Mukalla ( ar, ٱلْمُكَلَّا, ') is a seaport
and the capital city of
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
's largest governorate,
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Saud ...
. The city is in the
southern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the
Gulf of Aden, on the shores of the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
, about east of
Aden. It is the most important port in the Hadhramaut and the fifth-largest city in Yemen, with a population of approximately 500,000. The city is served by the nearby
Riyan International Airport.
History
Mukalla is not far from Cane or Qana, the ancient principal Hadrami
trading post between
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and Africa, with
incense producing areas in its
hinterland
Hinterland is a German word meaning "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar). Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated ...
.
Mukalla was founded in 1035 as a fishing settlement. This area was part of
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
until the middle of the 11th century, and later this area became part of Yemen. After witnessing a struggle for control by the
Kathiri and
Qu'aiti
Qu'aiti, ar, ٱلْقُعَيْطِي '), officially the Qu'aiti State of Shihr and Mukalla ( ar, ٱلدَّوْلَة ٱلْقُعَيْطِيَّة ٱلْحَضْرَمِيَّة, Ad-Dawlah Al-Quʿayṭiyyah Al-Ḥaḍramiyyah or the Qu'aiti ...
Sultanates in the 19th and 20th centuries, it became the capital of the Qu'aiti State of
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Saud ...
, and then in 1967, it became a part of
South Yemen. The Qu'aiti Sultanate was part of the Eastern Aden Protectorate until that merger, and a British Resident Advisor was stationed at Mukalla. The other major cities of the Sultanate were
Ash-Shihr and
Shibam
Shibam Hadramawt ( ar, شِبَام حَضْرَمَوْت, Shibām Ḥaḍramawt) is a town in Yemen. With about 7,000 inhabitants, it is the seat of the District of Shibam in the Governorate of Hadhramaut. Known for its mudbrick-made high-r ...
.
Captain Haines, a British officer who surveyed Yemen in the 1830s, described Mukalla as a town of 4500 inhabitants with a significant trade in slaves. British explorers
Theodore Bent and
Mabel Bent used Mukalla several times in the 1890s to enter and exit the
Wadi Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Saud ...
: “Our starting-point for the interior was Makalla, which is 230 miles from Aden, and is the only spot between Aden and Maskat which has any pretensions to the name of port. The name itself means 'harbour'… Here we were deposited in December 1893 by a chance steamer, one which had been chartered and on which for a consideration we were allowed to take passage. I took turns with the captain to sleep in his cabin, but there was nothing but the deck for the others.” In 1934, British traveler and explorer
Freya Stark
Dame Freya Madeline Stark (31 January 18939 May 1993), was a British-Italian explorer and travel writer. She wrote more than two dozen books on her travels in the Middle East and Afghanistan as well as several autobiographical works and essays ...
began her journey into the hinterland of the Hadhramaut from Mukalla, and her stay in that city is recorded in her book, ''The Southern Gates of Arabia''.
Yemeni Civil War
During the
Yemeni Civil War, on April 2, 2015,
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ( ar-at, تنظيم القاعدة في جزيرة العرب, Tanẓīm al-Qā‘idah fī Jazīrat al-‘Arab, lit=Organization of the Base in the Arabian Peninsula or , ''Tanẓīm Qā‘idat al-Jihād fī Jaz� ...
(AQAP) stormed the central prison, freeing hundreds of prisoners including two senior AQAP commanders. They attacked the central bank and seized 17 billion Yemeni riyals and 1 million U.S. dollars before taking control of the presidential palace in the city. It was reported the
entire city was under their control and they plan to establish an Islamic
emirate
An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...
in the wider Hadramaut region. Mukalla became AQAP's headquarters, and the capital of their Emirate in Yemen after their takeover.
In April 2015
Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi was killed in a US drone strike in the city, the
SITE Intelligence Group
SITE Intelligence Group is an American non-governmental organization that tracks online activity of white supremacist and jihadist organizations. It is based in Bethesda, Maryland. From 2002 to 2008, SITE Intelligence Group was known as the Se ...
said, citing media reports.
On 3 November 2015,
Cyclone Chapala struck the city and destroyed the city's waterfront.
In 23 of March, a US airstrike hit an AQAP training camp, killing at least 50 people. Some days later, AQAP held a major rally in the city, against the US and their airstrikes. In April 2016, is reported that AQAP bounds at last 1,000 of its fighters inside the Mukalla only, with their taxes profit in the city to be from 2, to higher than 5 million U.S. dollars per day.
In the middle of April 2016, Al Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula was consolidating its control in Mukalla and took over control of Mukalla's airport from forces affiliated with the pro-Ansar al Sharia Hadhrami Domestic Council, while also evacuating and planting explosives around nearby al Dhaba oil port. AQAP also arrested seven Yemeni fighters from a camp north of Mukalla in Wadi Hadramawt, where the UAE is reportedly training forces for operations against AQAP. AQAP is also redistributing property from northern landowners to local tribal leaders in an effort to shore up support, according to reports. The UAE, a core member of the Saudi-led coalition, recently led an operation to
recapture AQAP-held al Hawta in Lahij governorate, amid reports the country is seeking U.S. assistance for an expanded counter-terrorism campaign in Yemen.
Recapture from Al Qaeda
Mukalla was
recaptured from Al Qaeda on 25 of April, 2016 after
United Arab Emirates Armed Forces
The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces ( ar, القوات المسلحة لدولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة, Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa li-Dawlat al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabīyyah al-Muttaḥidah) are the armed forces of the Unit ...
led an assault with the support of
Southern Transitional Council forces and expelled them from the city.
The UAE has established a primary base of operations against AQAP in the liberated city.
The special operations base has enabled the
CIA and the
Joint Special Operations Command
The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is a joint component command of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and is charged with studying special operations requirements and techniques to ensure interoperability and equi ...
(JSOC) to target AQAP's strongest cells in Yemen and allowed for an enhanced UAE-US cooperation against AQAP.
On 15 May 2016, a
suicide attack was carried out in the city by
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
. The attack targeted a police base, killing at least 25 police recruits and wounding at least 54 others.
After the liberation of Mukalla, Major-General Faraj Al-Bahsani, governor of the Hadramut region, said that they were now working on rebuilding health and education services, new homes and even a local police force. During a press visit by ''The independent'' in August 2018, the city seems to be secured. Multiple checkpoints are present outside the city and weapons are not allowed to enter the city. Plans to reopen Mukalla international airport are also in place.
Climate
Economy
The main market ''souq'' is one of the main commercial hubs of the city. Mukalla port is located to the east of the town. The port is available for vessels with length not more than , as per Pilot Book Pilot Directions (). At the same time two vessels with the length each and about 20 small fishing vessels can stay alongside in Mukalla port (fishing vessel moored alongside one to another). The port is fitted with oil pipe line for tankers. Oil tanks located close to the port. A cement factory of the "RAYSUT" Omeni-Yemeni company (Oman-Yemen company) located in the port and is able to receive cement in bulk from cement carriers.
Sights
The old town is open for tourists. Sights include the royal palace of the sultan. Guard towers that were outposts surmount the vicinity of the old town. Nearby are
Hadhramaut Mountains,
such as that of Husn Ghuraf.
File:Kasr_Alghwayzi.JPG, Al-Ghwayzi Fort at the base of the Hadhramaut Mountains
File:Mukala-estuary_at_night.JPG, Al-Mukalla estuary at night
File:Mae'en Palace (Museum).jpg, Mae'en sultan's palace, now a museum
Education
The
HUCOM (College of Medicine) of the
Hadhramout University is located in Mukalla.
References
External links
Official Website of the Al-Quaiti Royal Family of Hadhramaut
{{Authority control
Populated places in Hadhramaut Governorate
Gulf of Aden
Districts of Yemen
1035 establishments
Populated places established in the 11th century