Residents were largely from the Gendershe clan in the Lower Shabelle region of Southwest State of Somalia.

[3][4] It is an ancient stone city built on a coastal promontory.

The town's ruins consist of typical Somali architecture, such as coral stone houses, fortifications, tombs and mosques.

[5] The town is said to date from the medieval Ajuran period, when it became a center of trade that handled smaller vessels sailing from India, Arabia, Persia and the Far East.

The film La Conchiglia (1992) by the award-winning Somali filmmaker Abdulkadir Ahmed Said was also shot here, and features the town's local residents.