| El-Darad | |
| Native Name: | Ceel Daraad |
| Pushpin Map: | Sahil, Somaliland#Somaliland |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Somaliland |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Sahil |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Berbera District |
| Timezone: | EAT |
| Utc Offset: | +3 |
| Coordinates: | 10.7614°N 45.5785°W |
El-Darad (so|Ceel Daraad) was a historic coastal settlement and fort located in the Sahil region of Somaliland.
Legendary 15th century Arab explorer Ahmad ibn Mājid wrote of El-Darad and several other notable landmarks and ports of the northern Somali coast, including Berbera, the Sa'ad ad-Din islands (aka the Zeila Archipelago near Zeila), Alula, Ruguda, Maydh, Heis, Siyara and El-Sheikh.[1]
In the 19th century, El-Darad was a seasonal coastal trading settlement with a fort made of adobe (earth) and stone masonry, which was surrounded by Somali Aqal and Areesh (traditional nomadic and coastal dwellings respectively[2]). The fort was erected in circa 1826 and was owned by Muhammad Diban, a Habr Je'lo (Adan Madobe) pirate and slave trader based in El-Darad who garrisoned the fort with slaves armed with matchlock rifles.[3] Muhammad Diban also had cordial relations with Sharmarke Ali Saleh – governor and ruler of Zeila, Berbera and Tadjoura – who provided Muhammad with five cannons after Sharmarke lost control of Berbera in 1852.[4] The town today is inhabited by the Ahmed Farah Sub-division of the Habr Je'lo Clan family.