El-Darad

El-Darad (Somali: Ceel Daraad) was a historic coastal settlement and fort located in the Sahil region of Somaliland.

El-Darad
Ceel Daraad
Sharmarke Ali Saleh's cannons deposited at El-Darad, El-Darad beach, El-Darad archaeological sites
El-Darad is located in Sahil, Somaliland
El-Darad
El-Darad
Location in Somaliland
El-Darad is located in Somaliland
El-Darad
El-Darad
El-Darad (Somaliland)
Coordinates: 10°45′40.9″N 45°34′42.6″E
Country Somaliland
RegionSahil
DistrictBerbera District
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)

History

Legendary 15th century Arab explorer Ahmad ibn Mājid wrote of El-Darad and several other notable landmarks and ports of the northern Somali coast, including Berbera, the Sa'ad ad-Din islands (aka the Zeila Archipelago near Zeila), Alula, Ruguda, Maydh, Heis, Siyara and El-Sheikh.[1]

In the 19th century, El-Darad was a seasonal coastal trading settlement with a fort made of adobe (earth) and stone masonry, which was surrounded by Somali Aqal and Areesh (traditional nomadic and coastal dwellings respectively[2]). The fort was erected in circa 1826 and was owned by Muhammad Diban, a Habr Je'lo (Adan Madobe) pirate and slave trader based in El-Darad who garrisoned the fort with slaves armed with matchlock rifles.[3] Muhammad Diban also had cordial relations with Sharmarke Ali Saleh – governor and ruler of Zeila, Berbera and Tadjoura – who provided Muhammad with five cannons after Sharmarke lost control of Berbera in 1852.[4] The town today is inhabited by the Ahmed Farah Sub-division of the Habr Je'lo Clan family.

See also

References
  1. "Ibn Majid". Medieval Science, Technology, and Medicine: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. 2005. ISBN 978-1-135-45932-1.
  2. Drake-Brockman, Ralph Evelyn (1912). British Somaliland. Hurst & Blackett. p. 325.
  3. Joint-Daguenet, Roger (1992). "Outre-MersRevue d'histoire" (La côte africaine du golfe d'Aden au milieu du XIXe siècle): 94. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Burton. F., Richard (1856). First Footsteps in East Africa. pp. 436–437. Note: The Author states that the fort was constructed around thirty years prior to when the book was published, which means the fort was probably completed in circa 1826.


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