Zaila, or Zetla; a town on the African coast of the Gulf of Aden, 124 m. S.W. of Aden and 200 m. N.N.E. of Harrar. Zaila is the most western of the ports of the British Somaliland protectorate, being 170 m. N.W. of Berbera by the coast caravan track. The town is surrounded on three sides by the sea; landward the country is unbroken desert for some fifty miles. The principal buildings, which date from the days of Egyptian occupation (1875-1884) are of white (coral) stone; the Somali dwellings are made of grass. Zaila has a good sheltered anchorage much frequented by Arab sailing craft, but heavy draught steamers are obliged to anchor a mile and a half from the shore. Small coasting boats lie off the pier and there is no difficulty in loading or discharging cargo. The water supply of the town is drawn from the wells of Takosha, about three miles distant; every morning camels, in charge of old Somali women and bearing goatskins filled with water, come into the town in picturesque procession. The population varies from 3000 to 7000, the natives, who come in the cool season to barter their goods, retiring to the highlands in hot weather. The chief traders are Indians, the smaller dealers Arabs, Greeks and Jews. The imports, which reach Zaila chiefly via Aden, are mainly cotton goods, rice, jowaree, dates and silk; the exports of which 90%, are from Abyssiniaare principally coffee, skins, ivory, cattle, ghee and mother-of-pearl.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.