 Beginning in 1630, the city became a dependency of the ruler of Mocha, who, for a small sum, leased the port to one of the office-holders of Mocha.The latter in return collected a toll on its trade.Zeila was subsequently ruled by an Emir, whom Mordechai Abir suggested had "some vague claim to authority over all of the "sahil", but whose real authority did not extend very far beyond the walls of the town."