Hadhramaut#Mountains

{{Short description|Region in southern Arabia}}

{{Other uses}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Hadhramaut

| native_name_lang = ar

| other_name =

| settlement_type = Historical region of Arabia

| native_name = {{lang|ar|حضرموت}}

| image_skyline = {{multiple image

| total_width = 280

| border = infobox

| perrow = 1/2/2

| caption_align = center

| image1 = Shibam Wadi Hadhramaut Yemen.jpg

| caption1 = The Old Walled City of Shibam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

| image2 = Sultan Al Kathiri Palace, Seiyun (2285894903).jpg

| caption2 = Seiyun Palace, one of the world's largest mud-brick structures

| image3 = Minaret Al Muhdhar Mosque Tarim Yemen.jpg

| caption3 = The Minaret of al-Muhdhar Mosque

| image4 = Haid al-Jazil.jpg

| caption4 = Haid al-Jazil in Wadi Dawan

| image5 = Al Mukala (2285805011).jpg

| caption5 = Mukalla, capital city of Hadhramaut

}}

| image_map = Map of Hadhramaut.svg

| mapsize = 250px

| map_caption = Map of Hadhramaut in the Arabian Peninsula

| coordinates = {{coord|16|N|49|E|display=title,inline}}

| parts_type = Governorates

| parts_style = coll

| parts = List

| p1 = Hadhramaut (main)

| p2 = Shabwah (main)

| p3 = al Mahra (main)

| p4 = Aden

| p5 = Abyan

| p6 = Lahij

| p7 = Dhofar

| p8 = Sharurah

| elevation_max_point = Kawr Saybān

| elevation_max_m = 2070

| elevation_max_footnotes = {{cite web |title=حضرموت |trans-title= Hadhramaut - National Information Center of Yemen |language= ar |url=https://yemen-nic.info/contents/Brief/detail.php?ID=7609&print=Y |website=المركز الوطني للمعلومات |access-date=14 November 2024}}

| population_demonym = Hadharem

| subdivision_type = Countries

| subdivision_name = {{Plain list|

  • {{flag|Yemen}} (main)
  • {{flag|Oman}}
  • {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}

}}

| subdivision_type2 = Notable cities

| subdivision_name2 = {{collapsible list|

}}

| footnotes =

}}

Hadhramaut{{efn|Also romanized as Hadramaut, Hadramout or Hadramawt, pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˌ|h|ɑː|d|r|ə|ˈ|m|ɔː|t|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Hadramaut.wav}} {{respell|HAH|drə|MAWT}}.|group=note}} ({{langx|ar|حَضْرَمَوْت|Ḥaḍramawt}} {{pronunciation|LL-Q13955 (ara)-Mohammed Al-Aidaroos (Abo Yemen)-حَضْرَمَوْت.wav}}; {{Langx|ayh|حَضْرَمُوت|rtl=yes|Ḥaḍramūt}} {{pronunciation|LL-Q13955 (ara)-Mohammed Al-Aidaroos (Abo Yemen)-حَضْرَمُوت.wav}}) is a geographic region in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah and Mahrah, Dhofar in southwestern Oman, and Sharurah in the Najran Province of Saudi Arabia, and sometimes the Aden, Abyan and Lahij governorates of Yemen at a more stretched historical definition. The region's people are known as the Hadharem. They formerly spoke Hadramautic, an old South Arabian language, but they now predominantly speak the Hadhrami dialect of Arabic.

Though the origins of the name are unknown, the name Hadhramaut is traditionally explained as a compound word meaning "death has come" or "court of death," derived either from the Arabic {{Transliteration|ar|ḥaḍara}} ("he came") plus {{Transliteration|ar|mawt}} ("death"), a folk nickname for Amer bin Qahtan, the region's legendary first settler, or from the Biblical Hebrew {{Transliteration|he|ḥaṣar}} ("court" or "dwelling") plus {{Transliteration|he|māweṯ}} ("death") as seen in Hazarmaveth. The name is of ancient origin and is reflected in the name of the modern-day Yemeni governorate of Hadhramaut.

The boundaries of Hadhramaut stretches from the Empty Quarter desert in the north down through its Wadi Hadhramaut and its coastal plain on the Arabian Sea, historically spanning from modern-day Aden in the west across Dhofar to the east but today spans Yemen's Shabwah from the west and Oman's Dhofar to the east. The region once comprised the Qu'aiti and Kathiri sultanates whose lands now form the Hadhramaut governorate, with tribal Hadhrami towns clustered around oasis wells in the wadis, where they farm wheat, millet, dates, coconuts and coffee, while Bedouin herders graze flocks on the plateau. Physically, the region divides into Inner Hadhramaut,centered on the main wadi and its tributaries, and Coastal Hadhramaut, a narrow plain backed by the steep Jowl escarpment rising to about 1,370 m; to the north the highland plateau (Haḍbat Ḥaḍramawt) slopes down sharply into the Empty Quarter, creating a transition from lush valley to arid desert.

Toponymy

The origins of the name Ḥaḍramawt is disputed, and numerous debated hypotheses regarding its meaning exist. The most popular folk etymology is that the word comes from a nickname of Amer bin Qahtan, who is thought to be the first person to dwell in the region, meaning "death has come", from the words in {{langx|ar|حَضَر|ḥaḍara|he came|link=no}} and {{langx|ar|مَوْت|mawt|death|link=no}}.{{Cite journal |last=Al-Ameri |first=Aidah |date=June 2018 |title=في مفهوم حضرموت والحضارمة |trans-title=On the concept of Hadhramaut and the Hadhramis |url=https://hadramout.center/articles/2884 |journal=Hadramawt Cultural Journal |language=ar |publisher=Hadramawt Center for Historical Studies |volume=8 |page=38 |quote=لقد أفاضت المصادر العربية الإسلامية في ذكر دلالة تسمية حضرموت، ومما جاء عندهم في هذا الأمر عدد من الروايات، الأولى ترى أن عامر بن قحطان كان أول من نزل بالأحقاف، وكان إذا حضر حربًا أكثر من القتل فصار يقولون عند حضوره (حضر موت)، ثم صار ذلك عليه لقبًا وصاروا يقولون للأرض التي بها قبيلته (أرض حضرموت)، ثم أطلق على البلاد ذاتها |trans-quote=Arab-Islamic sources have elaborated on the significance of the name Hadhramaut, including several narratives. The first of these states that Amer ibn Qahtan was the first to land in Al-Ahqaf and that when he attended a war, he used to kill more than anyone had killed, so they used to say when he came, death has come (Hadhara al-maut), and then it became a nickname for him. They used to call the land where his tribe was (the land of Hadhramaut), and then the country itself.}}{{Citation |last=Everett-Heath |first=John |title=Hadhramaut |date=2014-05-22 |work=The Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191751394.001.0001/acref-9780191751394-e-2786 |access-date=2025-03-20 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/acref/9780191751394.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-175139-4|url-access=subscription }} Another theory is that it is a variant of the name of Islamic prophet Hud{{efn|identified as Eber in Biblical tradition}} who was sent to this region or his last words "Ludara al-mawt," meaning "death has come."{{sfn|Lewcock|1986|p=21}}

The name Ḥaḍramawt has also been found within Biblical Hazarmaveth.{{efn|{{langx|hbo|חֲצַרְמָוֶת|Ḥăṣarmāweṯ|italic=no|rtl=yes}}; Genesis 10:26{{Bibleverse||Genesis|10:26|KJV}} and 1 Chronicles 1:20{{Bibleverse|1|Chronicles|1:20|KJV}}|group=note}} The name means "court of death" and is composed of two parts: {{langx|he|חֲצַרְ|ḥaṣar|dwelling; court}} and {{langx|he|מָוֶת|link=no}} māweṯ "death".{{Cite book |last=Hitchcock |first=Roswell |title=Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary |publisher=Send The Light Distribution LLC |year=2013 |isbn=9781481024761 |language=en}} There, Hud was the descendant of ʿĀd, son of Joktan,{{efn|identified as Qahtan in Islamic tradition}} the purported ancestor and progenitor of the South Arabian kingdoms. According to tradition, the family of ʿĀd was the first to settle in the region, and when the sons of ʿĀd had died, Amer bin Qahtan, nicknamed "Hadhramaut", came to power.{{sfn|Lewcock|1986|p=21}}

Though the origins of the name are unknown, there are several scholarly proposals. Kamal Salibi says that the diphthong "-aw" is an incorrect vocalisation, noting that "-ūt" is a frequent ending for place names in the Ḥaḍramawt; given that "Ḥaḍramūt" is the colloquial pronunciation of the name, and also its ancient pronunciation, the correct reading of the name would thus be "place of ḥḍrm". Salibi proposes, then, that the name means "the green place", which is appropriate given its well-irrigated wadis, giving a lushness that contrasts with the surrounding high desert plateau.{{cite journal|last1=Salibi|first1=Kamal|editor1-last=al-Qāḍī|title=Ḥaḍramūt: A Name with a Story|journal=Studia Arabica et Islamica: Festschrift for Iḥsān ʿAbbās on His Sixtieth Birthday|date=1981|pages=393–397}}

Variations of the name are attested to as early as the middle of the 1st millennium BC. The names ḥḍrmt (𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩) and ḥḍrmwt (𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩥𐩩) are found in texts of the Old South Arabian languages (Ḥaḍramitic, Minaic, Qatabanic and Sabaic), though the second form is not found in any known Ḥaḍramitic inscriptions.{{cite web |url=http://dasi.humnet.unipi.it/index.php?id=32&prjId=1&corId=0&colId=0&navId=22579382&wl_group=11&wl_subgroup=5 |website=DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions |title=General word list |access-date=1 May 2016}} In either form, the word itself can be a toponym, a tribal name, or the name of the kingdom of Ḥaḍramawt. In the late fourth or early 3rd century BC, Theophrastus gives the name {{lang|grc|Άδρραμύτα}},Theophrastus: Historia Plantarum. 9,4. a direct transcription of the Semitic name into Greek.

History

{{Main|History of Hadhramaut}}

{{History of Yemen}}

=Prehistory=

The earliest human activities in the region date from the Middle Palaeolithic, with the local population using a Levallois technique for flake preparation until the appearance of tools produced by a desert-dwelling pre-agricultural population. From this latter period, or perhaps the succeeding one, can be dated several megalithic structures, large stone circles, and four dolmen-like strictures whose inner surfaces were decorated with repetitive rows of pecked meander or crenellated design.{{sfn|Van Beek|1997}}

=Ancient=

{{main|Kingdom of Hadhramaut}}

{{further|Ancient history of Yemen}}

File:Decorated capital from the Royal Palace of Shabwat.jpg, from the royal palace at Shabwa, the then-capital city of Hadhramaut]]

The Kingdom of Hadhramaut was established in the early 1st millennium BCE.{{sfn|Avanzini|2016|page=184}} Its capital was Shabwa, not far from the city of Teman (the capital of the Kingdom of Qataban),Naval Western Arabia & The Red Sea p.224 Routledge, 2013 {{ISBN|978-1-136-20995-6}} a tribal federation consisting of several tribes united by their common veneration of the lunar god Sin. Hadhramaut became independent from Sheba in {{circa|330}} BCE.{{Cite web |date=19 October 2014 |title=حضرموت |trans-title=Hadhramaut |url=https://www.aljazeera.net/encyclopedia/2014/10/19/%25d8%25ad%25d8%25b6%25d8%25b1%25d9%2585%25d9%2588%25d8%25aa |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=Al Jazeera Arabic |language=ar}} Hadhramaut and its god Sin are mentioned in the inscription of Surwah by the Makrib Sabean writer Karib'il Watar I around 700–680 BCE.

The Kingdom, led by King Shahr-al-Khuraymat, allied with the Minaeans and the Kingdom of Qataban and became independent from the Kingdom of Sheba around 330 BCE, during which the Himyarite dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Sheba.Holger Gzella Languages from the World of the Bible p.162 Walter de Gruyter, 2011 {{ISBN|978-1-934078-63-1}}Woodard The Ancient Languages of Syria-Palestine and Arabia p.145 Cambridge University Press {{ISBN|978-1-139-46934-0}} The relationship between the Kingdom of Hadhramaut and the Himyarite Kingdom remained tense, with both sides waging wars against each other for control of the trade routes and territory in the region.Leonard & Brunschvig The Encyclopaedia of Islam Vol. II, p.183 {{ISBN|978-90-04-05745-6}} Early Islamic authors believed the nomadic Kinda tribe that founded a kingdom in central Arabia were originally from Hadhramaut, although distinct from the settled Hadhrami population.

File:Ruins6.JPG]]

The Hadhrami are referred to as "Chatramotitai" in ancient Greek texts. Hadhramautic texts come later than Sabaean ones, and some Sabaean texts from Hadhramaut are known. Greek, Latin, Sabaean and Hadhramautic texts preserve the names of many kings of Hadhramaut, but there is as yet no definitive chronology of their reigns. Their capital was Shabwa in the northwest corner of the kingdom, along the Incense trade route. Eratosthenes called it a metropolis. It was an important cult centre as well. At first, the religion was South Arabian polytheism, distinguished by the worship of the Babylonian moon god Sin. By the sixth century, the monotheistic cult of Rahmanan was followed in the local temple.{{EI2 |title=Ḥaḍramawt, I. Pre-Islamic Period |last=Beeston |first=A. F. L. |author-link=A. F. L. Beeston |pages=51–53 |volume=3}}

The political history of Hadhramaut is not easy to piece together. Numerous wars involving Hadhramaut are referenced in Sabaean texts. From their inscriptions, the Hadhrami are known to have fortified Libna (now {{ill|Qalat (Yemen)|lt=Qalat|ar|القلعة (حضرموت)}}){{cite web |url=http://nabataea.net/sarabia.html |title=South Arabia |website=nabataea.net |access-date=8 October 2019}} against Himyar and to have fortified {{smallcaps|mwyt}} (Ḥiṣn al-Ghurāb {{lang|ar|حِصْن ٱلْغُرَاب}}) against the Kingdom of Aksum in the period following the death of Dhū Nuwās. The kingdom ceased to exist by the end of the 3rd century CE, having been annexed by the Himyarite Kingdom. Hadhramaut continued to be used in the full titulature of the kings of Sabaʾ and Dhu Raydān (Himyar).

In the 2nd century CE, Hadhramaut was known for its frankincense and myrrh trade.{{cite book |author=Robin |title=Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam |page=281 |publisher=Routledge |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-134-64634-0}} The incense trade route (southern incense route) that passed through the southern part of Hadhramaut helped the region flourish economically and culturally.Miller Arabic Geography in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries p.37 Indiana University Press, 1999 The Kingdom of Hadhramaut played a significant role in connecting the cultures of Arabia, Mesopotamia, East Africa, and the Roman Empire.Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman, and Central Arabia p.953 Government of India, 1908

=Middle Ages=

==Islamic==

File:Hadramawt Flag (17).png|220x220px]]

File:Hadhramaut in Houghton Typ 794.34.475 - Kâtip Çelebi, Kitab-ı cihannüma (cropped).jpg (1609–57), from the first printed atlas in the Ottoman Empire]]

Islam reached Hadhramaut in {{circa|630}} after Islamic prophet Muhammad sent {{ill|Wael bin Hajar|ar|وائل بن حجر}} as a da'i to the region. The tribes of the region and the ancient aristocracy initially resisted the religion for a considerable period with the city of Tarim being the only adopter of the religion. Nevertheless, companions of Muhammad like Miqdad ibn Aswad and Islamic military leaders like {{ill|Qaisabah ibn Kalthum|ar|قيسبة بن كلثوم}} were from the region.{{cite web |last1=al Asqalani |first1=Ibn Hajar |last2=Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shafii |first2=Abū ʿAbdillāh |last3=ibn Kathir |first3=Ismail |last4=ibn Faisal al-Tamimi al-Darimi |first4=Abu Hatim Muhammad |title=Al-Isabah Fi Tamyiz Al-Sahabah by Ibn Hajr; al Istishaab by Shafii; al Bidayah wan Nihayah by Ibn Kathir; Kitab al Sahaba by Ibn Hibban |url=https://islamstory.com/-المقداد_بن_الأسود |website=Islam story |publisher=Story of Islam |access-date=11 February 2020}}{{sfn|Lewcock|1986|p=29}}

In the 11th century, the Hadhramaut region came under the rule of the Mahdids, who were of Banu Hadhrami origin.{{cite book |title=The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines |last=Daftary |first=Farhad |pages=237–239}}{{rp|237}} They established the Qasimi dynasty, which ruled the region for several centuries.{{rp|239}}

was reportedly from Hadhramaut. Several prophets before them are believed to have dwelt here, including Hud of ʿĀd. He is thought to be buried at Qabr Hud.{{cite book |last1=Wensinck |first1=A.J. |last2=Pellat |first2=Ch. |entry=Hūd |editor1-first=P. |editor1-last=Bearman |editor2-first=Th. |editor2-last=Bianquis |editor3-first=C.E. |editor3-last=Bosworth |editor4-first=E. |editor4-last=van Donzel |editor5-first=W.P. |editor5-last=Heinrichs |date=1960–2007 |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam |edition=2nd |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-16121-4 |entry-url=http://library.ut.ac.ir/documents/381543/3581025/Brill_-_The_Encyclopaedia_of_Islam_Vol_3_H-Iram_.pdf |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_2920 |page=537 |title-link=Encyclopaedia of Islam |access-date=November 28, 2022 |archive-date=April 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423225147/http://library.ut.ac.ir/documents/381543/3581025/Brill_-_The_Encyclopaedia_of_Islam_Vol_3_H-Iram_.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite book |first1=Daniel |last1=van der Meulen |first2=Hermann |last2=von Wissmann |edition=1st |author1-link=:nl:Daniel van der Meulen |author2-link=Hermann von Wissmann (geographer) |date=1964 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mskUAAAAIAAJ |title=Hadramaut: Some of its mysteries unveiled |series=Publication of the De Goeje Fund no. 9. |location=Leiden, the Netherlands |publisher=E.J. Brill |isbn=978-9-0040-0708-6}}

==Portuguese and Ottoman Influence==

In the 16th century, the Portuguese arrived in Hadhramaut and established several settlements along the southern coast. However, their influence was short-lived as the Yemeni Imams managed to drive them out by the 17th century.{{cite book |title=The Indian Ocean in the Making of Early Modern India |first=Pius |last=Malekandathil |pages=114–115}}{{rp|115}} Subsequently, Hadhramaut came under Ottoman influence, and the Ottomans maintained control over the region until the early 20th century.{{rp|114}}

=Modern=

== Sultanates and the British rule ==

{{multiple image

| align = right

| direction = vertical

| width = 210

| image1 = Kathiri flag.svg

| caption1 = Flag of Kathiri

| image2 = Flag of Quaiti Hadramaut.svg

| caption2 = Flag of Qu'aiti

| total_width =

}}

The Qu'aiti sultans ruled the vast majority of Hadramaut, under a loose British protectorate, the Aden Protectorate, from 1882 to 1967, when the Hadhramaut was annexed by South Yemen. The Qu'aiti dynasty was founded by Umar bin Awadh al-Qu'aiti, a Yafa'i tribesman whose wealth and influence as hereditary Jemadar of the Nizam of Hyderabad's armed forces enabled him to establish the Qu'aiti dynasty in the latter half of the 19th century, winning British recognition of his paramount status in the region in 1882. The British Government and the traditional and scholarly sultan Ali bin Salah signed a treaty in 1937, appointing the British government as "advisors" in Hadhramaut. The British exiled him to Aden in 1945, but the Protectorate lasted until 1967.{{Citation needed|date=December 2013}}

== Communist rule ==

{{see also|South Yemen}}

In 1967, the former states of the British Aden Protectorate became an independent Communist state, the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. South Yemen was united with North Yemen in 1990 as the Republic of Yemen.{{Cite news |author= |date=1990-05-23 |title=2 Yemens Become One, and Celebrate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/23/world/2-yemens-become-one-and-celebrate.html |access-date=2024-09-02 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

== Contemporary Yemen ==

The capital and largest city of Hadhramaut is the port Mukalla. Mukalla had a 1994 population of 122,400 and a 2003 population of 174,700, while the port city of Ash Shihr has grown from 48,600 to 69,400 in the same time. One of the more historically important cities in the region is Tarim. An important locus of Islamic learning, it is estimated to contain the highest concentration of descendants of Muhammad anywhere in the world.{{cite magazine |last=Alexandroni |first=Sam |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200710180041 |title=No Room at the Inn |magazine=New Statesman |date=October 18, 2007 |archive-date=July 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709015416/http://www.newstatesman.com/200710180041}}

Geography

{{See also|Geology of Yemen|Geography of Yemen|South Arabian fog woodlands, shrublands, and dune|Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert}}

File:Al-Hajarayn (2285802221).jpg, Wadi Dowan]]

=Political geography=

The borders of Hadhramaut have varied over time to include the territory between Aden and Dhofar, but it always included the Wadi Hadhramaut, the lands between the Wadi and the coast, and the desert region of the Empty Quarter north of the Wadi. This encompasses the current governorates of Hadramaut and Mahra in their entirety as well as parts of the Shabwah Governorate.{{citation |last1=Schofield |first1=Richard N. |title=Arabian Boundaries: Primary Documents, 1853–1957 |work=Archive Editions |volume=22 |page=220 |year=1988 |isbn=1-85207-130-3 |quote=...should be made along the coast to the west as far as the DHOFAR-HADHRAMAUT frontier... |last2=Blake |first2=Gerald Henry}} The current governorate of Hadhramaut roughly incorporates the former territory of the two sultanates.{{Cite book |last1=Talib |first1=Saadaldeen |title=Hadhramaut and its diaspora: Yemeni politics, identity and migration |last2=Petouris |first2=Thanos |last3=Lackner |first3=Helen |last4=Kaptein |first4=Nicolaas J. G. |last5=Arai |first5=Kazuhiro |last6=Clarence-Smith |first6=William G. |last7=Spencer |first7=James |last8=Walker |first8=Iain |last9=Pétriat |first9=Philippe |date=2017 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |others=Hadhramaut Research Centre |isbn=978-1-78672-167-9 |editor-last=Brehony |editor-first=Noel |series=Library of modern Middle East studies |location=London New York |page=2}}

The Hadharem live in densely built towns centered on traditional watering stations along the wadis. Hadharem harvest crops of wheat and millet, tend date palm and coconut groves, and grow some coffee. On the plateau, Bedouins tend sheep and goats. Society is still highly tribal, with the old Seyyid aristocracy, descended from the Islamic prophet Muhammad, traditionally educated, strict in their Islamic observance, and highly respected in religious and secular affairs.

=Physical geography=

File:Al-Shaggain, Mukalla.jpg, Brom Mayfa District]]

Hadhramaut is geographically divided into Inner Hadhramaut ({{Langx|ayh|حضرموت الداخل}}) which is made up of Wadi Hadhramaut, smaller tributary wadis south from the main wadi, and Coastal Hadhramaut ({{Langx|ayh|حضرموت الساحل}}){{Cite book |last=ميخائيل رودينوف |url=https://archive.org/details/20220809_20220809_1502/page/3/mode/2up |title=عادات وتقاليد حضرموت الغربية}} which consists of a narrow, arid coastal plain bounded by the steep escarpment of a broad plateau locally known as the Jowl ({{langx|ayh|ٱلْجَوْل|al-Jawl}}, averaging {{convert|1370|m|abbr=on}}).{{sfn|Boxberger|2002|page=13}} The undefined northern edge of Hadhramaut slopes down to the desert of the Empty Quarter, where the Hadhramaut Plateau or Highlands ({{langx|ar|هَضْبَة حَضْرَمَوْت|Haḍbat Ḥaḍramawt}}) meets the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea, elevation abruptly decreases.{{cite book |last1=Ghazanfar |first1=Shahina A. |author-link=Shahina A. Ghazanfar |title=Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula |last2=Fisher |first2=Martin |date=2013-04-17 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-9-4017-3637-4 |location=Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman |pages=27–55 |chapter=1–2 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uc_tCAAAQBAJ&q=hadhramaut+highlands&pg=PA52}}

File:146 Šibam.jpg|Shibam in Wadi Hadhramaut, with mountains in the background

File:BirAli Crater.JPG|Bir Ali Crater in Shabwa, the crater is about 1.3 km wide and contains water with a surface of about 800 meters wide

== Inner Hadhramaut ==

=== Mountains ===

{{See also|Hadhramaut Mountains}}

The Hadhramaut Mountains ({{langx|ar|جِبَال حَضْرَمَوْت|Jibāl Ḥaḍramawt}}),{{cite book |last=Bilādī |first=ʿĀtiq ibn Ghayth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RrktAQAAIAAJ&q=جبال+حضرموت |title=بين مكة وحضرموت: رحلات ومشاهدات |publisher=دار مكة |year=1982 |language=ar}} also known as the "Mahrat Mountains"{{cite book |last=Cavendish |first=Marshall |author-link=Marshall Cavendish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j894miuOqc4C&q=mahrat |title=World and Its Peoples: The Middle East, Western Asia, and Northern Africa |publisher=Cavendish Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=0-7614-7571-0 |pages=9–144 |chapter=I: Geography and climate}} ({{langx|ar|جِبَال ٱلْمَهْرَة|Jibāl Al-Mahrah}}), are a mountain range in Yemen.{{cite book |last=Scoville |first=Sheila A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AH8YAQAAMAAJ&q=hadhramaut+mountains |title=Gazetteer of Arabia: a geographical and tribal history of the Arabian Peninsula |publisher=Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt |year=2006 |isbn=0-7614-7571-0 |volume=2 |pages=117–122}} They are contiguous with the Omani Dhofar Mountains to the northeast, and James Canton considered Aden in the southwest to be in the mountains' recesses.{{cite book |last=Canton |first=James |author-link=James Canton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oU9QBgAAQBAJ&q=hadhramaut+mountains |title=From Cairo to Baghdad: British Travellers in Arabia |date=2014-08-25 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-0-8577-3571-3 |location=London and New York City |page=91 |chapter=4: Modernising Arabia}}

=== Wadis ===

File:Dry river valleys in Yemen (iss069e010858).jpg]]

Wadi Hadhramaut ({{langx|ar|وادي حضرموت}}) is the main wadi in the region, which has 16 tributary wadis, which are:

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Wadis

Southern plateauNorthern plateau
Wadi DahrWadi Hanin
Wadi RahyahWadi Sad
Wadi 'AmdWadi Na'am
Wadi DawanWadi Ja'imah
Wadi al'AinWadi Thabi
Wadi Manoob bin AliWadi al-Jon
Wadi 'Adim
Wadi 'Aynat
Wadi Tena
Wadi Sena

=== Desert ===

{{Empty section|date=November 2024}}

== ''Coastal Hadhramaut'' ==

{{Empty section|date=November 2024}}

Economy

File:Qasr Bugshan.jpg]]

Historically, Hadhramaut was known for being a major producer of frankincense, which in the early 20th century was mainly exported to Mumbai in India.{{cite book |last=Prothero |first=G.W. |title=Arabia |year=1920 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |location=London |pages=84–85 |url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/84/}}{{rp|84}} The region has also produced senna and coconut. Farming and fishing are other economic activities in the region, where 5.8% of Yemen's total agriculture comes from the Hadhramaut Governorate alone. Key agricultural products from this region include dates and various grains. Additionally, the fishing sector serves as a primary economic resource for the local population, benefiting from a lengthy coastline along the Arabian Sea that is rich in diverse fish and marine life.

The governorate's lands also hold mineral resources, notably oil and gold, further enhancing its economic significance. Currently, Hadhramaut produces approximately 260,000 barrels of oil per day; one of the most productive fields is Al Maseelah in the strip (14), which was discovered in 1993. The Yemeni government is keen to develop its oil fields to increase oil production to increase national wealth in response to the requirements of economic and social development in the country. Oil contributes 30–40% of the nation's GDP, over 70% of total state revenues, and more than 90% of the value of the country's exports.{{rp|85}}

= Oil and gas =

A Soviet discovery in the southern governorate of Shabwah has proven only marginally successful even when taken over by a different group. A Western consortium began exporting oil from Masila in the Hadhramaut in 1993, and production there reached {{convert|67000|m3/d|oilbbl/d|abbr=on}} in 1999. There are new finds in the Jannah (formerly known as the Joint Oil Exploration Area) and east Shabwah blocks. Yemen's oil exports in 1995 earned about US$1 billion. Yemen's offshore oil and gas deposits are estimated to contain billions of barrels of oil and gas. Marib oil contains associated natural gas. In September 1995, the Yemeni Government signed an agreement that designated TotalEnergies of France to be the lead company for a project for the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG). In 1997, Yemen Gas Company joined with various privately held companies to establish Yemen LNG (YLNG).

File:Yemen 06.jpg in Hadhramaut]]

In August 2005, the government gave final approval to three LNG supply agreements, enabling YLNG to award a $2 billion contract to an international consortium to build the country's first liquefaction plant at Balhaf on the Arabian Sea coast. The project is a $3.7 billion investment over 25 years, producing approximately 6.7 million tons of LNG annually, with shipments likely to go to the United States and South Korea. Production of LNG began in October 2009. The Yemen government expects the LNG project to add $350 million to its budget and enable it to develop a petrochemicals industry.{{Citation |title=Country Profile: Yemen |date=Dec 2006 |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Yemen.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726030455/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Yemen.pdf |archive-date=26 Jul 2008 |url-status=dead |publisher=Library of Congress – Federal Research Division}}This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

Hadramout produces approximately 258.8 thousand barrels per day.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eia.gov/international/data/world#/?tl_type=p&tl_id=5-A&pa=0000000000000000000000000000000000g&ct=0&ord=SA&c=ruvvvvvfvtvnvv1urvvvvfvvvvvvfvvvou20evvvvvvvvvnvvuvo&f=A|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200254/http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/iedindex3.cfm?tid=5&pid=53&aid=1&cid=YM,&syid=1997&eyid=2010&unit=TBPD|url-status=dead|title=International - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)|archivedate=3 March 2016}} One of the prominent oil fields is the Masila Basin Sector (14), discovered in 1993. The Yemeni government is committed to developing its oil fields to increase oil production, aiming to enhance national wealth in response to the country's economic and social development needs. Oil contributes between 30% and 40% of the gross domestic product (GDP) value and represents more than 70% of the total general budget revenues of the state. Moreover, it constitutes more than 90% of the country's export value.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ym.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209041951/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ym.html|url-status=dead|title=CIA World Factbook|archivedate=9 February 2018}}

Culture

= Music and dance =

{{Main|Hadhrami Music}}

File:مزمار الهبيش.webm

Hadhrami Music is one of the five main Yemeni musical genres or "colours" ({{transliteration|ar|alwan}}). It is native to the Hadhramaut region and regarded as one of the most prominent forms of Arabic music. Its unique maqamat are widely employed by composers and musicians throughout the Arabian Peninsula. It compasses vocal performances in the Hadhrami Arabic dialect and features melodic phrases and a characteristic humming-style known as the Dan.

Hadhramaut's strategic location along the ancient incense road has shaped a unique musical tradition. Indian and African musical elements have intermingled with indigenous forms over time.{{cite web |url=https://www.khuyut.com/blog/07-28-2020-08-20-pm |title=الأغنية الحضرمية كصورة للرحابة والتنوع |trans-title=Hadhrami Singing as an Image of Openness and Diversity |last=Hasan |first=Gamal |date=2020-07-29 |publisher=Khuyut |accessdate=2025-02-05 |language=ar}} Besides, It has been deeply influenced by Sufism.{{cite web |url=https://assafirarabi.com/ar/5397/2016/09/23/%D8%AC%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86/ |title=جغرافيا الغناء في اليمن |trans-title=Geography of Music in Yemen |last=AlMaslami |first=Farea |date=2016-09-23 |publisher=السفير العربي |accessdate=2025-02-05 |language=ar}}

File:Iddah-Shabwani dance.webm

The region is renowned for its vast array of over four hundred distinct rhythmic patterns that vary by locality. These rhythms are closely tied to daily activities and special occasions—from planting and fishing to wedding celebrations. A key musical form in the region is al-Dan, a fixed melodic structure in which the melody precedes the lyrics; in contrast, in other songs, the lyrics typically come before the melody.{{cite web |url=https://arabiafelix.social/in-hadhramaut-music-rings-with-youth-ambitions/#:~:text=Historians%20and%20Arab%20singers%20trace,Indonesia%2C%20Brunei%2C%20and%20India |title=In Hadhramaut, Music Rings with Youth Ambitions |last=Bawazir |first=Fatima |publisher=Arabia Felix |accessdate=2025-02-07 |language=en}} Steps have been taken by the Yemeni government to include the Dan art on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Cultural authorities in Yemen have already received initial approval from UNESCO to consider its inclusion.{{cite web |url=https://south24.net/news/newse.php?nid=2969 |title=الدان الحضرمي: متعة الكلمة واللحن |trans-title=Hadhrami Dan: The Pleasure of Word and Melody |last=Al-Shadely |first=Abdullah |date=2022-10-08 |publisher=South24 |accessdate=2025-02-16 |language=ar}}

Numerous art critics note that the Hadhrami Dan has played a pivotal role in shaping vocal traditions throughout the Arab world, particularly within the Gulf region. This distinctive musical form is regarded as a foundational element for many singing schools, with contemporary artists continuing to draw inspiration from its rich heritage and folkloric melodies.{{cite web |url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B6%D8%B1%D9%85%D9%8A-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%87-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%83%D9%88 |title=الدان الحضرمى في طريقه إلى قائمة اليونسكو |trans-title=Hadhrami Dan on Its Way to a UNESCO List |last=Abdulmalek |first=Mohammed |date=2019-06-14 |publisher=The New Arab |accessdate=2025-02-02 |language=ar}}

The Hadhrami Dan has spread to the Arabian Gulf through the migration of Hadhrami musicians who settled in Gulf countries. Over time, local musicians integrated the Hadhrami Dan and other forms of the Dan and other Hadhrami musical forms into their own repertoires.{{cite web |url=https://shs.hal.science/halshs-02476223/document |title=Document Title |publisher=HAL-SHS |accessdate=2025-02-07 |language=en}} Furthermore, Hadhrami music has significantly influenced the cultural landscapes of regions beyond the Arabian Peninsula, notably in parts of Africa and East Asia.{{cite web |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/jafr_0399-0346_2002_num_72_2_1315 |title=The Music of Zenj: Arab-African crossovers in the music of Zanzibar |last=Topp Fargion |first=Janet |date=2002 |publisher=Persee |accessdate=2025-02-06 |language=en}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/api/MusicDetailPage/ViewPdf?resourceUuid=7cb87386-f807-4e9a-a611-6fbb24487745 |title=Musical Practice of Zafin/Zapin Arab in Singapore |publisher=National Library Board, Singapore |accessdate=2025-02-06 |language=en}}

File:اغنية نادرة - غدار الليل - الفنان أبو بكر سالم بلفقيه والفنان أحمد فتحي.webm and Ahmed Fathi perform ({{langx|ayh|غدر الليل|Ghadar al-Layl|Night Has Come}})]]

Several Hadhrami influential musicians and poets played an important role in shaping Hadhrami and the wider Arabian music. Abu Bakr Salem Belfkih (1932–2017), for example, modernised al-Dân songs by incorporating contemporary musical instruments, while poets such as Haddad al-Kaff (1910–1970) and Hussein al-Mihdhar (1932–2000) enriched the tradition with their lyrics. Additionally, Mohammed Juma Khan (1903–1963) is celebrated as a pioneer who blended his Punjabi musical influences with local traditions.

Moreover, several prominent non-Hadhrami Arab musicians have also embraced Hadhrami styles. These include Kuwaiti singer Abdallah Al Rowaished; Saudi singers Abdul Majeed Abdullah and Abdel Rab Idris, the latter of Hadhrami origin; as well as Emirati singers Ahlam and Hussain Al Jassmi.{{cite web |url=https://www.alayyam.info/news/7P2U8EEG-0WJPW9 |title=الأغنية الحضرمية.. ذات أجنحة لا تعترف بحدود الجهات الأربع..! |trans-title=Hadhrami Song... With Wings That Recognize No Boundaries |last=AlNadhami |first=Ahmed |date=2019-02-11 |publisher=AlAyyam Newspaper |accessdate=2025-02-11 |language=ar}}

The instruments used in Hadhrami music vary widely, encompassing percussion instruments, string instruments, wind instruments, and simple clapping techniques, often used individually or in combination. This includes notably the Qanbūs, which the Hadhrami migrants spread across the Indian Ocean across the Muslim Southeast Asia areas (notably in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei).

= Architecture =

{{Main article|Architecture of Yemen}}

The Hadhramaut region has significant tourism potential due to its historical and cultural heritage. The ancient city of Shibam, known as "the Manhattan of the Desert," is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is famous for its high-rise mud-brick buildings and has attracted tourists worldwide.{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/192|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809120849/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/192|url-status=dead|title=|archivedate=9 August 2018}} Other notable tourist attractions in the region include the historic towns of Tarim and Seiyun, the Wadi Hadramout with its lush palm groves, and the traditional mud-brick architecture found throughout the region.

Mukalla, a coastal city in the Hadhramaut region. The city's buildings exhibit intricate facades adorned with geometric patterns, reflecting local craftsmanship. Minarets with delicate latticework rise gracefully, reflecting a blend of architectural and spiritual significance. Mukalla's urban design features narrow alleys and courtyard houses, showcasing adaptation to the arid climate and fostering community interaction. The use of indigenous materials further emphasizes its connection to the local context.

File:Sultan al-Quaiti Palace.jpg|Sultan al-Quaiti Palace, now a Museum

File:22 Mukkala (4).jpg|Old city of Mukalla

File:Mukala-estuary at night.JPG|The Mukalla creek

Tarim has a distinctive Hadhrami architecture with filigreed facades and minarets. It has interconnected alleyways and courtyards.{{Citation |title=Yemeni town named cultural capital | date=9 March 2010 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfEUOGLNEQ |access-date=2023-08-14 |language=en}} Tarim was the Islamic Capital of Culture in 2010. It has the world's tallest mudbrick minaret, located in the Al-Muhdhar Mosque. There are initiatives to protect and restore its mud structures.

File:Qasr al-‘Ishshah, Tarim (2286430311).jpg|Qasr al-'Ishshah, Tarim

File:Minaret of Al Muhdar Mosque, Tarim (تريم) (2286434547).jpg|Minaret of al-Muhdar Mosque, Tarim

File:Qasr al-‘Ishshah, Tarim (2286429663).jpg|View of Qasr al-'Ishshah

File:Tarim (2286431839).jpg

Shibam, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is known for its distinct architecture. The houses of Shibam are all made out of mudbrick, and about 500 of them are tower blocks, which rise 5 to 11 stories high,{{cite journal |last=Helfritz |first=Hans |date=April 1937 |title=Land without shade |journal=Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=201–16 |doi=10.1080/03068373708730789}} with each floor having one or two rooms.{{cite journal |last1=Jerome |first1=Pamela |last2=Chiari |first2=Giacomo |last3=Borelli |first3=Caterina |year=1999 |title=The Architecture of Mud: Construction and Repair Technology in the Hadhramaut Region of Yemen |journal=APT Bulletin |volume=30 |issue=2–3 |pages=39–48 [44] |doi=10.2307/1504639 |jstor=1504639}} This architectural style was used in order to protect residents from Bedouin attacks.{{Cite book |last1=Morrison |first1=Alastair M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=71HzDwAAQBAJ&dq=architectural+style+protect+bedouin+%22shibam%22&pg=PT81 |title=Routledge Handbook of Tourism Cities |last2=Coca-Stefaniak |first2=J. Andres |date=27 August 2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780429534805 |via=Google Books}} While Shibam has been in existence for an estimated 1,700 years, most of the city's houses originate from the 16th century. Many, though, have been rebuilt numerous times in the last few centuries.

Shibam is often called "the oldest skyscraper city in the world".{{cite web |title=Wadi Hadramowt and walled city of Shabam |url=http://www.shibamonline.net/eng/wadi13.php |access-date=3 January 2010 |website=ShibamOnline.net}} It is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction.[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/192 Old Walled City of Shibam], UNESCO World Heritage Centre The city has some of the tallest mud buildings in the world, with some of them over {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=in}} high,{{cite journal |last=Shipman |first=J. G. T. |date=June 1984 |title=The Hadhramaut |journal=Asian Affairs |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=154–162 |doi=10.1080/03068378408730145}} thus being early high-rise apartment buildings. In order to protect the buildings from rain and erosion, the walls must be routinely maintained by applying fresh layers of mud. The city is surrounded by a fortified wall, giving it the name "the walled city of Shibam".

File:Shibam door.JPG|City's gate

File:Shibam Yemen Interior.jpg|street view of the city

File:15 Šibam (14).jpg|Closeup of the details of a window in Shibam

File:Old Walled City of Shibam-109044.jpg|Shibam buildings with balconies

File:Old Walled City of Shibam-109041.jpg|View of Old Walled City of Shibam

Habban, an ancient city within the Shabwa governorate, boasts a distinct architectural legacy characterized by ingenious mud and straw construction techniques. Notable features include towering mud structures with intricate carvings, reflecting both historical significance and artistic flair. Habban's architecture showcases a blend of utilitarian functionality and aesthetic charm. The enduring mud buildings' diverse architectural styles, including palaces, mosques, and tombs, capture the city's cultural tapestry. Rooted in Yemeni heritage, Habban's architecture is a living embodiment of the intersection between local culture and the built environment, reflecting the city's historical and cultural significance.{{Citation |title=مدينة حبان: محافظة شبوة اليمنية: اكتشف عاصمة الدولة الواحدية وسبب ازدهار اليمن قديماً | date=17 November 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xpQoFsgJIA |access-date=2023-08-14 |language=en}}

File:رباط الشقاع .jpg|alt=

File:Habban Shabwa 27th December 1993.jpg|alt=

Demographics

{{main|Hadharem}}

{{See also|Ba 'Alawi sada}}

The people of the region are known as the Hadharem, generally belong to the Semitic south Arabians who claim descent from Yarub bin Qahtan. There is, however, a large number of Sada ({{Langx|ayh|سادة|Sadah}}; Singular: Sayyid), or descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and of townsmen of northern origin, besides a considerable class of African or mixed descent. The Sada, descendants of Husain ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic Prophet, form a numerous and highly respected aristocracy. They are divided into families, the chiefs of which are known as Munsibs, who are looked on as the religious leaders of the people and are even, in some cases are regarded with great respect as saints. Among the leading families are that of Sheikh Abu Bakar bin Salem ({{Langx|ayh| الشيخ ابو بكر بن سالم}}) of ʽAynat, al-Aidarus ({{Langx|ayh|العيدروس}}) of Shihr and Wadi Dawan, Bin Sumayt ({{Langx|ayh|بن سميط}}) of Shibam and the Sakkaf ({{Langx|ayh|سقاف}}) of Seiyun. They do not bear arms, nor occupy themselves in trade, nor manual labour, nor even agriculture; though owning a large proportion of the land, they employ labourers to cultivate it. As compared with the other classes, they are well educated and are strict in their observance of religious duties, and owing to the respect due to their descent, they exercise a strong influence both in temporal and spiritual affairs.{{Source-attribution|{{Cite book |last=India Office |url=https://archive.org/details/20201031_20201031_1145/page/727/mode/2up |title=Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. I (Qatar Digital Library) |date=1917 |pages=727–729}}|pl=n|inline=y}}{{cite book |title=Encyclopædia Britannica 11 ed. Vol. 12 (Gichtel, Johann Georg to Harmonium) |date=1911 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |url=https://archive.org/stream/Encyclopaediabrit12chisrich_201303/encyclopaediabrit12chisrich_djvu.txt}}{{source-attribution}}

The Mashayikh ({{Langx|ayh|المشايخ}}) is another highly regarded group that is second in prestige to the Sada. Like the Sada, they don't bear arms.{{sfn|Boxberger|2002|pages=19–37}} Men from this group are given the honorific surname Sheikh ({{Langx|ayh|شيخ}}) and women are given the surname Sheikha ({{Langx|ayh|شيخة}}) which is different from the term Sheikh ({{Langx|ar|شيخ}}) that is used to refer to a tribal chief or a Muslim scholar.{{sfn|Boxberger|2002|pages=19–37}} Prominent Mashayikh families include the ‘Amudi ({{langx|ayh|العمودي}}), Ba Wazir ({{langx|ayh|با وزير}}), and Ba ‘Abbad ({{langx|ayh|با عبّاد}}) families.{{sfn|Boxberger|2002|pages=19–37}}

The Qaba'il ({{langx|ayh|القبائل}}) or tribesmen, as in the rest of Arabia, are the predominant class in the population. All the adults carry arms. Some of the tribes have settled towns and villages, others live a bedouin life, keeping however within the territory which is recognised as belonging to the tribe. They are divided into sections or families, each headed by a chief while the head of the tribe is called the muqaddam or sultan. He is the leader in peace and in war, but the tribesmen are not his subjects; he can only rule with their support. Historically, the most powerful tribes in Hadhramaut was the Qu’aiti, a branch of the Yafa'a tribe. Originally invited by the Sada to protect the settled districts against the marauding tribes, they established themselves as rulers of the country, and possessed the coastal districts with the towns of Mukalla and Shihr as well as Shibam in the interior. The family had accumulated great wealth and was in the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad in India as commander of the Arab levy composed of his tribesmen.

The townsmen are the free inhabitants of the towns and villages as distinguished from the Sada and the tribesmen; they do not carry arms, but are the working members of the community, merchants, artificers, cultivators, and servants and are entirely dependent on the tribes and chiefs under whose protection they live. The servile class contains a large African element, brought over formerly when the slave trade nourished on this coast; as all Islamic countries they are well treated, and often rise to positions of trust.

= Hadhrami diaspora =

{{Main|Hadharem#Diaspora}}

File:Map of Hadhrami emigrations.svg

Since the early 19th century, large-scale Hadhramaut migration has established sizable Hadhrami minorities all around the Indian Ocean,{{citation |last=Ho |first=Engseng |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YMcZU0VHdG0C |title=The Graves of Tarim: Genealogy and Mobility across the Indian Ocean |publisher=University of California Press |year=2006|isbn=978-0-520-93869-4 }} in South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Africa, including Mombasa, Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Maharashtrian Konkan,{{citation |last=Khalidi |first=Omar |author-link=Omar Khalidi |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O_WNqSH4ByQC&pg=PA52 |chapter=The Arabs of Hadramawt in Hyderabad |title=Mediaeval Deccan History |editor1=Kulkarni |editor2=Naeem |editor3=De Souza |publisher=Popular Prakashan |location=Bombay |year=1996 |isbn=978-8-1715-4579-7}}{{citation |last=Manger |first=Leif |title=Hadramis in Hyderabad: From Winners to Losers |publisher=Asian Journal of Social Science |volume=35 |number=4–5 |pages=405–433 (29) |url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/saj/2007/00000035/F0020004/art00003 |year=2007}} Mangalore, Bhatkal, Gangolli, Malabar, Sylhet, Tanzania, the Malay Archipelago, Sri Lanka, southern Philippines and Singapore.{{cite news |work=Arab News |title=Singapore's Arab community traces ancestral roots to Yemen's Hadhramaut Valley |first=Joanna |last=Tan |date=20 July 2018 |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1342016/world |access-date=11 December 2023}} In Hyderabad and Aurangabad, the community is known as Chaush and resides mostly in the neighborhood of Barkas. There are also settlements of Hadharem in Gujarat, such as in Ahmadabad and Surat. In South India, the Nawayath community also descends from Hadrami traders.

Earlier, several sultans in the Malay Archipelago such as the Malacca Sultanate,{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gBTbS4eNGp8C |title=Hadhrami Traders, Scholars and Statesmen in the Indian Ocean, 1750s to 1960s |last1=Freitag |first1=Ulrike |last2=Clarence-Smith |first2=William G. |date=1997 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9-0041-0771-1 |language=en}} Pontianak Sultanate or Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura were descents of Hadharem . In the 19th century, Hadhrami businessmen owned many of the maritime armada of barks, brigs, schooners and other ships in the Malay archipelago.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XBWwCQAAQBAJ&q=sultanate+arab+in+maluku&pg=PA141|title=The Hadhrami Diaspora in Southeast Asia: Identity Maintenance or Assimilation?|last1=Ibrahim|first1=Hassan|last2=Shouk|first2=Abu|date=2009-03-16|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-474-2578-6|language=en}} In modern times, several Indonesian ministers, including former Foreign Minister Ali Alatas and former Finance Minister Mar'ie Muhammad are of Hadhrami descent, as is the former Prime Minister of East Timor, Mari Alkatiri (2006).Agence France-Presse

The Hadharem have also settled in large numbers along the East African coast,{{citation |last=Bang |first=Anne K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aCgzr5jKQEkC |title=Sufis and Scholars of the Sea: Family Networks in East Africa, 1860–1925 |publisher=Routledge |year=2003|isbn=978-0-415-31763-4 }} and two former ministers in Kenya, Shariff Nasser and Najib Balala, are of Hadhrami descent. It has also been proved by genetic evidence{{Cite journal |last=Soodyall |first=Himla |date=2013-10-11 |title=Lemba origins revisited: tracing the ancestry of Y chromosomes in South African and Zimbabwean Lemba |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24300649/ |journal=South African Medical Journal = Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Geneeskunde |volume=103 |issue=12 Suppl 1 |pages=1009–1013 |doi=10.7196/samj.7297 |doi-broken-date=November 10, 2024 |issn=0256-9574 |pmid=24300649|doi-access=free }} that the Lemba people of Southern Africa bear some relation to the people of Hadramaut.{{cite web|last1=Espar|first1=David|title=Tudor Parfitt's Remarkable Quest|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/tudor-parfitts-remarkable-quest/|website=NOVA|date=February 22, 2000 |publisher=PBS|access-date=4 February 2015}}

Within the Hadhramaut region there has been a historical Jewish population.{{cite book|last=Wahrman|first=Miryam Z.|title=Brave New Judaism: When Science and Scripture Collide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zYXcRVGNznEC&pg=PA150|date=1 January 2004|publisher=UPNE|isbn=978-1-58465-032-4|page=150}}{{Cite book|last=Ahroni|first=Reuben|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d58QQocrWVkC&dq=hadramawt+jews&pg=PA201|title=The Jews of the British Crown Colony of Aden: History, Culture, and Ethnic Relations|date=1994|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-10110-4|language=en}}{{Cite book|last=Skolnik|first=Fred|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fEEOAQAAMAAJ&q=hadramawt+jews|title=Encyclopaedia Judaica: Gos-Hep|date=2007|publisher=Macmillan Reference USA|isbn=978-0-02-865936-7|language=en}}

See also

Explanatory notes

{{notelist}}

=Language notes=

{{reflist|group=note}}

References

{{reflist}}

= Sources =

  • {{Cite book |last=Darles |first=Christian |title=Earthen Architecture in Muslim Cultures: Historical and Anthropological Perspectives |publisher=Brill |year=2018 |isbn=978-90-04-35633-7 |editor-last=Pradines |editor-first=Stéphane |language=en |chapter=Mud Brick Architecture in Ḥaḍramawt-Yemen under the Qu'aiti and Kathiri Sultanates |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YpJyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA164}}
  • {{Cite journal |last1=Jerome |first1=Pamela |last2=Chiari |first2=Giacomo |last3=Borelli |first3=Caterina |date=1999 |title=The Architecture of Mud: Construction and Repair Technology in the Hadhramaut Region of Yemen |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1504639 |journal=APT Bulletin: The Journal of Preservation Technology |volume=30 |issue=2/3 |pages=39–48 |doi=10.2307/1504639 |jstor=1504639 |issn=0848-8525|url-access=subscription }}
  • {{Cite book |last=Avanzini |first=Alessandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JMkfvgAACAAJ |title=By Land and by Sea: A History of South Arabia Before Islam Recounted from Inscriptions |date=2016 |publisher="L'Erma" di Bretschneider |isbn=978-88-913-1110-8 |language=en}}
  • {{Cite book |last=Boxberger |first=Linda |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book4490 |title=On the Edge of Empire: Hadhramawt, Emigration, and the Indian Ocean, 1880s–1930s |date=2002 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0-7914-8935-2 |doi=10.1353/book4490 }}
  • {{cite encyclopedia |editor-last1=Dever |editor-first1=William G. |editor-link1=William G. Dever |editor-last2=Meyers |editor-first2=Carol L. |editor-link2=Carol Meyers |editor-last3=Muhly |editor-first3=James D. |editor-last4=Pardee |editor-first4=Dennis |editor-last5=Sauer |editor-first5=James A. |editor-last6=Finney |editor-first6=Paul Corby |editor-last7=Jorgensen |editor-first7=John S. |title=Ḥadhramaut |encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East |year=1997 |last=Van Beek |first=Gus W. |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, United Kingdom; New York City, United States |volume=2 |pages=452–453 }}
  • {{Cite book |last=Lewcock |first=Ronald B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=88ltAAAAMAAJ&q=w%25C4%2581d%25C4%25AB%2520%25E1%25B8%25A5a%25E1%25B8%258Dramawt%2520and%2520the%2520walled%2520city%2520of%2520shib%25C4%2581m%2520ronald%2520lewcock |title=Wādī Ḥaḍramawt and the Walled City of Shibām |date=1986 |publisher=Unesco |isbn=978-92-3-102338-5 |language=en}}