El-Darad

El-Darad was a historic coastal settlement and port located in the Sahil region of Somaliland.

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, Alula, Ruguda, Maydh, Heis, Siyara and El-Sheikh.
In the 19th century, El-Darad was a seasonal coastal trading settlement with a fort made of adobe and stone masonry, which was surrounded by Somali Aqal and Areesh. The fort was erected in circa 1826 and was owned by Muhammad Diban, a Habr Je'lo pirate and slave trader based in El-Darad who garrisoned the fort with slaves armed with matchlock rifles. 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.
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.