Hadramawt

Region of Yemen, located in the eastern regions. It may be understood as the valley of Hadramawt, or Wadi Hadramawt, located in the mountaineous interior, or the larger lands stretching to the sea.
The Hadramawt governorate has an area of 167,000 km², ca. 1.2 million inhabitants, and the sea port of Mukalla as its administrative centre and largest city (190,000). Other large settlements include the sea port of Ash-Shihr (70,000); Say’un (55,000) in the Hadramawt valley. In this valley it is the smaller Shibam (16,000) which is most known, thanks to its “skyscraper” architecture.
There is today a Hadramawt governorate, covering lands smaller than the historical Hadramawt. Before the creation of modern Yemen, the lands of Hadramawt formed to sultanates: Qu’ayti and Kathiri.
Until the 3rd century CE, Hadramawt belonged to the lands of Shabwa. Some definitions make Hadramawt include the lands of the former Mahra sultanate, but these lands are neither geographically or culturally Hadramati.
Central in the region is the Hadramawt valley set in the Al-Jol pleateau. The valley is marked by its deeply sunk wadis. It is the home of a population of about 200,000.
Hadramawt borders historically to the Dhofar region of southern Oman, in the north to the empty lands of Rub al-Khali.
The communities of Hadramawt consists of densely built towns located to ancient wells.
The societies are centred around the tribe, and there is the Sayyid aristocracy, families that claim descendancy from Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
The economy is based upon agriculture of wheat and millet, dates and coconuts and some coffee. Sheep and goats are tended by Bedouins.
The climate of Hadramawt is hard, summer temperatures may climb up to 50ºC. Winter climate is moderate and pleasant.
The name is ancient, and its original meaning is not known. The last syllabus, “mawt” means “death” in Arabic, and there have been speculations linked to this.
The population of Hadramawt are Arabs speaking Arabic of the Hadrami dialect. Islam is the only religion, with a substantial amount of Zaydis. The distribution between Sunnis and Zaydis is not known.
History
The history of Hadramawt goes many thousand years back in time. Many scholars believe that the lands of Hazarmaveth from the Bible’s Book of Genesis relates to Hadramawt.
9th century BCE:The oldest archaeological finds in the Hadramawt valley.
Around 750: The first mention of a Kingdom of Hadramawt, in Yemeni sources. The capital was Shabwa.
3rd century: Shabwa is mentioned in Greek sources, named Sabota.
1st century CE: Roman historian, Pliny, describes Shabwa as a city with no less than 60 temples inside its city walls.
Around 100: Hadramawt is conquered by the Himyarites.
3rd century: Shabwa is conquered by Sabaeans, then its population is driven out by the nomadic Kinda tribe. Shabwa’s population seeks refuge in the Hadramawt valley.
7th century: Islam is introduced to Hadramawt, meeting fierce resistance for a long time.
746: The Ibadi branch of Islam is introduced to Hadramawt, becoming a strong force here.
951: Sayyid Ahmad al-Muhajir, a descendants of Muhammad, and 80 families in his group settle in Hadramawt. He introduced the Shafi’i branch of Sunni Islam to the region.
1488: The Kathiri tribe of San’a takes control of Hadramawt and establishes itself here, forming a sultanate in the eastern part of the valley. Their first capital was Tarim, this changed later to Say’un.
16th century: The al-Qu’ayti tribe sets up their sultanate in the western part of the Hadramawt valley, with Al-Qatn as their capital.
1809: Invasion of the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia, destroying all important structures of the valley.
1830: War over Shibam between the Qu’ayti and the Kathiris, which for long had been under joint rule.
Early 19th century: Hadramis begin migrating to ports around the Indean Ocean, forming trade communities both along the African coast and as far away as Indonesia.
1888: A treaty of protection and influence is signed between the Qu’ayti sultan and the British.
1918: A treaty of protection and influence is signed between the Kathiri sultan and the British.
1934: The British intervenes in Hadrami matters, becoming formally advisors in the Hadramawt.
1967: Aden claims independence, forming the People’s Republic of South Yemen, in which Hadramawt is a region. The sultans of Hadramawt take exile in Saudi Arabia.
1982: An asphalt road to the Hadramawt valley is completed, connecting directly with Mukalla and the coast.
1994: The civil war of Yemen begins, but hardly touch Hadramawt at all.

South Yemen

Republic existing 1967-1990, now the southern and eastern part of Yemen.
In 1990, South Yemen had 2.6 million inhabitants and a territory of 332.970 km², divided into 6 governorates.
South Yemen was officially called People’s Republic of South Yemen 1967-1970 and People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen 1970-1990.
Capital of republic was Aden, the country’s most important port.
South Yemen had close ties to the Soviet Union and other Communist states. It was by all means an undeveloped country with low GDP per capita. Literacy rate was only 25% and an infant mortality rate of 11%. The only city with proper services was Aden. Abuses on human rights were numerous.
The background for the unification were mainly two reasons. First, oil was found in both North and South, in about the same area. Second, the fall of Soviet-backed Socialism, was about to leave South Yemen completely isolated.
History
1832: The port of Aden is captured by the British East India Company.
1882-1918: The British increases its position into most of what became South Yemen (incl. Hadramawt).
1937: The Colony of Aden is established, which was the centre of the Aden Protectorate, into which the rest of future South Yemen belonged.
1963: The Federation of South Arabia is formed with the old protectorate except Hadramawt, which now was known as Protectorate of South Arabia.
1967 November 30: The Federation of South Arabia and the Protectorate of South Arabia jointly gain independence from Great Britain, and is named People’s Republic of South Yemen.
1969 June: Communists win control of South Yemen, Salim Ali Rubai becomes president.
1970 December 1: Name is changed to include ‘Democratic’ and exclude ‘South’.
1972: Clashes between North and South Yemen; President Salim Ali Rubai and President Abdurrahman al-Iryani of North Yemen reach an agreement to work towards a unification of the two countries.
1977 August: President Salim Ali Rubai agrees with Ibrahim Hamdi of North Yemen that their 2 countries should be unified within 4 years.
1978 October 31: A constitution is promulgated, and a one party system is introduced, only the Yemeni Socialist Party was permitted.
1979: Fighting between North and South Yemens, a full-scale war is only prevented by Arab League intervention.
1986 January: Armed struggle inside South Yemen, between the forces of the president and troops of the former president. It caused the death of thousands, and 60,000 refugees.
1989: Negotiations between South and North Yemen begin, proving to be more successful than any anticipation.
1990 May 22: South Yemen and North Yemen unites into Yemen, with Ali Abdullah Saleh of the north becoming its president, the president of South Yemen, Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attas, becomes Prime Minister, while Ali Salim al-Baidh, also of the south, becomes Vice President. A 30-month transition period followed.
1994 May 21: Forces of South Yemen breaks out of the united state, forming the Democratic Republic of Yemen.
— July 7: Breakdown of the Democratic Republic of Yemen, and Yemen reunites.

Arabian Sea

Sea between the Arabian peninsula and the Indian subcontinent that is part of the Indian Ocean.
The Arabian Sea is bordered by Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Pakistan, and India. It merges with the Gulf of Oman to the northwest, which flows through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Aden in the southwest.The maximum width of the Arabian Sea is estimated to 2,400 km, and its maximum depth is about 5,000 metres.

Gulf of Aden

Western arm of the Arabian Sea, meeting the Red Sea at the strait Babu l-Mandeb.
The gulf runs in a west-east direction, between Yemen and Somalia, meeting Djibouti at the western end. It is about 900 km long, and 500 km wide at the eastern end, between Ra’s Asir of Somalia and the city of al-Mukalla of Yemen.
The Gulf of Aden has important commercial shipping.

Red Sea

Sea between Africa and the Arabian peninsula, bordering Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
The length is 2,250 km, and the maximum width is 355 km. The maximum depth is 2,130 metres. To the north, the Red Sea connects to the Suez Gulf to the west of Sinai, and to the Gulf of Aqaba to the east.To the south, the Red Sea is connected to the Gulf of Aden, which is part of the Arabian Sea. The Red Sea is part of the Rift Valley, that cuts through most of eastern Africa.
Its ports are Jedda of Saudi Arabia and Mukalla of Yemen. Suez, located at the Gulf of Suez, is equally as important as these two, for traffic in the Red Sea. Port Sudan, Sudan has today only minor importance beyond the domestic needs of Sudan.
History
20 million years ago: As the Arabian peninsula is torn away from Africa, the Red Sea is formed.
1869: The Red Sea becomes a route for commercial shipping with the opening of the Suez Canal.

The Wonder Land of Socotra, Yemen

The road to the forest of frankincense trees, on the Yemeni island of Socotra, is a rough one. From the passenger seat of a battered Toyota Land Cruiser, it looked like pure rock pile, on and on, up, down, over. Ahmed Said, my driver and guide, wrestled the wheel like a man engaged, surely and calmly, in a struggle to the death. When at last, after 90 minutes, he stopped and got out, we had traveled perhaps no more than five miles.
We stood on a rise overlooking a riverbed rushing with water. The ground underfoot was a rubble of granite boulders and chunks of sharp limestone karst. Small trees — short and gnarled, resembling mesquite — surrounded us. Ahmed approached one and pointed to an amber drop of sap oozing from its trunk: the essence of frankincense. Until that moment I’d had no clear idea what exactly frankincense was; nor that it derives from the sap of a tree; nor that, as Ahmed explained, Socotra is home to nine species of the tree, all unique to the island. I caught the drop of sap on my finger and inhaled a sharp, sweet fragrance; then I put it to my tongue. The torture of the drive was forgotten, and for the briefest moment, under the hot Yemeni sun, I tasted Christmas.
Situated 250 miles off the coast of Yemen, Socotra is the largest member of an archipelago of the same name, a four-island ellipsis that trails off the Horn of Africa into the Gulf of Aden. A mix of ancient granite massifs, limestone cliffs and red sandstone plateaus, the island brings to mind the tablelands of Arizona, if Arizona were no bigger than New York’s Long Island and surrounded by a sparkling turquoise sea.
Some 250 million years or more ago, when all the planet’s major landmasses were joined and most major life-forms were just a gleam in some evolutionary eye, Socotra already stood as an island apart. Ever since, it has been gathering birds, seeds and insects off the winds and cultivating one of the world’s most unusual collections of organisms. In addition to frankincense, Socotra is home to myrrh trees and several rare birds. Its marine life is a unique hybrid of species from the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific. In the 1990s, a team of United Nations biologists conducted a survey of the archipelago’s flora and fauna. They counted nearly 700 endemic species, found nowhere else on earth; only Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands have more impressive numbers.
Lately Socotra has begun to attract a new and entirely foreign species — tourists. A modest airport went up in 1999. (Before then, the island could be reached only by cargo ship; from May to September, when monsoon winds whip up the sea, it could be cut off entirely.) That year, 140 travelers visited. The annual figure now exceeds 2,500: a paltry number compared with, say, the Galapagos, but on an island with only four hotels, two gas stations and a handful of flush toilets, it’s a veritable flood.
They — I should say “we” — constitute an experiment. Encouraged by a United Nations development plan, Socotra has opted to avoid mass tourism: no beachfront resorts; instead, small, locally owned hotels and beachfront campsites. The prize is that rarest of tourists, eco-tourists: those who know the little known and reach the hard to reach, who will come eager to see the Socotra warbler, the loggerhead turtle, the dragon’s blood tree — anything, please, but their own reflection.
Riding with Ahmed, it was immediately evident that, though the island is small in size, it cannot possibly be seen without a hired driver and guide, for the simple reason that there are few proper roads, fewer road signs and no road maps.
The first paved roads were built by the Yemeni government only two years ago: wide, open scabs on the landscape that stretch across the island yet see virtually no traffic. The new roads, it turned out, were a sore spot with Ahmed and the United Nations Socotra Archipelago Conservation and Development Programme. “The experience is so different if you spend 45 minutes on a road versus three or four hours,” Paul Scholte, the program’s technical adviser in Sana, Yemen’s capital, said to me. “The whole perception of the island changes due to the road.” Then there was the matter of placement. Only at the last minute did the S.C.D.P. manage to convince the government not to send the road through a stretch of coastline designated as a nature preserve. It’s fair to say that Socotra’s future may be read in the lines of its roads: how many, how wide, where they lead and who is encouraged to travel on them.
Ahmed took me to the beach that would have been paved over: shimmering blue water, powdery white sand and not a soul in sight. A ghost crab, pure white, with just its pin-stalk eyes peeking above the water like twin periscopes, drifted by on a current in the shallows. I watched it watch me and then bury itself in the sandy floor.
According to Scholte, roughly half of Socotra’s tourists are Italians, who seem mainly interested in the beaches: “Italians go because it’s new, it’s cheap, but not because it’s special.” The French and Germans, in contrast, go for special: they come to hike, visit the island’s nature preserves, maybe rent camels and spend several days trekking as a group across the Haghier mountain range at the center of the island.
As for Americans, well, there weren’t many. I could understand: a conservative Arab country hardly seems like a good first choice for a vacation, much less the country where, in 2000, Al Qaeda forces bombed the U.S.S. Cole; where, in 2006, tribesmen kidnapped a group of French tourists; and where (according to my guidebook) a Kalashnikov can be had for only a little over $100. But whatever Yemen’s troubles, Socotra is far removed from them. Everyone I met was garrulous and open, and seemed genuinely excited, at least for the moment, at the prospect of foreign visitors.

Socotra

Island lying in the Indian Ocean, at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden. Socotra is 3,625 km² large, and belongs to Yemen. It lies about 340 km from the coast of the Yemeni mainland, and 250 off the Somali coast. The island has about 70,000 inhabitants (2008 estimate).
The name of the island is believed to come from Sanskrit ‘dvipa sakhadara’, which can be translated with ‘Island of Bliss’.

Nature
Socotra is part of an archipelago, but all the other islands are small. The largest of these are Abd al-Kuri and the Al-Ikhwan Islands.
The islands stand on coral banks. The interior of the island is dominated by the beautiful and green mountains called Hajhir, rising up to 1,503 metres above sea level.
To the north is the most inhabited part, yet it has the most narrow coast line. Both the northern and southern plains have little rainfall, which make these areas difficult for effective agriculture.
Socotra has been isolated biologically for several million years, and about 1/3 of the animals and plants are only found here. Examples of this are the 24 endemic reptiles, 6 types of birds, like the Socotra sparrow, centipedes, one sort of dragonfly, land crabs discoverd as late as 1997 at an altitude of 700 metres, and 25 types of jumping insects.
Socotra has a number of distinct flora species, like myrrh, frankincense and dragon’s blood tree. Formerly, dragon’s blood tree was an important ingredient in different types of dye, used for varnishing violins and making ink all over the world.
Society and Economy
The main sources for the local economy are fishing, pearl diving and small-scale agriculture. Exports go principally to the rest of Yemen, and include the butter called ghee, fish and frankincense. Despite its size, Socotra has nomads who live from their cattle and other animals, as well as doing some limited agriculture.
The only city on Socotra of some size is Hadibu. Important villages include Suq and Qalansiyya. These 3 are on the north coast, while Mahattat Nujad lies on the south coast. Infrastructure is badly developed, and connections to mainland Yemen are very limited. There are weekly flights, but these are victims to unstable weather about 6 months a year.
The ethnic origin of the people of Socotra is not quite established. The Russian scholar Vitaly Naumkin concludes that the people are a mix, and that they became isolated from the rest of Arabia, from where they must have most of their origin, between 1000 and 500 BCE. In addition to this, traders passing through, Indians, Portuguese, British must have given their contributions too. The people living in the extreme east, have blue eyes, and are believed to be descendants of Europeans.
History
1507: Socotra is occupied by the Portuguese.
1511: The Portuguese lose control over Socotra to the Mahra sultans.
17th century: A large conversion from Christianity to Islam starts, that changes the population that used to be Christians into becoming Muslims.
1886: Comes under British protection, which means that British interests are under the protection of present British officials. It was principally as an important strategic point and a stop-over that Socotra was used.
1967: With the independence of South Yemen, Socotra is loosened from the British, and becomes part of the new country.
1999 May: Inauguration of the International Airport Hadibu.