Warsheikh

Warsheikh sits on the coast north of Mogadishu, a small town that grew around a religious settlement and became a centre of Islamic learning on the Benadir coast, with old coral-stone buildings, mosques and tombs among the newer fabric. Fishing is the main work. Dunes back the beach and the coast runs long and empty in both directions from the town. The Benadir coast held a chain of such towns, of which Mogadishu, Merca and Barawa were the largest.

History

Warsheikh was an early Muslim centre and one of the main settlements of the medieval Sultanate of Mogadishu, later governed by the Ajuran Sultanate. Its old mosque near the cape bears an inscription dating its building to 1278 AH (1861-1862 CE), and in 1920-1921 Enrico Cerulli found coins of the medieval sultans of Mogadishu here (Wikipedia, Warsheikh).

What's there

• The old settlement - the religious foundation the town grew from.
• The coral-stone buildings - the surviving Benadir fabric.
• The tombs - the burials of the town's religious figures.
• The empty coast - the shore running long and unbuilt either side.

When to go

December to March is the cooler dry season. The rains fall around April to June and October to November. Heat outside the cool months is severe.

What to expect

There is no visitor infrastructure of any kind. Much of the historic fabric is deteriorating. Travel requires arrangements made well in advance through local contacts.

Nearby

Mogadishu is south, and Adale is north.

Key facts