Beledweyne (Somali: Beledweyne, Arabic: بلد وين‎) is a city in central Somalia. It is the capital of the Hiraan province, and is located in the central valley of the Shebelle river near the Ogaden, some 206 miles (332 km) north of Mogadishu, the nation's capital. The Shebelle river divides the town into east and west. By area, Beledweyne is the fourth largest city in Somalia, and the fourth largest in terms of population after Kismayo.

Beledweyne is one of the oldest cities in Somalia, and the city where the first generation of modern Somali politicians have their roots, from Aden Abdullah Osman Daar to Mohamed Farah Aidid. Following the relocation of his capital to Taleex in 1909, Mohammed Abdullah Hassan and his Dervish forces constructed a fort in the Ogaden near Beledweyne to consolidate his control over the Ogaden region.

After the death of Hasan Qalaad, Mr. Abdullahi Abdi Aaden (Koofi) was in charge of the city until the transitional Somali president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed nominated Yusuf Ahmed Hagar (also known as Yusuf Mohamud Hagar ("Dabageed")) as the new governor of the region. He had been forced to flee by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) whose forces, under the command of Yusuf Makaraan took the town in August 2006 and established a sharia court under Sheik Farah Moalim. Though "Dabageed" returned to the town following the Battle of Beledweyne, on January 1, 2007, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed declared Hussein Mohamud Moalim as new administrator for Hiiran region, replacing Dabageed, and Saleyman Ahmed Hilowle was nominated as assistant administrator.