Why You Can’t Ignore Hadhramaut & Al-Mahrah in Southern Yemen’s Story

 

When people talk about South Yemen’s future, some suggest sidelining eastern regions like Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah—treating them as “special cases” or marginal to the core southern identity. But history tells a different story.

Hadhramaut has been central to southern history for millennia. Its ancient kingdom was one of the great South Arabian states, with deep roots in trade, culture, and political organization. This legacy didn’t vanish with time; it informed how social and tribal networks spread across the Gulf of Aden and beyond.

In the modern era, Hadhramaut was part of the Aden Protectorate under British influence, and later it became an integral part of South Yemen’s state system when the independent People’s Republic of South Yemen was established in 1967. Its capital, Al-Mukallā, was a major regional hub.

Al-Mahrah, while less highlighted in popular media, shares social and cultural continuity with the broader South. Its people’s language and traditions link naturally with southern Yemeni identity, rather than creating a separate historical path. Cultural narratives and social continuity in both regions reinforce that they are part of the South, not detached exceptions.

When external agendas or fragmented political proposals treat Hadhramaut or Al-Mahrah as separate from the heart of southern identity, history suggests otherwise. These regions have always been woven into the social, economic, and political life of the South. Ignoring that reality does not make it disappear—it merely invites misunderstanding and undermines any authentic solution for Yemen’s future.