The young guide showing visitors the beaches, dunes and markets of Mogadishu

Golden sands, palm trees, a busy fish market and centuries of history: that is the Mogadishu one young Somali woman wants the world to see. Sucdi Abdul Fattah Abdul Khader, 23, is one of a growing number of local guides taking visitors beyond the headlines to explore the beauty spots, historic sites and culture of Somalia's capital, the BBC reports.

It is a story that will resonate in Birmingham, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the UK.

Beaches, dunes and camel meat

Sucdi's favourite spot is Jazeera beach, where visitors can enjoy the sea before heading to nearby sand dunes that, she says, remind some guests of the Sahara. "It's one of the tourist attractions where we bring our guests. It's a nice place," she says.

Her tours also take in the fish market, where visitors marvel at the variety of marine life from Somalia's coastline, and parts of the city that reflect its history as a busy Indian Ocean trading centre, with Ottoman and Italian influences. Guests can sample Somali food, including camel meat, samosas and traditional tea.

"Mostly, they are surprised by how beautiful the country is and how welcoming people are," she says.

A family business, shared on TikTok

Guiding runs in the family. Sucdi's father worked as a guide for more than three decades, showing journalists, photographers and visitors around Somalia, and introduced her to the work nearly three years ago. "I started this job as a hobby, but it has become something that I like and am passionate about," she says.

She now works alongside him and a small team, and shares videos of her tours on TikTok, giving people outside Somalia a glimpse of places they may never have imagined visiting. She is considering making content in English to reach a wider audience.

A city rebuilding

Mogadishu endured decades of civil war after the collapse of Somalia's central government in 1991, and much of the city centre was reduced to rubble. But after the militant group al-Shabab withdrew from most of the city in 2011, and a federal government was established in 2012, the capital began a gradual transformation. Returning members of the diaspora, local entrepreneurs and investors helped fuel a construction boom of hotels, restaurants, businesses and homes.

According to Somalia's tourism department, about 10,000 tourists visited the country in 2024, a 50% increase on the year before. Numbers are still small: Sucdi says five tourists a week counts as a success. But she is confident they will grow.

Honest about the risks

Insecurity and the legacy of conflict remain part of everyday life, and many visitors ask about their safety and pass through security checkpoints around the city. Anyone in Britain considering a trip should check the Foreign Office's latest travel advice first.

Some people have questioned whether Mogadishu is safe enough for a young woman to work as a guide, but Sucdi is determined to carry on. "I would want them to see the beautiful, welcoming side of Mogadishu, and not the side that they heard from the media, which is explosions and bombs," she says.

Somalia has Africa's longest mainland coastline, stretching more than 3,000km along the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. For Somali families in Birmingham, many of whom have never seen it, stories like Sucdi's offer a different picture of home.