Things to Do in Hargeysa, Somalia

Quick facts: This monument consists of a MiG-17 fighter jet weighing over 500 tons, which dominates the city skyline. It commemorates the victims of the bombing of Hargeisa in 1988, when tens of thousands of civilians died during the civil war.

Highlights: Originally it was a Somali government plane that dropped bombs on its own citizens right at this very spot. Today it stands as a witness to the trauma endured and a symbol of peace. Locals simply call it "the airplane" because everyone knows its story.

Quick facts: Under these granite overhangs in the Somaliland mountain range lies one of the best preserved collections of cave paintings in all of Africa. Ancient artists immortalized cows in ceremonial robes, people with outstretched arms, and mysterious domesticated animals with unusual neck shapes here 5,000 to 9,000 years ago.

Highlights: The paintings show cows adorned with a kind of ritual cloak, a motif not found elsewhere in northern Africa. Archaeologists discovered this site only in 2002, when local herders alerted a French research team to "rocks that tell stories."

Quick facts: The Sheikh's Mosque in Hargeisa is among the largest mosques in all of Somalia and can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers daily during prayers. Its dazzling white facade with three prominent domes and two 65-meter-high minarets is visible from afar and forms the city's dominant landmark.

Highlights: Locals say that during Friday prayers, so many people crowd inside the mosque that the last rows sit all the way out in the courtyard, and their chanting resonates throughout the entire neighborhood. A unique natural ventilation system using specially designed grilles in the domes can cool the interior by up to 8 degrees without a single air conditioner.

Quick facts: Two hill-like formations resembling female breasts reach heights of up to 140 meters. Locals believe the hills have healing power and for centuries pilgrimages for fertility have been held there.

Highlights: A peculiarity is that the hills change color during the day. In the morning they are golden brown, at noon almost white, and at sunset they glow reddish. Geologists to this day cannot exactly explain why the rock composition is so unique compared to the surrounding landscape.

Quick facts: The area is home to more than 20 species of wild animals, including lions, leopards, and hyenas. Lion feeding takes place every day at 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, attracting crowds of visitors.

Highlights: After dark, the zoo turns into a completely different world. Lion roars echo across the entire valley, and the moon quietly shines over the kangaroo enclosures. Local rangers know every animal by name and can tell stories about how they were rescued from the hands of poachers.

Quick facts: It stretches over an area of 45 hectares and is home to more than 200 species of birds, including the rare saker falcon. In the middle of the park lies an artificial lake, which was created in the 1980s and serves as the main birdwatching spot.

Highlights: In the evening, you can experience the incredible flight of millions of birds returning to roost for the night on a small island in the middle of the lake. The sun sets behind the acacias and the air fills with chirping and the rustle of wings, creating an almost magical atmosphere.

Quick facts: In the display cases of this museum you will find one of the largest collections of nomadic objects in the entire African region. Among the exhibits is a remarkable collection of traditional Somali miniature houses that once served as toys for children of nomadic tribes.

Highlights: The museum hides an original hand-embroidered nomadic tribe tent with a diameter of over four meters, which took three women two full years to make. Its patterns tell a story of a clan's migration across seven different oases, and each stitch has its own meaning.