Villa Somalia

Villa Somalia
General information
Town or city Mogadishu
Country Somalia
Coordinates 2°02′27″N 45°20′07″E / 2.040833°N 45.335278°E / 2.040833; 45.335278
Current tenants Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia
Construction started November 1, 1922 (1922-11-01)
Completed January 1, 1932 (1932-01-01)

Villa Somalia (Somali: Madaxtooyada Soomaaliya, Arabic: فيلا الصومال‎‎) is a building in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. It serves as the official residential palace and principal workplace of the President of Somalia.

History

The edifice was built -in partially modern art deco style- by the colonial authorities in Italian Somaliland, serving as a residence for the Governors.[1] Villa Somalia sits on high ground that overlooks Mogadishu on the Indian Ocean, with access to both the harbour and airport. It was originally a large, squarish stucco building with a tiled roof.[2]

The edifice was built in the new section of the city created by the Italians in the 1930s. Following independence in 1960, the building became the presidential palace of the President of the nascent Somali Republic.[2] After the start of the civil war and the overthrow of the Siad Barre administration in the early 1990s, various local faction leaders fought for control of and installed themselves in the residence. On 8 January 2007, Transitional Federal Government President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed entered Mogadishu for the first time since being elected to office. The government subsequently relocated to Villa Somalia from its interim location at Baidoa.[3]

As of January 2014, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud lives in and works out of Villa Somalia. The palace also hosts various Federal Government functions and events.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1938 Foto, showing the athletic race track near the newly built Villa Somalia
  2. 1 2 Reports Service: Northeast Africa series, Volume 13, Issue 1. American Universities Field Staff. 1966.
  3. ↑ "Somalia president visits Mogadishu after Ethiopian victory". Garowe Online. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Somalia President, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud hosted dinner at Villa Somalia". Warsheekh. 7 September 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
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