Sheikh, Somaliland

Sheikh (Somali: Sheekh, Arabic: شَيخ,), is a town in central Somaliland It is associated with one of the largest remains of a medieval settlement in Horn of Africa that formed part of a wider network of inland and coastal trade centres linking the region to Red Sea and Indian Ocean commerce..Sheikh is believed to have been established during the late medieval period, likely between the 13th and 15th centuries , when long-distance trade across the Horn of Africa was at its height.

Sheikh is the capital of the Sheikh district in the region/province Sahil. It lies at an altitude of some 1430 m in the Golis Mountains, roughly halfway between the larger cities of Berbera (on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, at a distance of about 71 km) and Burao (further inland, around 60 km from Sheikh).

In the early 16th century, the settlement experienced a marked decline, likely as a result of disruptions to established trade systems and wider political instability in the region. These changes have been linked to reduced trade with Asia, the expansion of the Portuguese Empire military activity in the Red Sea, and concurrent conflicts within the Horn of Africa. Despite this decline, there is no clear evidence that the settlement was destroyed by violence.

The area remains inhabited today, and Sheikh continues to exist as a small town, preserving both its historical significance and its continuity as a place of settlement.