I visited Mogadishu for a couple of days meetings with the US Embassy staff, including a drive down the coast and then to Bardera and back. I was told that the waters off of the beach were shark infested so the beach was only used by the local fishing boats.
funny you should mention that, cause one of the first accounts we have of Mogadishu (that I left out of this essay) is some visitor named Al-Saghani in 1213, talking about its infamous Man-eating sharks (and nothing else, apparently):
"there were in the water, beasts like dolphins, and it was said that it is a great fish that cuts a man in half in the water and then swallows him. I've seen this fish in Muqadashuh, and the diver was cut in half, it swallowed half of him, and the other half floated above the water, and the people of the country were confused and hunted it. And they found half of the diver in its stomach."
As always Mondays is my favorite time on line because of your articles, much thanks.
I'm Grateful, thank you too Alton.
I visited Mogadishu for a couple of days meetings with the US Embassy staff, including a drive down the coast and then to Bardera and back. I was told that the waters off of the beach were shark infested so the beach was only used by the local fishing boats.
funny you should mention that, cause one of the first accounts we have of Mogadishu (that I left out of this essay) is some visitor named Al-Saghani in 1213, talking about its infamous Man-eating sharks (and nothing else, apparently):
"there were in the water, beasts like dolphins, and it was said that it is a great fish that cuts a man in half in the water and then swallows him. I've seen this fish in Muqadashuh, and the diver was cut in half, it swallowed half of him, and the other half floated above the water, and the people of the country were confused and hunted it. And they found half of the diver in its stomach."
Very interesting to know that this was not a modern phenomenon but a longstanding even historical environmental artefact!