Samaroon

Gadabuursi

غادابورسي سمرون
The Tomb of Sheikh Samaroon
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Somali and Arabic
Religion
Islam (Sunni, Sufism)
Related ethnic groups
Issa, Surre, Biimaal, Gurgura, Bursuuk, other Dir clans, Isaaq, Hawiye and other Somali clans. Saho people(Gadafur)

The Gadabuursi or Gadabursi (Somali: Gadabuursi, Reer Sheikh Samaroon and Reer Sheikh Maxamuud, Arabic: غادابورسي, سمرون‎‎) also commonly referred to as, Samaroon or Samaroon Said. They represent a large sub-clan of the Northern Dir Somali clan family.

They are geographically spread out across (3) countries; Somaliland, Ethiopia and Djibouti. In Somaliland, the Gadabuursi are the pre-dominant clan in the Awdal region and they also inhabit parts of Waqooyi Galbeed. In Djibouti: Where they are one of the main clan groups and the clan who founded the name "Cote francaise des Somalis". Among all the Gadabuursi inhabited regions of the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is the region where majority of the clan reside. In Ethiopia, the Gadabuursi mainly live in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, but also live in Ethiopia's Afar region and Oromia region.

The etymology of the name Gadabursi, as described by writer Ferrand in Ethnographic Survey of Africa refers to Gada meaning people and Bur meaning mountain, hence Gadabursi is believed to mean people of the mountains.

As a Dir sub-clan, the Gadabuursi have immediate lineal ties with the Issa, the Surre (Abdalle and Qubeys), the Biimaal (who the Gaadsen also belong too), the Bajimal, the Bursuk, the Madigan, the Gurgura, the Garre (the Quranyow sub-clan to be precise as they claim descent from Dir), Gurre, Gariire, other Dir sub-clans and they have lineal ties with the Hawiye (Irir), Hawadle, Ajuraan, Degoodi, Gaalje'el clan groups, who share the same ancestor Samaale.