown is worn over a full-length half-slip and a brassiere. Known as the gorgorad, the underskirt is made out of silk and serves as a key part of the overall outfit. The dirac is usually sparkly and very colorful, the most popular styles being those with gilded borders or threads. The fabric is typically acquired from Somali clothing stores in tandem with the gorgorad. In the past, dirac fabric was also frequently purchased from South Asian merchandisers.

qas: question: What is the name of the headscarf worn by married women?
answers: text: shaash

question: What is the name of the shawl that married women wear on their upper bodies?
answers: text: garbasaar

question: Along with abaya, what is a traditional Arab garment sometimes worn by Somali women?
answers: text: the jilbab
context: Married women tend to sport headscarves referred to as shaash. They also often cover their upper body with a shawl, which is known as garbasaar. Unmarried or young women, however, do not always cover their heads. Traditional Arabian garb, such as the jilbab and abaya, is also commonly worn.

qas: question: What is the jewelry worn by Somali women commonly made from?
answers: text: gold

question: Along with anklets, what pieces of jewelry are traditionally worn by Somali women?
answers: text: necklaces

question: What type of jewelry do Somali women wear at their weddings?
answers: text: gold
context: Additionally, Somali women have a long tradition of wearing gold jewelry, particularly bangles. During weddings, the bride is frequently adorned in gold. Many Somali women by tradition also wear gold necklaces and anklets.

qas: question: In what year was the Somali flag invented?
answers: text: 1954

question: Who devised the Somali flag?
answers: text: Mohammed Awale Liban

question: What was Mohammed Awale Liban by profession?
answers: text: scholar

question: What is the star at the center of the Somali flag called?
answers: text: Star of Unity

question: How many points does the Star of Unity have?
answers: text: five
context: The Somali flag is an ethnic flag conceived to represent ethnic Somalis. It was created in 1954 by the Somali scholar Mohammed Awale Liban, after he had been selected by the labour trade union of the Trust Territory of Somalia to come up with a design. Upon independence in 1960, the flag was adopted as the national flag of the nascent Somali Republic. The five-pointed Star of Unity in the flag's center represents the Somali ethnic group inhabiting the five territories in Greater Somalia.

qas: question: What is the one culinary tradition that is present among all Somali regional cuisines?
answers: text: all food is served halal

question: What type of meat is never present in halal dishes?
answers: text: pork

question: What beverage is not halal?
answers: text: alcohol

question: Along with alcohol, what liquid is never present in halal food?
answers: text: blood
context: Somali cuisine varies from region to region and consists of a fusion of diverse culinary influences. It is the product of Somalia's rich tradition of trade and commerce. Despite the variety, there remains one thing that unites the various regional cuisines: all food is served halal. There are therefore no pork dishes, alcohol is not served, nothing that died on its own is eaten, and no blood is incorporated.

qas: question: What is the English word for qado?
answers: text: lunch

question: What is bariis in English?
answers: text: rice

question: What is the most popular variety of bariis?
answers: text: basmati

question: When is the latest a Somali might eat dinner during Ramadan?
answers: text: 11 pm

question: After what event during Ramadan is dinner served?
answers: text: Tarawih prayers
context: Qado or lunch is often elaborate. Varieties of bariis (rice), the most popular probably being basmati, usually serve as the main dish. Spices like cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and garden sage are used to aromatize these different rice delicacies. Somalis eat dinner as late as 9 pm. During Ramadan, supper is often served after Tarawih prayers; sometimes as late as 11 pm.

qas: question: What is another term for xalwo?
answers: text: halva

question: Along with wedding receptions, when is xalwo often consumed?
answers: text: Eid celebrations

question: What do the Somalis call frankincense?
answers: text: lubaan

question: What is the English word for cunnsi?
answers: text: incense

question: What do the Somalis call incense burners?
answers: text: dabqaad
context: Xalwo (halva) is a popular confection eaten during festive occasions, such as Eid celebrations or wedding receptions. It is made from sugar, corn starch, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and ghee. Peanuts are also sometimes added to enhance texture and flavor. After meals, homes are traditionally perfumed using frankincense (lubaan) or incense (cuunsi), which is prepared inside an incense burner referred to as a dabqaad.

qas: question: When did Somalis begin to render their language using the Latin alphabet?
answers: text: 1972

question: Who is the most well-known modern Somali writer?
answers: text: Nuruddin Farah

question: In what year did Nuruddin Farah win the Neustadt International Prize for Literature?
answers: text: 1998

question: Who wrote Ignorance is the enemy of love?
answers: text: Farah Mohamed Jama Awl

question: Who won the 2010 Betty Trask Prize?
answers: text: Nadifa Mohamed
context: Somali scholars have for centuries produced many notable examples of Islamic literature ranging from poetry to Hadith. With the adoption of the Latin alphabet in 1972 to transcribe the Somali language, numerous contemporary Somali authors have also released novels, some of which have gone on to receive worldwide acclaim. Of these modern writers, Nuruddin Farah is probably the most celebrated. Books such as From a Crooked Rib and Links are considered important literary achievements, works which have earned Farah, among other accolades, the 1998 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. Farah Mohamed Jama Awl is another prominent Somali writer who is perhaps best known for his Dervish era novel, Ignorance is the enemy of love. Young upstart Nadifa Mohamed was also awarded the 2010 Betty Trask Prize. Additionally, Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame 'Hadrawi' is considered by many to be the greatest living Somali poet, and several of his works have been translated internationally.

qas: question: What is the Somali system of customary law?
answers: text: Xeer
context: Somalis for centuries have practiced a form of customary law, which they call Xeer. Xeer is a polycentric legal system where there is no monopolistic agent that determines what the law should be or how it should be interpreted.

qas: question: In what century did the Xeer system begin?
answers: text: 7th

question: In what region did the Xeer system develop?
answers: text: the Horn of Africa

question: What fact about Somali legal terms implies that Xeer developed locally?
answers: text: devoid of loan words
context: The Xeer legal system is assumed to have developed exclusively in the Horn of Africa since approximately the 7th century. There is no evidence that it developed elsewhere or was greatly influenced by any foreign legal system. The fact that Somali legal terminology is practically devoid of loan words from foreign languages suggests that Xeer is truly indigenous.

qas: question: In the Xeer system, what are judges called?
answers: text: odayal

question: What does xeer boggeyaal mean in English?
answers: text: jurists

question: What does the Xeer system call attorneys?
answers: text: garxajiyaal

question: By what term are witnesses known in the Xeer system?
answers: text: murkhaatiyal

question: What does the Xeer system call cops?
answers: text: waranle
context: The Xeer legal system also requires a certain amount of specialization of different functions within the legal framework. Thus, one can find odayal (judges), xeer boggeyaal (jurists), guurtiyaal (detectives), garxajiyaal (attorneys), murkhaatiyal (witnesses) and waranle (police officers) to enforce the law.

qas: question: Along with Somalo-Islamic architecture, what influences modern Somali architecture?
answers: text: Western designs

question: Along with the early modern and ancient, during what period did Somali architecture exist?
answers: text: medieval

question: What material was used to make Somali cities?
answers: text: stone
context: Somali architecture is a rich and diverse tradition of engineering and designing. It involves multiple different construction types, such as stone cities, castles, citadels, fortresses, mosques, mausoleums, towers, tombs, tumuli, cairns, megaliths, menhirs, stelae, dolmens, stone circles, monuments, temples, enclosures, cisterns, aqueducts, and lighthouses. Spanning the ancient, medieval and early modern periods in Greater Somalia, it also includes the fusion of Somalo-Islamic architecture with Western designs in contemporary times.

qas: question: What do Somalis call their ancient pyramids?
answers: text: taalo

question: What were taalo used for?
answers: text: burial

question: What were ancient Somali houses made out of?
answers: text: dressed stone

question: Ancient Somali houses were similar to houses in what country?
answers: text: Egypt

question: What is a notable stone wall built in ancient Somalia?
answers: text: the Wargaade Wall
context: In ancient Somalia, pyramidical structures known in Somali as taalo were a popular burial style, with hundreds of these dry stone monuments scattered around the country today. Houses were built of dressed stone similar to the ones in Ancient Egypt. There are also examples of courtyards and large stone walls enclosing settlements, such as the Wargaade Wall.

qas: question: During what period was the Muslim faith introduced to Somalia?
answers: text: early medieval

question: Along with Arabian influences, where did architectural influences come from in the medieval period?
answers: text: Persia

question: In the medieval period, what buildings were notably built atop older ruins?
answers: text: mosques

question: Along with sundried bricks and coral stone, what construction material was widely used after the introduction of Islam?
answers: text: limestone

question: Before Islam was introduced, what was a common building material in Somalia?
answers: text: drystone
context: The peaceful introduction of Islam in the early medieval era of Somalia's history brought Islamic architectural influences from Arabia and Persia. This had the effect of stimulating a shift in construction from drystone and other related materials to coral stone, sundried bricks, and the widespread use of limestone in Somali architecture. Many of the new architectural designs, such as mosques, were built on the ruins of older structures. This practice would continue over and over again throughout the following centuries.

qas: question: What is the academic study of the Somali people called?
answers: text: Somali Studies

question: Along with sociology, linguistics, historiography and archaeology, what field is part of Somali Studies?
answers: text: anthropology

question: Along with chronicles and records, what indigenous sources are used in Somali Studies?
answers: text: oral literature

question: What is the name of the annual gathering of Somali Studies scholars?
answers: text: the International Congress of Somali Studies

question: When did the International Congress of Somali Studies begin?
answers: text: 1980
context: The scholarly term for research concerning Somalis and Greater Somalia is known as Somali Studies. It consists of several disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, linguistics, historiography and archaeology. The field draws from old Somali chronicles, records and oral literature, in addition to written accounts and traditions about Somalis from explorers and geographers in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. Since 1980, prominent Somalist scholars from around the world have also gathered annually to hold the International Congress of Somali Studies.