Description : Hargeisa (Somali: Hargeysa, Arabic: هرجيسا) is a city in the Maroodi Jeex region of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa. It is the capital and largest city of Somaliland. The city later succeeded Berbera as the capital of the British Somaliland Protectorate in 1941. Hargeisa was founded as a watering and trading stop between the coast and the interior and later became an Islamic Tariqa settlement under the leadership of Sheikh Madar and his mullahs. The city later succeeded Berbera as the capital of the British Somaliland Protectorate in 1941. In 1960, the protectorate gained independence and united as scheduled days later with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic on July 1. Hargeisa is situated in a valley in the Galgodon (Ogo) highlands, and sits at an elevation of 1,334 m (4,377 ft). Home to rock art from the Neolithic period, the city is also a commercial hub for precious stone-cutting, construction, retail services and trading, among other activities.
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