Ancient history The ancient history of the Mahra region begins with the formation of the
ʿĀd kingdom by an Arabian tribe called ʿĀd which settled in South Arabia. The Mehri people are traditionally considered descendants of the ʿĀd Kingdom and blood relatives of the
Thamud. According to
Islamic genealogies, the forefather of the Mehri people was
Ya'rub, the son of
Qahtan, grandson of the Islamic prophet
Hud, and ancestor of the
Himyarite,
Qataban and
Sabaean kingdoms. Ya'rub (or, by alternate accounts, Ya'rub's son), is sometimes credited with the invention of the
Arabic language. During ancient times, the ʿĀd Kingdom was a transshipment point for the
frankincense trade. It was exported mostly to ancient Europe. It has been suggested the ʿĀd Kingdom, and the current location of Mahra Sultanate, were the first places in the world where the
camel was domesticated.
Islamic period During the first decade of the
Islamic calendar (the
620s in the
Gregorian calendar), a large delegation from Mahra under the leadership of
Mehri bin Abyad went to Medina to meet the Islamic prophet
Muhammad, and during that meeting the entire Mehri tribe decided to embrace
Islam. Before embracing Islam, the tribe was polytheist and worshiped multiple deities. After the meeting in Medina, Muhammad issued an injunction, stating that the members of the Mehri tribe are true Muslims and no war should be waged against them, and that any violator of the injunction shall be considered to be waging war against
Allah. The entire Mehri tribe became some of the earliest adopters of Islam. Their action had an added bonus as becoming Muslims secured them a political alliance and stable relations with the Muslim leadership in Medina. Prior to embracing
Islam, Al-Mahra was a vassal state of the
Achaemenid Empire and had been subjected to Persian control for many years. Siding with Medina enabled the Mehri people to break away from Persian control and regain their liberty.
Ridda Wars When Muhammad died in the year 632 CE, many Arab tribes, including the Mehri, interpreted his death as the end of Islam, and they abandoned the religion by either reverting to paganism or following certain individuals who claimed prophethood. In 634 CE, the Mehri and other tribes rebelled against Caliph
Abu Bakar who became the new leader of the Muslims. In response, he launched a new military campaign against the rebels. There were not many records about the power structure within the Mehris, however, during the
Ridda Wars information regarding the intra-tribal affair was revealed by
al-Tabari. According to al-Tabari, in his book titled
The History of the Conquests of Egypt and North Africa and Spain. At the beginning of the first
Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, the Al-Mahri tribe mostly contributed cavalry to the army. They played a crucial role in the Arab army under the command of
'Amr ibn al-'As, who was a well-known Arab military commander and one of the Sahaba
Companions. The Al-Mahri army fought alongside him during the Arab conquest of North Africa, which began with the defeat of the Byzantine imperial forces at the
Battle of Heliopolis, and later at the
Battle of Nikiou in Egypt in the year 646. The Mehri army were highly skilled
cavalry which rode horses and a special camel breed called the Mehri originating from Al-Mahra which was renowned for its speed, agility and toughness. After the end of Muslim conquest of Egypt in year 641, the Muslim commander 'Amr ibn al-'As established the town of
Fustat which became the new capital of
Egypt, and the Mehri tribe were given additional land in
Fustat which then became known as Khittat Mahra or the Mahra quarter in English. This land was used by the Mahra forces as a garrison. The Mahra quarter was located close to the Al-Raya quarter was which the absolute centre of the new capital of Fustat. Later, the Mahra neighbourhood was renamed and lost its historic name. Several centuries later, another Mehri man called
Abu Bekr Mohammed Ibn Ammar Al-Mahri Ash-shilbi, who was a politician from modern-day
Silves, Portugal, became a prime minister of the
Taifa of Seville in Islamic Iberia, and served King
Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad, who was member of Muslim dynasties of Spain. Abu Bekr was highly competent as prime minister, but later he crowned himself king of the annexed
Taifa of Murcia and led a failed rebellion against the Mohammedan dynasties of Spain. In year 1084, Abu Bekr Mohammed Ibn Ammar Al-Mahri Ash-shilbi was caught and executed by the forces of the
Kingdom of Seville.
Yemeni Civil War The governorate has remained relatively untouched by the
civil war in Yemen that began in 2015. On 10 September 2016, three militants in al-Mahrah Governorate declared on social media the formation of a new
wilayat, or state, belonging to the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). However, 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 al-Mahrah, was replaced by Rajeh Said Bakrit, following the former's objections to Saudi influence. ==Demographics==