Tadjoura (Afar: Tagórri; Arabic: تاجوراء, romanized: Tajūrā’; Somali: Tajuura) is one of the oldest towns in Djibouti and the capital of the Tadjourah Region.

[3] The emergence of Tadjoura occurred following the rise of the Adoimara or "white house" of the Afar people who inhabited the southern part of the Danakil country and were allied to the rulers of Shewa.

However, although it was true that some sub-clans of the Adoimara roamed as far as the borders of Ifat, even the staunchest supporters of the Sultan agreed that his actual authority did not stretch beyond Lake Assal, a short distance from Tadjoura.

He quotes William Cornwallis Harris' description of an annual bazaar that started each September, when "for two months the beach is piled with merchandise, and the suburbs are crowded with camels, mules and donkeys."

Beke that the trade with the inhabitants of the Afar Depression was handled entirely by women, "who loaded the camels, bought and sold while the men kept away altogether 'to avoid bloodshed, this country being the scene of constant feuds among the different tribes.

Further exploration by Henri Lambert, French Consular Agent at Aden, and Captain Fleuriot de Langle led to a treaty of friendship and assistance between France and the sultans of Raheita, Tadjoura, and Gobaad.

A skillful Somali merchant Haji Sharmarke Ali Saleh also collected a tribute of 1,200-1,600 thalers annually from the inhabitants of Tadjourah, equivalent to a massive sum in modern currency and was ousted after French resident Lambert's murder.

Between 1883 and 1887, France signed various treaties with the then ruling Somali and Afar Sultans, which allowed it to expand the protectorate to include the Gulf of Tadjoura.

"[13] While during the 1880s the port served as a distribution point for rifles and ammunition to Shewa and Ethiopia (during this period, Arthur Rimbaud lived in the city), Tajoura's importance inevitably declined with the construction of the Ethio-Djibouti Railways, which connected Djibouti with the hinterlands.