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Wadi Hadramut in the interior; in its wider and commonly accepted signification it includes also the Mahra and Gara coasts extending eastwards to Mirbat; thus defined, its limits are between 14° and 18° N. and 470 30' to 55° E., with a See also:

TOTAL

total length of 550 M. and a breadth of 150 M. The coastal See also:

PLAIN (O. Fr. plain, from Lat. plenum)

plain is narrow, rarely exceeding 10 m. in width, and in places the hills extend to the seashore. The See also:

PRINCIPAL

principal ports are Mukalld and Shihr, both considerable towns, and Kusair and Raida, small fishing villages; inland there are a few villages near the See also:

FOOT

foot of the hills, with a limited See also:

AREA

area of cultivation irrigated by springs or See also:

wells in the See also:

hill torrent beds. Behind the littoral plain a range of mountains, or rather a high See also:

plateau, falling steeply to the south and more gently to the See also:

north, extends continuously from the Yemen See also:

HIGHLANDS, THE

highlands on the See also:

west to the mouth of the Hadramut valley, from which a similar range extends with hardly a break to the border of Oman. Its See also:

crest-See also:

LINE

line is generally some 30 M. from the coast, and its See also:

AVERAGE

average height between 4000 and 5000 ft. A number of wadis or ravines cutting deeply into the plateau run northward to the See also:

main Wadi Hadramut, a broad valley lying nearly See also:

east and west, with a total length from its extreme western heads on the Yemen highlands to its mouth near Sihut of over 500 M. Beyond the valley and steadily encroaching on it lies the See also:

GREAT

great desert extending for 300 M. to the See also:

BORDERS, THE

borders of See also:

NEJD

Nejd. The most See also:

WESTERLY

westerly See also:

VILLAGE

village in the main valley is Shabwa, in See also:

ancient days the See also:

capital, but now almost buried by the advancing desert. See also:

LOWER

Lower down the first large villages are Henan and Ajlania, near which the wadis `Amd, Duwan and el `See also:

Ain unite, forming the W. Kasr. In the W.

Duwan and its branches are the villages of Haura, el Hajren, Kaidun and al Khureba. Below Haura for some 6o m. there is a See also:

SUCCESSION (Lat. successio, from succedere, to follow after)

succession of villages with See also:

FIELDS, JAMES THOMAS (1817-1881)

fields, gardens and date groves; several tributaries join on either See also:

side, among which the W. See also:

bin See also:

Ali and W. Adim from the south contain numerous villages. The principal towns are Shibam, al Ghurfa, Saiyun, Tariba, el Ghuraf, See also:

TARIM

Tarim, formerly the See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place, `Ainat and el Kasm. Below the last-named place there is little cultivation or settled See also:

POPULATION (Lat. populus, people; populare, to populate)

population. The shrines of Kabr Salih and Kabr Hud are looked on as specially sacred, and are visited by See also:

numbers of pilgrims. The former, which is in the Wadi See also:

Ser about 20 M. N.W. of Shibam, was explored by See also:

Theodore See also:

Bent in 1894; the See also:

TOMB (Gr. Tuµ/3a, Tuµ(3os, probably allied to Lat. tumulus, literally a swelling, tumere, to swell)

tomb itself is of no See also:

INTEREST

interest, but in the neighbourhood there are extensive ruins with Himyaritic See also:

INSCRIPTIONS (from Lat. inscribere, to write upon)

inscriptions on the stones. Kabr Hud is in the main valley some distance east of Kasm; not far from it is Bir Borhut, a natural grotto, where fumes of burning See also:

SULPHUR

sulphur issue from a number of volcanic vents; al-Masudi mentions it in the loth See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century as an active See also:

VOLCANO

volcano. Except after heavy See also:

RAIN (O.E. regn; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Regen, Swed. and Dan. regn; it has been connected with Lat. rigare, to wet, Gr. 13pixeav)

rain, there is no See also:

RUNNING

running See also:

WATER

water in the Hadramut valley, the cultivation therefore depends on artificial See also:

IRRIGATION (Lat. in, and rigare, to water or wet)

irrigation from wells. The principal crops are See also:

wheat, See also:

millet, See also:

INDIGO (earlier indico, from Lat. indicum, the Indian sub-stance or dye; the Sans. name was niti, from nila, dark blue, and this through Arab. al-nil, annil, gives " aniline ")

indigo, See also:

DATES

dates and See also:

TOBACCO

tobacco; this latter, known as Hamumi tobacco, is of excellent quality. Hadramut has preserved its name from the earliest times; it occurs in See also:

Genesis as Hazarmaveth and Hadoram, sons of Joktan; and the old See also:

Greek geographers mention Adramytta and Chadramotites in their accounts of the See also:

FRANKINCENSE

frankincense See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country.

The numerous ruins discovered in the W. Duwan and Adim, as well as in the main valley, are evidences of its former prosperity and See also:

CIVILIZATION

civilization. The See also:

PEOPLE

people, known as Hadrami (plural Hadarim), belong generally to the south Arabian stock, claiming descent from Ya'See also:

rab bin Kahtan. There is, however, a large number of Seyyids or descendants of the See also:

PROPHET (Irpo4i ri7s)

Prophet, and of townsmen of See also:

NORTHERN

northern origin, besides a considerable class of See also:

AFRICAN

African or mixed descent. See also:

Van den See also:

BERG (Ducatus Montensis)

Berg estimates the total population of Hadramut (excluding the Mahra and Gara) at 150,000, of which he locates 50,000 in the valley between Shibam and Tarim, 25,000 in the W. Duwan and its tributaries, and 25,000 in Mukalla, Shihr and the coast villages, leaving 50,000 for the non-agricultural population scattered over the See also:

REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest of the country, probably an excessive estimate. The Seyyids, descendants of Ilosain, See also:

GRANDSON (Ger. Grandsee)

grandson of See also:

MAHOMET (strictly MUHAMMAD, commonly also MOHAMMED)

Mahomet, See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form a numerous and highly respected See also:

ARISTOCRACY (Gr. apuvror, best; «paria, government)

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 venerated as See also:

SAINTS, BATTLE OF THE

saints. Among the leading families are the See also:

SHEIKH, or SHAIKH

Sheikh See also:

Abu Bakr of Ainat, the el-Aidrus of Shihr and the Sakkaf of Saiyun. They do not See also:

bear arms, nor occupy themselves in See also:

trade or See also:

MANUAL

manual labour or even See also:

agriculture; though owning a large proportion of the See also:

LAND

land, they employ slaves or hired 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 See also:

INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence both in temporal and spiritual affairs. The tribesmen, as in Arabia generally, are the predominant class in the population; all the adults carry aims; some of the tribes have settled towns and villages, others See also:

lead a nomadic See also:

LIFE

life, keeping, however, within the territory which is recognized as belonging to the tribe.

They are divided into sections or families, each headed by a chief or abu (lit. See also:

FATHER

father), while the See also:

head of the tribe is called the mukaddam or See also:

SULTAN (an Arabic word meaning " victorious " or " a ruler," sultat, dominion)

sultan; the authority of the chief depends largely on his See also:

PERSONALITY (from Lat. persona, originally an actor's mask, from personare,1 to sound through)

personality: he is the See also:

LEADER, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS (1831– )

leader in See also:

peace and in See also:

war, but the tribesmen are not his subjects; he can only See also:

RULE

rule with their support. The most powerful tribe at See also:

PRESENT

present in Hadramut is the Kaiti, a See also:

BRANCH (from the Fr. branche, late Lat. branca, an animal's paw)

branch of the Yafa tribe whose settlements See also:

lie farther west. Originally invited by the Seyyids to protect the settled districts from the attacks of marauding tribes, they have established themselves as practically the rulers of the country, and now possess the coast district with the towns of Shihr and Mukalla, as well as Haura, Hajren and Shibam in the interior. The head of the See also:

FAMILY

family has accumulated great See also:

WEALTH

wealth, and risen to the highest position in the service of the See also:

NIZAM

nizam of See also:

Hyderabad in See also:

India, as Jamadar, or See also:

COMMANDER

commander of an Arab See also:

levy composed of his tribesmen, numbers of whom go abroad to seek their See also:

FORTUNE, ROBERT (1813-188o)

fortune. The Kathiri tribe was formerly the most powerful; they occupy the towns of Saiyun, Tarim and el-Ghuraf in the richest See also:

PART

part of the main Hadramut valley. The chiefs of both the Kaiti and Kathiri are in See also:

POLITICAL

political relations with the See also:

BRITISH

British See also:

government, through the See also:

RESIDENT

resident at See also:

ADEN

Aden (q.v.). The 'Amudi in the W. Duwan, and the See also:

NANDI

Nandi, Awamir and Tamimi in the main valley, are the principal tribes possessing permanent villages; the Saiban, Hamumi and Manahil occupy the mountains between the main valley and coast. The townsmen are the See also:

FREE

free inhabitants of the towns and villages es distinguished from the Seyyids 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 See also:

PROTECTION

protection they live. The servile class contains a large African See also:

ELEMENT (Lat. elementum)

element, brought over formerly when the slave trade flourished on this coast; as in all See also:

MAHOMMEDAN

Mahommedan countries they are well treated, and often rise to positions of See also:

TRUST

trust. As already mentioned, a large number of Arabs from Hadramut go abroad; the Kaiti tribesmen take service in India in the irregular troops of Hyderabad; See also:

EMIGRATION (from Lat. emigrare; e, ex, out of, and migrare, to depart)

emigration on a large See also:

scale has also gone on, to the Dutch colonies in See also:

JAVA

Java and See also:

SUMATRA

Sumatra, since the beginning of the 19th century. According to the See also:

CENSUS (from Lat. censere, to estimate or assess; connected by some with centum, i.e. a count by hundreds)

census of 1885, quoted by Van den Berg in his See also:

REPORT (O.Fr. report or raport, modern rapport, from O.Fr. reporter, mod. rap porter, Lat. reportare, to bring back, in poetical use only, of bringing back an account, news, &c.)

Report published by the government of the Dutch East Indies in 1886, the number of Arabs in those colonies actually See also:

BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born in Arabia was 2500, while those born in the colonies exceeded 20,000; nearly all of the former are from the towns in the Hadramut valley between Shibam and Tarim.

Mukalla and Shihr have a considerabletrade with the Red See also:

Sea and See also:

Persian Gulf ports, as well as with the ports of Aden, Dhafar and See also:

MUSCAT, MUSKAT

Muscat; a large See also:

SHARE (O. Eng. scearu, chiefly in compounds, e.g. land-scearu, a share of land, from sceran to cut; cf. " shear" )

share of this is in the hands of Parsee and other British See also:

INDIAN

Indian traders who have established themselves in the Hadramut ports. The principal imports are wheat, See also:

rice, See also:

SUGAR

sugar, piece goods and hard-See also:

WARE

ware. The exports are small; the chief items are See also:

HONEY (Chin. me ; Sansk. madhu, mead, honey; cf. A.S. medo, medu, mead; Gr. p Xt, in which 0 or b is changed into X; Lat. mel ; Fr. miel ; A.S. hung ; Ger. Honig)

honey, tobacco and sharks' fins. In the towns in the interior the principal See also:

INDUSTRIES

industries are See also:

WEAVING

weaving and See also:

DYEING (0. Eng. dedgian, dealt ; Mid. Eng. deyen)

dyeing. The Mahra country adjoins the Hadramut proper, and extends along the coast from Sihut eastwards to the east of Kamar See also:

Bay, where the Gara coast begins and stretches to Mirbat. The sultan of the Mahra, to whom See also:

SOKOTRA (also spelt Socotra and formerly Socotora)

Sokotra also belongs, lives at Kishin, a poor village consisting of a few scattered houses about 30 m. west of See also:

Ras Fartak. Sihut is a similar village 20 m. farther west. The mountains rise to a height of 4000 ft. within a See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short distance of the coast, covered in places with trees, among which are the See also:

MYRRH (from the Latinized form myrrha of Gr. µuppa; the Arabic murr, bitter, was applied to the substance from its bitterness)

myrrh- and frankincense-bearing shrubs. These gums, for which the coast was celebrated in ancient days, are still produced ; the best quality is obtained in the Gara country, on the northern slope of the mountains. Dhafar and the mountains behind it were visited and surveyed by Mr Bent's party in 1894. There are several thriving villages on the coast, of which el-Hafa is the principal See also:

PORT

port of export for frankincense; 9000 cwt. is exported annually to Bombay. Ruins of Sabaean buildings were found by J.

T. Bent in the neighbourhood of Dhafar, and a remarkable See also:

COVE

cove or small See also:

HARBOUR (from M.E. hereberge, here, an army; cf. Ger. Heer and -beorg, protection or shelter. Other early forms in English were herberwe and haiborow, as seen in various place names, such as Market Harborough.. The French auberge, an inn, derived through

harbour was discovered at Khor Rori, which he identified with the ancient port of Moscha.

End of Article: HADRAMUT

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