Hersi Aman
Sultan Hersi Aman (Somali: Xirsi Ammaan) was the Sultan and Chief of the Habr Yunis clan.
Sultan Hersi Aman سلطان هيرسي أمان | |
---|---|
3rd Sultan of the Habr Yunis | |
Predecessor | Deria Sugulleh |
Successor | Nur Ahmed Aman |
Religion | Sunni Islam |
Biography
Hersi Aman belonged to the Ba Makahil section of the Sugulle dynasty.[1] He succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Deria Sugulleh, and ruled from the mid to late 19th century. Hersi is remembered for his successful conquests and expansion of Garhajis territory in the Haud.[2] His reign was abruptly ended when he was killed in a battle against the kindred Baha Sugulleh.
Ismail Mire in his poem The Rewards of Success comments on Hersi's conquests, pride and desire to rule all Somalis.
- With worldly pride Ina Ammaan gained a whole land
- Let all men put the horse's bit in their mouths,
- He said to himself ‘You are on top’
- But he didn't expect the one who killed him and was taken by surprise
- Oh men. Pride comes before a fall. Let that be known[3]
In the year 1873, Swiss explorer H.G Haggenmacher met Hersi during his travels through Somaliland and describes him as such:
I received a visit from Hersi Aman, the most powerful chieftain of the Habar Yunis... Hersi Aman is a stout man, with piercing eyes, firm language and quick Movements. He is a relative of Hersi Sultan and through personal courage has attained his current power[4]

See also
References
- British Somaliland, by Ralph E. Drake-Brockman
- Andrzejewski, B.W. and I.M. Lewis, 1964, Somali Poetry: An Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, p.106
- War and Peace: An Anthology of Somali literature, p.178
- G. A. Haggenmacher's Reise Im Somali-lande, 1874: Mit Einer Originalkarte By Gustav Adolf Haggenmacher, pp. 10–12