The clan is large in number and is mainly based in the Marran Mountains of
Sa'ada Province in North-Western
Yemen. The al-Houthi clan has produced numerous
Ulama of the Zaydi
Shia community in Yemen, being affiliated with the
Jaroudi sect of Zaydism. The family traditionally had presided as
Qadis in the Sa'ada region until the
1962 civil war in Yemen which resulted in the
Mutawakkilite Kingdoma continuation of the Zaydi Imamate that had ruled Yemen for about one thousand yearsbeing overthrown by the Yemeni republicans supported by
Gamal Abdel Nasser of
Egypt. The Zaydi Imamate was ruled at that time by the
Rassid dynasty from which the al-Houthi clan derives. Members of the family, most notably
Badreddin al-Houthi and his son
Hussein, were among the founders of the
Hizb al-Haqq party; the former was also elected as a representative for this party in 1993. However, the Houthi representatives soon distanced themselves from the party, which they considered "elitist and co-opted by the
Saleh regime". While the Houthi vision for Yemen is generally seen as entailing the leadership of a
Sayyid or
Hashemite, == Notable members ==