Burao

Burao lies on the elevated interior behind the Somali coast, where the dry Togdheer valley runs through open land with relatively rich soil. The name describes that raised, fertile country. Water along the valley made the area important to nomads and herds, and the town originated around the well of Ceel-Gooni in the late eighteenth century. As settlement gathered around the well, Burao became a small inland market that connected the port of Berbera with the grazing lands of the interior. Livestock and provisions moved along this route, joining coastal commerce to the seasonal needs of pastoral communities.

During much of the nineteenth century Burao served as the capital of the Habr Yunis Sultanate. Sultan Nur Ahmed Aman, Sultan Awad Deria and Sultan Madar Hersi ruled there at different times. Its growth depended on livestock markets and the routes linking the interior with Berbera.