Apart from the Somalis that have inhabited the city since the beginning, several minorities have also historically lived in the city. With the beginning of Islam, Arab and Persian migrants began to settle during the medieval period. Centuries of intermarriage between the various ethnic groups, which also include Bantus, produced a minority people called ‘Ad’ad (). In the colonial period, European expatriates, primarily Italians, would also contribute to the city's cosmopolitan populace.