Borama Script

Borama Script, also known as Far Gadabuursi, is a writing system designed for the Somali language. It was created in the city of Borama in northwestern Somalia (now Somaliland) and is associated with Sheikh Abdirahman Sheikh Noor. It is one of several Somali scripts developed during the twentieth century, before the Latin script was formally adopted.

The script had distinctive features not found in Arabic or Latin script, though some elements of its structure can be compared to Arabic writing, which runs from right to left. Its use did not spread throughout the country; it remained largely confined to the Sheikh himself and those connected to him—his associates and students—and certain correspondence between them.

Origins and Development

In the early 1930s, Sheikh Abdirahman Sheikh Noor is said to have developed the script. The primary goal was to overcome problems that arose from using Arabic letters to write Somali sounds, particularly long vowels and the many consonant distinctions present in Somali. The new script attempted to assign a unique letter to each sound.

Its Role in the Debate over Somali Writing

Between the 1920s and 1972, a lengthy debate took place over which script should be used for Somali. Three major proposals were put forward: Arabic script, Latin script, and new Somali scripts—such as Osmanya (created by Osman Yusuf Kenadid) and Borama Script. In 1972, the military government decided to adopt the Latin script, which ended the debate and use of the other scripts declined.

Present Status

Today Borama Script is not an active writing system in common use. It is primarily a subject of scholarly research concerning the history of Somali writing, and has been included in lists of world writing systems documented in writing system registries. Its characters have not been integrated into standard computer character sets.