Berbera was once the site of an annual trade fair. It was the largest of its kind in the region. Traders from as far as Ethiopia and even India would congregate here in their thousands.
Additionally, the Somali and Ethiopian interiors were very dependent on Berbera for trade, where most of the goods for export were sent. Livestock, coffee, saffron, frankincense, myrrh, hide and ivory being amongst the bulk of the export produce. Most of these shipments were being sent to the other regional Arabian peninsula trading centers of Aden and Jeddah.
From Berbara, caravan trading routes extended into the interior as far as Harar & Shewa in modern day Ethiopia.