Zeila Archipelago

The Sa'ad ad-Din Islands (Jasiiradda Sacadaddiin, جزر سعد الدين), also Romanized as Sa'ad-ed-din and known as the Zeila Archipelago, are a group of islands off the northwestern coast of Somaliland. They are situated near the ancient city of Zeila.

The Zeila Archipelago is made of six small islands all of which are low-lying and have sandy beaches. The largest of these islands are Sacadin and Aibat, which are six and nine miles off the coast of Zeila, respectively. There is also a lighthouse at Aibat.

Etymology & History


The name for the archipelago comes from the Sultan Sa'ad ad-Din II who was killed by the Emperor of Abyssinia on the main island in 1403. Along with his name, there are many different spellings for the island such as Sa'ad ed Din, Sa'ad-ed-din, and Sa'ad-ad-Din. The archpeligo is also known as the Zeila Archipelago and the Sa'ad ad-Din group.

Legendary Arab explorer Ahmad ibn Mājid wrote of the archipelago and a few other notable landmarks and ports of the northern Somali coast, including Zeila, Berbera, Xiis, Alula, Ruguuda, Maydh, Ceel-Sheekh, Siyara and El-Darad.

The archipelago is the site where the remaining forces of Sheikh Bashir were shipped to after the conclusion of the 1945 Sheikh Bashir Rebellion.

Environment


The Sa'ad ad-Din Islands are well known for their splendid coral reefs similar to those found on the southern coast of Oman. These reefs are the most diverse and well formed coral reefs on the coast of the Gulf of Aden and possibly the largest in the region. From provincial counts, ninety-nine different species of coral from forty-three different genera have been found on the islands.

There are also a hundred and thirty-two different species of coral fish found around the archipelago. Many of these species include those also found in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean.

The island of Sa'ad ad-Din and Aibat (called Ceebaad in Somali) both are sites of major bird colonies. On the island of Sa'ad ad-Din alone, there were more than 100,000 breeding pairs recorded.

Following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and other NGO worked with local authorities to establish protected areas and monitor fishers on the islands.

Demographics
The archipelago currently has no permanent residents and is uninhabited, though it is still occasionally visited by tourists, local fishermen, and those who wish to honor Sa'ad ad-Din II.