section_heading: Povijest
paragraph_text: mini|lijevo|240px|Britanski brodovi iskrcavaju tajnu vojnu misiju u Zaljevu Zeila, prosinac 1867. Još početkom 19. stoljeća Magdalu su koristili okolni stanovnici kao prirodno sklonište i utvrdu za ratova i nevolja.<ref>Journals of the Rev. Messrs. Isenberg and Krapf, Missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, Detailing their proceedings in the kingdom of Shoa, and journeys in other parts of Abyssinia, in the years 1839, 1840, 1841 and 1842, (London, 1843), str. 357