Waheen Market: Inside Hargeisa’s Busiest Market
Waheen Market is where Hargeisa comes to buy, sell and talk. Here is what you will find in its lanes and nearby. We also tell how it rose again after the fire of 2022, and how to make the most of a visit.
PLACES · HARGEISA
Walk into central Hargeisa and the shops never really stop. CNN Travel described the whole town centre as one vast, sprawling market. At its heart sits Waheen, which Hargeisa’s mayor has called the economic centre of the city. This guide covers what it sells, its recent story and a few practical tips.
What is Waheen Market?
Waheen (also written Waaheen) is a large market in central Hargeisa. The UN calls it the largest market in Somaliland, with an estimated 5,000 businesses before 2022. A former Somaliland envoy to the UK went further. Speaking to Al Jazeera in 2022, she called it an entire financial district.
Its founding date is largely unknown. Al Jazeera noted Ottoman buildings dating back to the 19th century on the site. In 2022, the head of the Hargeisa Chamber of Commerce told AFP it made up 40 to 50 per cent of the city’s economy.
What you will find in Hargeisa’s markets
Variety is the point. Before 2022, Waheen’s stalls sold fresh fruit and meat, groceries, tea and meals, tailoring and beauty services, and even tech support. Most of the people who worked there were women. One businesswoman the UN met sold vegetables, clothing, perfumes and cosmetics from a single store.
Around the main market, the lanes keep going. CNN Travel found stalls offering perfumes, shampoos, household goods, electronics, shoes, clothes and fabrics, beside piles of fruit and vegetables.
The livestock market
Hargeisa’s biggest livestock market is a different world. Here, camels are the stars. AFP reported in 2021 that a fine camel can fetch around $1,000. Buyers and sellers agree the price in private: they lock hands under a shawl and signal with their fingers. The deal is then settled by mobile money. Read more in our story on camels in Somaliland.
Khat stalls
In the afternoon you will also notice khat, the green leaf many Somalilanders chew. Al Jazeera reported that khat stalls line the streets of Hargeisa, and that the leaf arrives from Ethiopia by truck every day.
Money changers and mobile money
The money changers are one of the city’s famous sights. CNN Travel saw rows of men ready to change anything from US dollars to Ethiopian birr near the market. The trade is changing, though. In August 2026, Radio Ergo reported new rules, including a licence for changers. The official rate was set at 11,000 shillings to the dollar for buying and 11,100 for selling.
Most shoppers now pay by phone. Zaad and eDahab work without a smartphone or internet access, The National reported in 2018. Our guide to money in Somaliland explains how to set it up.
The 2022 fire and the rebuilt Waheen Market
On the evening of 1 April 2022, a fire broke out after the market had closed. Al Jazeera reported that no one was killed. President Muse Bihi Abdi said about 28 people were injured. The narrow lanes made it hard for fire crews to get in.
The loss was huge. The UN cited estimates of $1.5 to $2 billion, and said about 17,000 merchants and workers had depended on the market. Traders who spoke to Al Jazeera remembered that Hargeisa, largely destroyed in the late 1980s, had rebuilt once before. They said it would do so again. For that earlier chapter, read our account of Hargeisa in 1988.
Recovery came step by step. By May 2022, $23 million had been raised, with donations from Djibouti, Taiwan, Somalia and the World Bank. The UN pledged help to design a new market that would be fire-resistant and accessible, with facilities for women.
On 3 December 2024, President Muse Bihi Abdi opened the rebuilt Waheen Market. It has 644 modern shops in 24 blocks, Horn Diplomat reported. The Somaliland Presidency added that it has paved roads and customer parking. Work then moved to the remaining section. In September 2025, the Central Bank of Somaliland handed that project to Daryeel Construction. By December 2025, Horn Tribune reported, the new meat and vegetable section was about 20% complete.
Visiting Waheen Market: practical tips
A short list helps you enjoy the visit:
- Carry small notes and a phone wallet. The US dollar is the main currency for exchange, alongside the shilling. In Hargeisa you can withdraw US dollars from ATMs with international cards, says the UK government.
- Go early for the livestock market and in the afternoon for the busiest street stalls.
- Ask before you photograph people, and dress modestly.
- During Ramadan, the UK government suggests checking shop opening hours.
- Safety: check the latest official travel advice before you go, and read Is Somaliland safe?
Waheen Market tells the story of Hargeisa in one place: trade, women’s work, loss and rebuilding. To fit it into a full day in the city, use our 48-hour plan for Hargeisa.
Sources (16)
- Oriental Hotel, Hargeisa, James Jeffrey, CNN Travel (accessed 7 November 2026).
- UN pledges continued support following Hargeisa market fire, United Nations in Somalia, 18 April 2022.
- ‘I lost everything’: Somaliland market fire upturns life, economy, Edward Cavanough, Al Jazeera, 26 April 2022.
- Hargeisa: Huge fire destroys market in Somali breakaway region, Al Jazeera / AFP, 2 April 2022.
- Waheen Market, Wikipedia (accessed 7 November 2026).
- Nimo Abdillahi Muhumed: Rebuilding from the ashes of the Waheen market fire, United Nations in Somalia, 2 October 2022.
- Milk, meat and might: in Somalia, ‘the camel is king’, Africanews / AFP, 17 November 2021.
- Somaliland abuzz from Ethiopia’s khat convoys, James Jeffrey, Al Jazeera, 21 April 2015.
- Somaliland closes black markets with outcry from informal local money changers, Radio Ergo, 25 August 2026.
- Somaliland’s world-leading move towards a cashless culture, Charlie Mitchell, The National, 17 October 2018.
- Somaliland: $23m donated to rebuild collapsed Waheem market, Africanews, 14 May 2022.
- Waaheen Market Rebuilt: Somaliland’s Symbol of Resilience and Modernization, Mohamed Duale, Horn Diplomat, 3 December 2024.
- Somaliland President Inaugurates Rebuilt Waaheen Market, Revitalizing Key Trade Hub, Office of the President of the Republic of Somaliland (accessed 7 November 2026).
- Somaliland Central Bank Hands Over Waaheen Market Project to Daryeel Construction, Horn Tribune, 22 September 2025.
- Central Bank Director General Inspects Progress on Waaheen Market Reconstruction Project, Horn Tribune, 24 December 2025.
- Somalia travel advice: safety and security and regional risks, FCDO, UK Government (accessed 7 November 2026).
Last checked 7 November 2026. Found an error or something out of date? Tell us.
