Sheikh Ishaaq purportedly traveled from the Arabian peninsula to Somaliland in the 12th or 13th century, where he is supposed to have married into the Somali Dir clan. He is said to have settled in what is today the Erigavo District, and to have established his capital at Maydh.[9] The stories surrounding Sheikh Ishaaq have played an important role in establishing and reinforcing the Arab and Muslim identity of the Isaaq clan.[2]