Zeila

(noun)

A port city in northwestern Somali. It evolved into an early Islamic center with the arrival of Muslims shortly after the hijra. By the 9th century it was the capital of the Ifat Sultanate and a major port for its successor state the Adal Sultanate. It would attain its height of prosperity a few centuries later, in the 16th century. The city subsequently came under Ottoman and British protection in the 18th century.

Related Terms

Examples of Zeila in the following topics:

  • The Sultanates of Somalia

    • The oldest mosque in the city of Zeila, a major port/trading center, dates to the 7th century. 
    • In the late 9th century, Muslims were living along the northern Somali seaboard, and evidence suggests that Zeila was already the headquarters of a Muslim sultanate in the 9th or 10th century.
    • Led by the Walashma dynasty, it was centered in the ancient cities of Zeila and Shewa.
    • Adal attained its peak in the 14th century, trading in slaves, ivory, and other commodities with Abyssinia and kingdoms in Arabia through its chief port of Zeila.