Xaafuun

Just a ghost of what it once was, Xaafuun is what it is now. Simply put, this place has a rich, fascinating past. To give you an idea, this town's dusty corners and cracks have been found to include pieces of Mycenaean pottery from the Heroic Age of ancient Greece, while the headland has been strewn with artifacts from the Majeerteen Sultanate.

In the past, the ancient trading port of Opone, which was mentioned in the Greek travelogue Periplus of the Erythraean Sea from the first century CE, has been identified as Hafun. A Neville Chittick-led expedition discovered pottery from the Mycenaean kingdom of Greece, which ruled during the 16th century BC, in Oponean tombs in Damo.

A less-than-appealing sprawl has replaced the former spice depots, which were replaced by fishing conglomerates and Italian mining corporations in more recent years, giving the area an industrial appearance. In truth, Xaafuun is a location to lament the more glorious past.