Sources note that more than a quarter of the Somali population are pastoral nomads, moving with their cattle in search of water sources and grazing. Their architecture and method of building has adapted to this way of life. The method of building an Aqal (a traditional Somali nomadic home) is an intrinsic part of Somali culture and is kept alive by the nomadic community. However despite this persisting tradition, the Aqals themselves are always temporary. This paper intends to explore the impact this temporality has on the user and their sense of space. Particularly pertaining to the sense of identity and comfort a person can attach to an item that is never exactly the same but still recognisable.

This thesis aims to use indigenous knowledge sharing methods such as oral retelling in the form of extensive open conversational style interviews with the authors mother, Canab Cali, who formerly lived nomadically and worked on constructing elements of the Aqal. There will be an extensive exploration in the extent to which temporality is reflected in other aspects of Somali culture and how the Aqal’s ephemeral architecture affirms or rejects common design theories proposed by western authors such as Richard Sennet, Nelson Goodman as well as utilising theories presented by Somali authors such as Maxamed Cartan Xaange and Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame (Hadrawi).