The Sa'ad ad-Din Islands (Somali: Jasiiradda Sacadaddiin, Arabic: جزر سعد الدين), also Romanized as Sa'ad-ed-din[2] and known as the Zeila Archipelago,[3] are a group of islands off the northwestern coast of Somaliland. They are situated near the ancient city of Zeila.[4]
The Zeila Archipelago is made of six small islands all of which are low-lying and have sandy beaches.[5][6] The largest of these islands are Sacadin and Aibat,[7] which are six and nine miles off the coast of Zeila, respectively.[8] There is also a lighthouse at Aibat.[8]
The name for the archipelago comes from the SultanSa'ad ad-Din II who was killed by the Emperor of Abyssinia on the main island in 1403.[9][10] Along with his name, there are many different spellings for the island such as Sa'ad ed Din,[4]Sa'ad-ed-din,[2] and Sa'ad-ad-Din.[11] The archpeligo is also known as the Zeila Archipelago[3] and the Sa'ad ad-Din group.[5]
The Sa'ad ad-Din Islands are well known for their splendid coral reefs similar to those found on the southern coast of Oman.[4] These reefs are the most diverse and well formed coral reefs on the coast of the Gulf of Aden[14] and possibly the largest in the region.[15] From provincial counts, ninety-nine different species of coral from forty-three different genera have been found on the islands.[4]
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.[16]
The island of Sa'ad ad-Din and Aibat (called Ceebaad in Somali)[17] both are sites of major bird colonies.[18] On the island of Sa'ad ad-Din alone, there were more than 100,000 breeding pairs recorded.[7]
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.[1]
^ a b c dMcClanahan, Sheppard & Obura 2000, p. 273.
^ a bReefBase 2000.
^PERSGA: Seabirds.
^ a bPERSGA: Survey, pp. 20, 29.
^ a bNGIA 2007, p. 176.
^Briggs 2012b, p. 10.
^Abdullahi 2001, p. 16.
^Hunter 1877, p. 11.
^MSTM Encyclopedia 2005, p. 252.
^Annual CO Report 1948, p. 31.
^Environmental Profile, p. 8.
^PERSGA: MPAs, p. 745.
^McClanahan, Sheppard & Obura 2000, p. 274.
^NGIA 2007, p. 175.
^Nigel Redman 2009, p. 29.
^UNEP 2005, p. 132.
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Annual Colonial Office Report on the Somaliland Protectorate, 1948. London: HMSO. p. 31.
Briggs, Philip (2012b). Somaliland. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-84162-371-9.
Briggs, Philip (2012a). Somaliland: With Addis Ababa & Eastern Ethiopia. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-84162-371-9.
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