Middle Ages
Hobyo was the commercial centre of the Ajuuraan State, based in Qalafo (located in the present-day Ogaden). Commercial goods harvested along the Shabelle River (especially around the agricultural centers of Harardheere and El-Dheer) were brought to Hobyo for trade. The Ajuuraan rulers collected their tribute from the town in the form of sorghum (durra).
Hobyo's Ajuuraan rulers were allies with and occasionally overlords of the Mogadishu Sultanate, and trade between Hobyo and the Benadir coast flourished for some time. So vital was Hobyo to the prosperity of the Ajuuraan State that when the Hiraab (a lineage of closely related Hawiye clans) successfully revolted against the Ajuuraan and established an independent Hiraab Imamate, which included Hobyo, the Ajuran's might dwindled rapidly. The Ajuuraan State remained in its power base in Qalafo, but was a shadow of its former self.
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