El-Darad Ceel Daraad | |
|---|---|
Sharmarke Ali Saleh's cannons deposited at El-Darad, El-Darad beach, El-Darad archaeological sites | |
  El-Darad Location in Somaliland  El-Darad El-Darad (Somaliland) | |
| Coordinates: 10°45′40.9″N45°34′42.6″E / 10.761361°N 45.578500°E | |
| Country |  Somaliland |
| Region | Sahil |
| District | Berbera District |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
El-Darad (Somali : Ceel Daraad) was a historic coastal settlement and port located in the Sahil region of Somaliland.
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 Faahiye Xassan Sub-division of the Aadan Madoobe and the Ahmed Farah Sub-division of the Nuux Maxamed who both belong to the Habr Je'lo Clan family.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)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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