Nature
Shabelle River
The river winding through Balcad's farmland before it turns southwest.
Balcad – history, culture and places to visit | Warar
Cities of Somalia Middle Shabelle · Hirshabelle State
Balcad
Balad · Bal'adA Shabelle River town about 30 km north of Mogadishu, where the river bends to the southwest, once known for SOMALTEX, the country's main textile mill.
AdministrationHirshabelle State
RegionMiddle Shabelle
Population411,196Estimate: 2026 humanitarian planning figure for Balcad District (OCHA/UNFPA). Not a census count., 2026
Location2.358°, 45.386°
Places to visit2
Overview
Balcad is the centre of Balcad District in Middle Shabelle, about 30 km north of Mogadishu. Near here the Shabelle River, after coming close to the coast, turns away to the southwest.
Its closeness to the capital makes Balcad Mogadishu's northern gateway, where the highway meets the farmland of the middle Shabelle.
What makes it unique
- 01About 30 km north of Mogadishu
- 02Where the Shabelle River turns southwest
- 03Former home of the SOMALTEX textile mill
Places to visit
Historic
Former textile mill
The buildings of the SOMALTEX textile mill, once one of the country's major factories.
History
In the 1970s and 1980s Balcad was best known for its state textile mill, SOMALTEX, the most important textile factory in the country, which supplied much of the domestic market.
Culture
Balcad is a riverside town whose life revolves around farming and the traffic of the highway between Mogadishu and Jowhar.
Economy
Irrigated farming along the Shabelle and trade with the nearby capital drive the economy; the textile mill was once a major employer.