Ottoman Empire oversaw the coastal cities in the northwestern Somalia from late 1500s to mid-1800s, including Berbera and Zayla. Direct administration had been usually conducted by the local tribes under minimal Ottoman Empire intervention. Thus, Ayala Ahmed Nuh managed the Berbera affairs. From 1870, the Egyptians occupied the region for the Ottoman Empire and raised its flag in Berbera.[9] Ayala Ahmed Nuh had a memorable history in this period of time. An example of this was the incident where Habar Yonis launched an attack on some members of Ayala Ahmed Nuh and forcibly took herds of their camel. Some Ayala Ahmed Nuh sought to counter attack and regain their livestock, but the majority concluded that the matter be referred to the authority, Ismail Pasha Khedive, the Governor of Ottoman Empire in Berbera. In a meeting between him and Ayala Ahmeds, Cag-geel‡ eloquently explained the incident to khedive in combination of Somali and broken Arabic which impressed all even today:
