Botiala
Archaeological site
Country	Somalia
Region	Bari
Time zone	UTC+3 (EAT)

Botiala (Somali: Butiyaalo), also known as Bottiala or Bandar Kor, is an archaeological site in the northeastern Bari region of Puntland.

History

Botiala is located in a valley to the east of the ancient port city of Qandala, between Cape Guardafui and Bosaso. The area is abundant in frankincense of the highest quality.^[1]

Nearby are around 200 stone monuments (taalos), most of which consist of cairns. The bigger cairns are covered in shingles and tend to be more sturdily constructed. There are a number of rows of standing stones (menhirs) on the eastern side of the structures, which are similar to those at Salweyn, a great cairn-held situated close to Heis. Besides cairns, the Botiala area also features a few other drystone monuments. These include disc monuments with circular, ground-level features, as well as low, rectangular platform monuments.^[1]

A couple of hundred meters away are extensive shell middens. These stretch along the shoreline for a distance of around a kilometer. The site also contains the remains of what was apparently a dam that was built from boulders. This structure is located in an area near a shallow drainage line, which passes through mounds.^[1]

Additionally, some pottery sherds have been found in Botiala. The fragments are gritty and coarse, and resemble the ware at Hafun.^[1]