The
Mahra Sultanate, known in its later years as the
Mahra State of Qishn and Socotra (
Arabic: Ψ§ΩΨ―ΩΩΨ© Ψ§ΩΩ
ΩΨ±ΩΨ© ΩΩΨ¨Ψ± ΩΨ³ΩΨ·Ψ±Ωβ
Ad-Dawlah al-Mahreyah Llbar wa-SuquαΉrah) or sometimes the
Mahra Sultanate of Ghayda and Socotra (
Arabic: Ψ³ΩΨ·ΩΨ© Ψ§ΩΩ
ΩΨ±Ψ© ΩΩ Ψ§ΩΨΊΩΨΆΨ© ΩΨ³ΩΨ·Ψ±Ωβ
SalαΉanat al-Mahrah fΔ« al-GhayαΈΔβ wa-SuquαΉrah) was a
sultanate that included the historical region of
Mahra and the
Guardafui Channel island of
Socotra in what is now eastern
Yemen. It was ruled by the
Banu Afrar dynasty for most of its history.
In 1886, the Sultanate became a British protectorate and later joined the
Aden Protectorate. The Sultanate was abolished in 1967 upon the founding of the
People's Republic of South Yemen and is now part of the Republic of Yemen.
[1]
The Sultanate was inhabited by the
Mahri people who spoke the
Mahri language, a
modern South Arabian language. The Mehri share, with their regional neighbours on the island of Socotra and in
Dhofar in
Oman, blood lineage ties in
Somalia with the
Darood tribe, cultural traditions like a modern South Arabian language, Arabic incursions, and
frankincense agriculture. The region benefits from a coastal climate, distinct from the surrounding desert climate, with seasons dominated by the
khareef or
monsoon.
