.
Establishment Lahej was a
sultanate of the 'Abdali
dynasty. In 1740 the 'Abdali sultan became independent. It became independent thanks to the fracturing of the Zaidi State in north Yemen. The Sultanate of Lahej became an independent entity, from 1728 to 1839.
The arrival of the British The first political intercourse between Lahej and the British took place in 1799, when a naval force was sent from Great Britain, with a detachment of troops from India, to occupy the island of Perim and prevent all communication of the French in Egypt with the Indian Ocean, by way of the Red Sea. The island of Perim was found unsuitable for troops, and the Sultan of Lahej, Ahmed bin Abdul Karim, received the detachment for some time at
Aden. He proposed to enter into an alliance and to grant Aden as a permanent station, but the offer was declined. A Treaty was, however, concluded with the Sultan in 1802 by Admiral Sir Home Popham, who was instructed to enter into political and commercial alliances with the Chiefs of the Arabian coast of the Red Sea.
The loss of Aden From that time there was little or no intercourse with Aden until 1837, when attention was drawn to the plunder and maltreatment of the crews of British vessels wrecked on the Aden coast. The most notable case was that of the
Deria Dowlut, the crew of which were stripped and barbarously treated. Captain Haines, who was then employed in the survey of the Arabian coast, was instructed to demand satisfaction. He was at the same time to endeavour to purchase Aden as a coaling depot for the steamers plying between India and the Red Sea. Sultan Muhsin, who had succeeded his uncle, Sultan Ahmed, in 1827, at first denied all participation in the plunder; but, finding the British Commissioner firm in his demands, he eventually consented to give up part of the property and pay compensation for the rest. A draft treaty for the cession of Aden was laid before the Sultan, to which he gave his verbal consent and promised formally to agree after consulting his Chiefs. In this draft the amount of compensation to he paid for Aden was left undetermined, but it was afterwards arranged that an annual payment of 8,700 crowns should he made. In 1918 Sultan Abdul Karim was granted a personal salute of 11 guns. In February 1919 the Subeihi were again placed under the control of the Abdali. The ratification of this agreement, has been postponed by the British government until after the final settlement of the future political status of Arabia. The agreement, although only in partial operation during recent years has had the effect of strengthening the influence of the Sultan of Laliej in the Subeihi area. In January 1919, in consequence of incursions by the Imam into the Protectorate and the resulting danger to Lahej, a force of British troops was sent to garrison Nobat Dukeim. It was withdrawn in July 1922 but a small detachment of Indian troops was left at Habil. This was withdrawn in April 1928. The Sultan visited India in 1922 and England in 1924 when he was received by His Majesty the King, together with his son Fadlil. He visited India again in 1930. The Resident convened the first Conference of ruling chiefs of the Protectorate in April 1929. The Conference was held at Lahej under the Presidency of the Abdali Sultan and was reconvened in December 1930. In 1931, The gross revenue of the Adbali is estimated at Rs. 2,75,000 a year, and the population amounted to about 35,000 in. In 1948, the
Subayhi tribal area was absorbed into the sultanate. By 1958, Britain was worried that the sultan at the time, Ali bin Abd al Karim al Abdali, an
Arab nationalist, would refuse to join the British-sponsored
Federation of Arab Emirates of the South, and had him deposed. Lahej ended up joining the Federation and later the
Federation of South Arabia in 1963.
Aftermath South Yemen In 1967 the new Communist regime expelled the Abdali Sultan. The dynasty of the Sultanate of Lahej was abolished with the founding of the
socialist state of
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1967–1990).
Unified Yemen The former territory of the Sultanate has been within the
Republic of Yemen since the
Yemeni unification in 1990. ==Rulers==