Ruguda
Town in Sanaag, Somaliland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ruguda, also known as Rakudah (Somali: Ruguuda) is a historic coastal port town located in the Sanaag region of Somaliland, near Heis.[1][2]
SomalilandRuguda
Ruguuda | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Ruguda Location in Somaliland .svg) Ruguda Ruguda (Somaliland) | |
| Coordinates: 10°51′0″N 46°50′54″E | |
| Country | Somaliland |
| Region | Sanaag |
| District | El Afweyn District |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Overview
History
Ruguda was a well known landmark to navigators and legendary Arab explorer Ahmad ibn Mājid wrote of Ruguda and a few other notable landmarks and ports of the northern Somali coast, including Berbera, the Sa'ad ad-Din islands aka the Zeila Archipelago near Zeila, Siyara, Maydh, Alula, El-Sheikh, Heis and El-Darad.[7]
John Hanning Speke, an English explorer who made an exploratory expedition to the area in an attempt to reach the Nugaal Valley, described the port town:[8]
On the 21st October, 1854, Lieutenant Speke, from the effects of a stiff easterly wind and a heavy sea, made by mistake the harbour of Rakudah. This place has been occupied by the Rer Dud, descendants of Sambur, son of Ishak. It is said to consist of a small fort, and two or three huts of matting, lately re-erected. About two years ago the settlement was laid waste by the rightful owners of the soil, the Musa Abokr, a sub-family of the Habr Tal Jailah.
— Sir Richard Francis Burton, First Footsteps in East Africa, Or, An Exploration of Harar
