Jazeera Beach

Jazeera lies on the coast a short way south of Mogadishu, a long stretch of white sand with dunes behind it and reef offshore, and it is where the capital goes at the weekend. The Indian Ocean here is warm and the water is clear when the swell is down. Fishing boats work off the shore and stalls set up on the sand on Fridays. The beach takes its name from the small island offshore, which gives it some shelter from the swell. Dunes behind the sand run for a considerable distance along this coast.

Background

The beach also goes by Gezira Beach, and in Somali it is Xeebta Jasiira or Xeebta Jaziira. It looks out over the Somali Sea, and weekend gatherings here are part of the Somali seagoing tradition. The beach has hotels, restaurants and leisure boats. Malaysia, Germany, Italy, the UK, America and Turkey supply most of the foreign visitors. In Jazeera an animal market trades camels, cows, goats, sheep and wildlife, and salt is mined nearby. Boats can be rented to reach the small island offshore. Mogadishu sees few rainy days, with the wettest weather from May through August, and rubbish dumped on the sand is a recurring problem.

Source: Wikipedia, "Jazeera Beach"

The landscape

• The white sand - the long beach south of the capital.
• The dunes - the ridges running behind the shore.
• The Friday crowd - the capital's weekend on the sand.
• The fishing boats - the craft worked off the beach.

When to go

December to March is the cooler dry season. Fridays are the busiest day. The southwest monsoon from June brings heavy swell.

Before you go

Currents and undertow here are strong. Facilities are stalls rather than infrastructure. Travel to and from requires local arrangement.

Nearby

Mogadishu is north, and Merca is south.

Key facts