Sharmarke Ali Saleh

Little is known about Sharmarke's early life, except that he was born in the coastal town of Maydh in 1775 and he belonged to the Habr Yunis sub-clan of the Garhajis clan in the wider Isaaq.

[4] Sharmarke rose to prominence as a dominant native trader during the Berbera fair held between October and April, which Mordechai Abir describes as "among the most important commercial events of the east coast of Africa.

"[5] The major Somali sub-clans of the Isaaq in Somaliland, caravans from Harar and the wider interior, and Banyan merchants from Porbandar, Mangalore and Mumbai gathered to trade.

These two sub-clans effectively administered the trade of the town, especially in the dealings of all transactions and brokerage between various parties to issuing protection agreements towards the foreign Arab and Indian traders.

With the backing of Haji Sharmarke Ali Saleh, the Reer Ahmed Nuh drove out their kinsmen and declared themselves the sole commercial masters of Berbera.

The Aial Ahmed upon this took advantage of Berbera being deserted as usual, and, with the assistance of Hadj Shermarkhi Ali Saleh, governor of Zeyla, erected four martello towers on the spot generally occupied by the town, and hired thirty match-lockmen to garrison them.

The Ottomans based in Yemen held nominal authority of Zeila when Haji Sharmarke Ali Saleh, who was a successful and ambitious Somali merchant, purchased the rights of the town from the Ottoman governor of Mocha and Hodeida: Allee Shurmalkee [Ali Sharmarke] has since my visit either seized or purchased this town, and hoisted independent colours upon its walls; but as I know little or nothing save the mere fact of its possession by that Soumaulee chief, and as this change occurred whilst I was in Abyssinia, I shall not say anything more upon the subject.

Hence in 1841, Sharmarke chartered two dhows along with fifty Somali Matchlock men and two cannons to target Zeila and depose its Arab Governor, Syed Mohammed Al Barr.

Out of the twenty local vessels docked in Zeila ten were owned by Sharmarke himself, with two of the ships being "large trading dhows which convey yearly, about 300 tons of coffee and other goods" to Bombay.

This worthy old man, sheikh of the Somauli tribe Aber Gerhájis, possessing great influence and consideration among the entire Danákil population of the coast, had been invited from Zeyla, his usual place of residence, to assist in the extensive preparations making for the journey of the embassy.