# Sultans of Mogadishu, 10th to 19th centuries

> Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Abu Bakr ibn Fakhr ad-Din, Ismail ibn Muhammad, Al-Rahman ibn al-Musa'id, Yusuf ibn Sa'id, Sultan Muhammad, Rasul ibn Ali and others.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/institutions/sultans-of-mogadishu/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

The sultanate of Mogadishu was established before 1331; World Statesmen notes that it was later called the [Hiraab](/en/society/hawiye/) sultanate. Mogadishu was under Omani suzerainty from 1828 and under Zanzibar from 1861. It was leased to Italy in 1892 and annexed by Italy on 16 March 1905. ([World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html), [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu))

Each row below gives the holder's name in English and Somali spelling, dates in office and the source for that row. Dates are from [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html), [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu); where sources give different dates, the note says so. How we source: [How we check facts](/en/about/how-we-check-facts/).

## Sultans named on Mogadishu coins

The Wikipedia list of sultans, drawn from coins, in its order. A private coin collection shows at least 23 sultans. ([Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu))

| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Bakr ibn Fakhr ad-Din | not known to not known |  | [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu) |
| Ismail ibn Muhammad | not known to not known |  | [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu) |
| Al-Rahman ibn al-Musa'id | not known to not known |  | [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu) |
| Yusuf ibn Sa'id | not known to not known |  | [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu) |
| Sultan Muhammad | not known to not known |  | [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu) |
| Rasul ibn Ali | not known to not known |  | [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu) |
| Yusuf ibn Abi Bakr | not known to not known |  | [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu) |
| Malik ibn Sa'id | not known to not known |  | [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu) |
| Sultan Umar | not known to not known |  | [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu) |
| Zubayr ibn Umar | not known to not known |  | [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu) |

## Sultans listed by World Statesmen

| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Umar (Cumar) | not known to not known |  | [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html) |
| Ahmad I (Axmed I) | not known to not known |  | [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html) |
| Muhammad I (Maxamad I) | not known to not known |  | [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html) |
| Ahmad II (Axmed II) | not known to not known |  | [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html) |
| Mahmud (Maxamuud) | not known to not known |  | [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html) |
| Ali (Cali) | not known to not known |  | [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html) |
| Uthman (Cismaan) | not known to not known |  | [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html) |
| Muhammad II (Maxamad II) | not known to not known |  | [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html) |
| Ahmad III (Axmed III) | about 1860 to not known |  | [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html) |

## Related pages

- [Ibn Battuta in Mogadishu and Zeila, 1331](/en/history/ibn-battuta-in-mogadishu-and-zeila-1331/)
- [Early Mogadishu and the Benadir coast](/en/history/early-mogadishu-and-the-benadir-coast-before-1300/)

## Sources

- [World Statesmen, Somali traditional states](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia_native.html)
- [Wikipedia, Sultanate of Mogadishu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Mogadishu)

We also publish every row of every office-holder list as one open data file: [office-holders.csv](/data/institutions/office-holders.csv).

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