Zeila
Region
Zeila ( Somali spelling: Saylac ) is a city in northern Somalia, near the border with Djibouti in the region of Awdal, It lies on the Gulf of Aden and has about 4500 inhabitants.
Zeila is known for the islands ( Zeila Islands), coral reefs and mangroves off its coast. On land it is surrounded by desert. The limited availability of drinking water prevented historically stronger growth of the place.
History
In ancient times, Zeila has been associated with the "City of Alawites " in conjunction. Under his own name, it appears for the first time 891 in the works of Arab geographer al - Yaqubi. Even al - Mas'udi and Ibn Hauqal mention the place. The latter describes him as a port where you can embark from Ethiopia to Yemen and the Hejaz. The importance Zeilas as a trading center is confirmed by al- Idrisi and Ibn Said, describing it as a slave trading center under Ethiopian control. The traveler Ibn Battuta visited Zeila in 1329, but was not fond of the place.
Zeila was the capital of the Sultanate of Adal.
In the 16th century, Zeila was 1517 and in 1528 invaded by the Portuguese. Raids Somali nomads caused the rulers degree open Lado to have a wall built around it. Later it lost its importance and became the possession of the Yemeni city of Mocha. For a short time it was a province of Egypt, in 1885 it became. Along with the more eastern part of the colony Berbera British Somaliland, the 1960 Italian Somaliland united to today's Somalia
The civil war, which lasted in the region until 1996, led to the destruction of many buildings in Zeila and the flight of many of its inhabitants in the neighboring Djibouti. Since the de facto autonomous Somaliland 1991 's - is not recognized internationally - has declared independence, however, the situation has become more stable, so that many have since returned. Use of remittances from expatriate Somali Zeila was rebuilt. There are also plans to restore the historic sites in Zeila and tourists to use.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Hassan Sheikh Mumin, poet and playwright