El-Sheikh ( so, Ceel-Sheekh) is a coastal settlement in the western edge of the
Sahil region of
Somaliland.
History
El-Sheikh was also known historically as ''Buurta Almis'' or جبل ألمس ''Jebel Amis'' after the nearby Mount Almis just south of the settlement. It was a well known landmark to navigators and legendary Arab explorer
Ahmad ibn Mājid
Aḥmad ibn Mājid ( ar, أحمد بن ماجد), known as "Amīr al-Baḥr al-ʿArabī" in Arabic ( ar, أمير البحر العربي), “Prince of the Sea” and known also as the ''Lion of the Sea'', was an Arab navigator and cartographer ...
wrote of El-Sheikh and a few other notable landmarks and ports of the northern Somali coast, including
Berbera
Berbera (; so, Barbara, ar, بربرة) is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa. It a ...
,
Siyara
Siyara ( so, Siyaara) was a historic coastal settlement and fort located in the Sahil region of Somaliland. It served as the first capital of the Adal Sultanate following the Muslim resurgence spearheaded by Sabr ad-Din II.Pankhurst, Richard. '' ...
, the
Sa'ad ad-Din islands
The Sa'ad ad-Din Islands ( so, Jasiirada Sacadadiin, ar, جزر سعد الدين), also Romanized as and known as the Zeila Archipelago, are a group of islands off the northern coast of Somaliland. They are situated near the ancient city of Z ...
aka the Zeila Archipelago near
Zeila
Zeila ( so, Saylac, ar, زيلع, Zayla), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland.
In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila (or Hawilah) with the Bibli ...
,
Alula
The alula , or bastard wing, (plural ''alulae'') is a small projection on the anterior edge of the wing of modern birds and a few non-avian dinosaurs. The word is Latin and means "winglet"; it is the diminutive of ''ala'', meaning "wing". The a ...
,
Maydh,
Ruguda
Ruguda, also known as Rakudah ( so, Ruguuda) is a historic coastal port town located in the Sanaag region of Somaliland, near Heis.
Overview
Ruguda is a coastal town approximately 38km away from the larger Heis town nearby. Other nearby cities ...
,
Heis and
El-Darad
El-Darad ( so, Ceel Daraad) was a historic coastal settlement and fort 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 ...
.
Richard Burton visited the settlement and noted the mountain in his map.
After the
Habr Awal massacre of
Richard Burton's travel party and death of a number of British officers in 1854 led the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
to blockad the Habr Awal coast. The blockade was established from Mount Almis to
Siyara
Siyara ( so, Siyaara) was a historic coastal settlement and fort located in the Sahil region of Somaliland. It served as the first capital of the Adal Sultanate following the Muslim resurgence spearheaded by Sabr ad-Din II.Pankhurst, Richard. '' ...
and crippled trade in Berbera and
Bulhar
Bulhar ( so, Bulaxaar) is a historic port town in the Sahil region of Somaliland with routes dating back to antiquity. The port was rejuvenated in the 19th century and was a rival to nearby Berbera.
History
Antiquity
Bulhar is situated near Be ...
with a settlement being reached in 1856.
El-Sheikh remained a well used by the Habr Awal Saad Musa throughout the
British Somaliland
British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate ( so, Dhulka Maxmiyada Soomaalida ee Biritishka), was a British protectorate in present-day Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Somalia, French So ...
period and this is noted in the late 1940s and 50s survey of the protectorate.
Demographics
The
Sa'ad Musa
The Sa'ad Musa or Saad Musa ( so, Sacad Muuse, ar, سعد موسى, Full Name:'' Saad ibn Musa ibn Zubayr ibn Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ash- Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad'') is a northern Somali clan. Its members form a part of the Habr Awal clan of t ...
subclan of the
Habr Awal Isaaq reside in Ceel-Sheekh and its environs.
See also
*
Berbera
Berbera (; so, Barbara, ar, بربرة) is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa. It a ...
*
Bulhar
Bulhar ( so, Bulaxaar) is a historic port town in the Sahil region of Somaliland with routes dating back to antiquity. The port was rejuvenated in the 19th century and was a rival to nearby Berbera.
History
Antiquity
Bulhar is situated near Be ...
*
Siyara
Siyara ( so, Siyaara) was a historic coastal settlement and fort located in the Sahil region of Somaliland. It served as the first capital of the Adal Sultanate following the Muslim resurgence spearheaded by Sabr ad-Din II.Pankhurst, Richard. '' ...
*
Zeila
Zeila ( so, Saylac, ar, زيلع, Zayla), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland.
In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila (or Hawilah) with the Bibli ...
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
Ceel Sheekh - coordinates
Populated places in Sahil, Somaliland