Lighthouses of Somalia

Shaped something like a fish hook, Somalia is located on the Horn of Africa, the northeastern corner of the continent. The country was formed in 1960 by uniting the former British Somaililand, which faces north on the Gulf of Aden, with the former Italian Somaliland, which faces east southeast on the Indian Ocean.

This union has never been complete, and since 1991 the southern part of the country has been splintered by warfare. The northern (formerly British) part is relatively stable and has declared its independence under the name Somaliland. The northeastern part, called Puntland, also has an autonomous government but seeks a federation with southern Somalia.

Under these unsettled and dangerous conditions, the lighthouses have not been functioning, and it is difficult to determine if they have survived. This page lists 10 historic lighthouses. Current information on any of these sites would certainly be welcome.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

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General Sources


Merka Range Lights
postcard image courtesy of Michel Forand

Lighthouses of the former Italian Somaliland
Isola dei Serpenti (Kismayu)
Date unknown. Focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white flash every 4 s, also a continuous red light of shorter range. Round masonry tower on white square dwelling. No photo available, but a Google satellite view probably shows the lighthouse. This lighthouse and the next are in Jubaland, a region formerly claimed by Britain as part of Kenya; the British ceded Jubaland to Italy in 1924. Located on an island about 1.5 km (1 mi) northeast of Kismaayo (Kismayu). Site status unknown. ARLHS SOM-010; Admiralty D6842; NGA 31160.
Jumba (Fiume Giuba)
1912(?). Focal plane 37 m (121 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 9 m (30 ft) black square masonry tower on white truncated pyramid. No photo available. Located on the mainland about 16 km (10 mi) northeast of Kismaayo (Kismayu). Site status unknown. ARLHS SOM-004; NGA 31156.
Baraawe (Brava)
1912. Inactive. Approx. 18 m (56 ft) square concrete tower with gallery; the lantern has vanished. A photo is available, also a more distant photo, and Klaus Huelse has a historic postcard view of the lighthouse when it was active. Located on an island sheltering the harbor of Baraawe, a port about 160 km (100 mi) southwest of Mogadishu. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower status unknown. ARLHS SOM-002.
Merka Range Front
Date unknown (station established 1912). Focal plane 10 m (33 ft); continuous green light. 6.5 m (21 ft) white tower. No photo available. The current light list descriptions of the range lights don't fit very well with the postcard view of Merka above. Located "behind the mosque" in Merka. Site status unknown. ARLHS SOM-005; Admiralty D7212; NGA 31136.
Merka Range Rear
Date unknown (station established 1912). Focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white light, 2 s on, 6.5 s off. 17 m (56 ft) white round concrete tower. A distant photo of Merka shows two towers, one of which is probably this lighthouse. Located 131 m (143 ft) northwest of the front light in Merka. Site status unknown. ARLHS SOM-006; Admiralty D7212.1; NGA 31140.
Moqdishu (Mogadishu)
1913(?). Focal plane 74 m (243 ft); white flash every 12.5 s. 10 m (33 ft) white masonry tower. No photo available. Located in Mogadishu, the national capital and former capital of Italian Somaliland. Site status unknown. ARLHS SOM-007; Admiralty D7218; NGA 31096.
Hobyo (Obbia)
Date unknown. Focal plane 32 m (105 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) square hut, black and white bands. No photo available. Located in Hobyo, a town about 500 km (315 mi) northeast of Mogadishu. (Hobyo is the capital of Southern Mudug, one of the regions operating independently of the central government.) Site status unknown. ARLHS SOM-008; Admiralty D7236; NGA 31088.
Ras Hafun
Date unknown. Focal plane 107 m (351 ft); two white flashes, separated by 4 s, every 35 s. 13 m (42 ft) white column on white building, red lantern. No photo available.This lighthouse and the next two are in Puntland, a region that has declared itself autonomous, though not independent. Ras Hafun is a sharp promontory projecting east from Hurdiyo in northeastern Somalia. Site status unknown. ARLHS SOM-011; Admiralty D7242; NGA 31076.
Ras Asir (Cape Guardafui)
Date unknown. Focal plane 263 m (863 ft); white flash every 5 s. 19 m (63 ft) round masonry tower on square base. No photo available. This is it: the Horn of Africa. Almost certainly this lighthouse has been destroyed: it does not appear in a Google satellite view of the cape. The surrounding area is quite desolate. Site status unknown. ARLHS SOM-003; Admiralty D7246; NGA 31072.
* Bossaso Range Rear
Date unknown. Focal plane 16 m (52 ft); continuous red light. 13 m (43 ft) black and white banded tower. No lantern. The thumbnail image at right is from images.google.com; the full-size photo was not retrievable. Located in Bossaso, a port on the Gulf of Aden. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SOM-001; Admiralty D7260.1; NGA 31052.

Bosasso Range Rear Light
source unknown

Lighthouse of Somaliland (the former British Somaliland)
Tamar (Tamara) Point
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 9 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) skeletal tower with central column, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but the lighthouse can be seen in a Google satellite view. This lighthouse guides vessels into the prot of Berbera, which has been expanded in recent years to serve commerical traffic to and from Ethiopia. Located at the end of a sandy spit protecting the harbor of Berbera. Site status unknown, but probably open. Admiralty D7264; NGA 31040.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

  • Berbera
    Date unknown. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) cast iron tower, painted with black and white bands. This lighthouse was apparently built by the British in the late 1800s. It collapsed in 1996. Another photo of the lost lighthouse is available. The lighthouse was located on the beach just west of Berbera, Somaliland. ARLHS SOM-012.

Notable faux lighthouses:

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Posted July 1, 2005. Checked and revised June 20, 2007. Lighthouses: 11. Site copyright 2006 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.