Coast of Adal

The coast of Adal faces the Gulf of Aden, where the port of Zeila linked the Horn of Africa to Arabia and the Indian Ocean. Caravans brought products from the Ethiopian interior to the shore, and ships carried goods across the gulf. In the sixteenth century travellers described Zeila as a busy market for gold and ivory as well as other commodities. Its maritime connections supplied Adal's rulers and tied the coast to distant trading cities.