Al Mahrah ( ar, ٱلْمَهْرَة '), or simply Mahra, is a
governorate
A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either State (administrative division), states or province, provinces, the term ''govern ...
(''
muhafazah
A ' ( ; ) is a first-level administrative division of many Arab countries, and a second-level administrative division in Saudi Arabia. The term is usually translated to " governorate", and occasionally to "province". It comes from the Arabic ro ...
'') of
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
in the
southern part of the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
. Situated in the area of the former
Mahra Sultanate
The Mahra Sultanate, known in its later years as the Mahra State of Qishn and Socotra ( ar, الدولة المهرية للبر وسقطرى ') or sometimes the Mahra Sultanate of Ghayda and Socotra ( ar, سلطنة المهرة في الغيض ...
, its capital is
Al Ghaydah
Al Ghaydah ( ar, الغيضة) is the capital city of Al Mahrah Governorate in south-eastern Yemen.
Transport
The city is served by Al Ghaydah Airport.
Climate
Al Ghaydah has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification
The Köppen ...
, and it has international borders with
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
.
Languages and people
A sizeable part of the Mahrah population does not speak Arabic as their primary language. Non-Arabic-speakers primarily speak
Mehri or Mahri, which is a
Modern South Arabian
The Modern South Arabian languages (MSALs), also known as Eastern South Semitic languages, are a group of endangered languages spoken by small populations inhabiting the Arabian Peninsula, in Yemen and Oman, and Socotra Island. Together with the ...
language, similar to the adjacent
Dhofar Governorate
The Dhofar Governorate ( ar, مُحَافَظَة ظُفَار, Muḥāfaẓat Ẓufār) is the largest of the 11 Governorates in the Sultanate of Oman in terms of area. It lies in Southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen's Al Mahrah Go ...
of
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
. The people that speak Mahri call themselves 'Mahris', and are presumed to be descendants of the ancient people of
'Ad.
Geography
The geography of Al-Mahrah is similar to that of neighboring Dhofar in Oman. Rigid peaks rising to around , and the
Empty Quarter Desert lies to the north. Along its coast near the
border with Oman, Al Mahrah is affected by the seasonal
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
, or
Khareef
''Khareef'' ( ar, خَرِيْف, Kharīf, autumn) is a colloquial Arabic term used in southern Oman, southeastern Yemen, southwestern Saudi Arabia and Sudan for the southeastern monsoon. The monsoon affects Dhofar and Al Mahrah Governorates f ...
. The mountains become water-soaked and the atmosphere becomes moist and foggy as vegetation turns the barren coast into lush valleys and forests. Hauf National Park is located in Al-Mahrah.
The mountains here are referred to as either the "Mahrat"
or "
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Sau ...
".
History
Yemeni Civil War
The governorate has remained out of sight of the
civil war in Yemen which began in 2014.
On 10 September 2016, Three militants in the Al Mahrah governorate declared the formation of a new wilayat belonging to the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
(ISIL) via Social Media. Official ISIL media did not acknowledge the declaration.
From 2015 to late 2017, Al Mahrah was under the control of the Yemeni 123rd and 137th Mechanized Brigades.
From mid-November 2017 onwards, Saudi Arabia began increasing its presence in the governorate, taking control of facilities, Nishtun port, the Sarfit, and Shehen border crossings, and al-Gaydah Airport while establishing military outposts around key infrastructure and coastal areas.
On 27 November 2017, Mohammed Abdullah Kuddah, the Governor of Mahra, was replaced by Rajeh Said Bakrit, following his objections against Saudi influence.
Districts
Al Mahrah Governorate is divided into the following 10 districts. These districts are further divided into sub-districts, and then further subdivided into villages:
*
Al Ghaydah District
Al Ghaydah District ( ar, مديرية الغيضة) is a district of the Al Mahrah Governorate, Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the south ...
*
Al Masilah District
Al Masilah District is a district of the Al Mahrah Governorate, Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula ...
*
Hat District
Hat District is a district of the Al Mahrah Governorate, Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and b ...
*
Hawf District
Hawf District is a district of the Al Mahrah Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 5,143 inhabitants. The Hawf Area was nomination to be a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or a ...
*
Huswain District
Huswain District ( ar, مديرية حصوين) is a district of the Al Mahrah Governorate, Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern ...
*
Man'ar District
Man'ar District is a district of the Al Mahrah Governorate, Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula ...
*
Qishn District
Qishn District is a district of the Al Mahrah Governorate, Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and ...
*
Sayhut District
Sayhut District is a district of the Al Mahrah Governorate, Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, an ...
*
Shahan District
*
Rimah District
See also
* The
Hadhramaut Governorate
Hadhramaut or Hadramawt or Hadramout ( ar, حضرموت ''Ḥaḍramawt'') is a governorate of Yemen. Lying within the large historical region of Hadhramaut, it is the country's largest governorate.
The capital of Hadhramut is the city of Muka ...
– nearby
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Al Mahrah Governorate
Governorates of Yemen