Visit to the Tarim with history, City of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq

Tarim (Arabic: tariym, romanized as Tarim) can be described as a historical town located inside Wadi Hadhramaut (Valley of Hadhramaut) in South Yemen, in the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. It is widely recognized to be one of the most theological, juridical and academic centre in the Hadhramaut Valley. It is a major centre of Islamic knowledge It is believed to be the most concentrated in the descendants of Islamic prophet Muhammad (sayyids) all over the world.[1 The city is known by its many Islamic scholars, such as Imam al-Haddad. In addition, Tarim is also home to Dar al-Mustafa, known as a renowned educational institution for studying the traditional Islamic Sciences.

Geography

It is the Hadhramaut Valley is a large area in the southern part of Yemen that covers around 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 sq miles). It is comprised of a narrow and arid plain along the coast that is bordered by the steep the escarpment of a large plateau that averages around 1,400m (0.87 miles) of altitude, and the solitary network of sinking wadis (seasonal watercourses). The southern portion of Hadhramaut shares a border with it with the Arabian Sea, Tarim is situated around 180 kilometers (110 miles) away from the coast and 35 km (22 miles) north-east of Seiyun. The region is defined by rocky plateaus reaching heights of 900 meters (3,000 feet) and are separated by many valleys. The nearest Airport to Tarim is approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) away, located in the town of Seiyun. Only international flights direct to Seiyun originate from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia ) as well Dubai in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. If not, passengers are able to fly directly into the city that is capital of Sanaa. There is a choice of taking an additional flight to Sanaa to Seiyun or travel by automobile or bus up to Tarim via Sanaa. The distance between Sanaa towards Tarim is approximately 640 kilometers (400 miles) and the driving times vary between six and an hour.

Climate

Tarim is the characteristics of a warm desert climate ( Koppen climate classification BWh). The city is blessed with a minimal amount of rainfall. At times throughout the year,, Tarim experiences heavy rainfall which can cause massive flooding.

History

Pre-7th century

An old sculpture of an griffon found in the royal palace in Shabwa the capital of Hadhramaut

Wadi Hadhramaut and its tributaries were inhabited from its inception during the Stone Age. Tiny mounds of flant chips which are the remains of the making of stones and tools - and dust from windblown can be located near the canyon walls. Further to the north and east is a line of Thamudic triliths with some surviving rough inscribed stones. In the outskirts of rub'al Khali north of Mahra, the track is believed to be ancient and that, according to local legend to the city that was lost that was Ubar.

The early importance of Hadhramaut's economy resulted from its involvement of the trade in incense. Authorities made use of their location on the highway that connected to Dhufar across Mahra, Hadhramaut and Shabwa to the Hejaz and Eastern Mediterranean to tax caravans and provide security. Shabwa Shabwa was the capital of Hadhramaut throughout Shabwa's capital during the Himyaritic the period. It was the kingdom that Saba' had its capital in Marib. There was a Queen of Sheba. queen of Sheba ( Bilqis) could originate from either Saba (or perhaps the queen of Tamim (who are now reside to the east from Tarim). There was a Himyaritic civilisation flourished between around. 800 BC until around 400 CE during the period when the trade in incense was transferred to the newly-opened shipping route between Aden as well as the Red Sea.[4In the early sixth century Abyssinians took over Yemen, supported by Byzantines to safeguard Yemeni Christians from Dhu Nuwas the ruler who was anti-Christian from Najran, who changed to Judaism. The Yemenis were opposed to Ethiopian rulership and sought out the Sassanid Persians to help. This led to the Persians were in control around 570 CE. The Persians seem to be at Hadhramaut however the only evidence that can be found for their existence is in Husn al-Urr Fort situated between Tarim with Qabr Hud.

7th-8th centuries

The year 625 was the date that Badhan in 625, Persian Governor from Sanaa adopted Islam and the majority of the country began to follow. Arab historians believe that Tarim was founded during the 4th century of Hijra.. The inhabitants of Tarim changed their religion to Islam in the beginning of Islam when the delegation from Hadhramaut was able to meet their Islamic Messenger Muhammad at Medina in the 10th calendar year Hijra (631). Tarim is sometimes called Al-Siddiqi City, in honor of Abu-Bakr al-Siddiq, the first caliph of Sunni Islam (r. 632-634). Abu Bakr had prayed that Allah would boost the Tarim's scholars and water supply as the city's citizens were with him during the Ridda battles following the Prophet's demise (632-633). The battle took place within Al-Nujir Fortress. The battle was fought by the companions of the Prophet ( Sahabah) were wounded and were taken to Tarim to receive treatment. A few of them died which was buried at the graveyard of Zambal.

It was part of the Great Arab Expansion, Hadhramis made up a large portion of Arab forces which took on North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. In the middle of the 8th century an ordained preacher of Basra known as "Abdullah ben Yahya" was able to arrive in Hadhramaut and created his own Ibadhi ritual of Islam. In the 10th century, a conflict had broken out between Bakil Bakil and the Hashid Bakil Bakil, the two major tribes of the Northern Highlands. Heikh al-Hadi Yahya bin al-Hussain bin al-Qasim Ar-Rassi (a Sayyid) was brought to Medina for the purpose of helping resolve the dispute at Sa'da between 893 and 897. He established his own Zaidi Imamate that was in power until the time that Imam Al-Badr was removed in 1962. In 951 CE the Imam Ahmad was killed. `Isa Al-Muhajir arrived from Iraq with a significant number of followers. He founded the Shafii Madhab that was part of Sunni Islam (according to majority of historians) that is still dominant throughout the region. The term Rabat or university was founded within Zabid in Tihama and, later the location was Tarim. Zabid continues to function.

15th century

In 1488 In 1488, the Kathiris under the leadership by Badr Abu Towairaq took over Hadhramaut in to High Yemen and established their dola first in Tarim and then Seiyun. In the beginning, Kathiris hired mercenaries particularly Yafa'is who came from the mountains to the north of Aden. Around a hundred years after the arrival of their force, their momentum was squandered. The Yafa'is reclaimed the western part of Hadhramaut and constructed a separate dola located in Al-Qatn.

British as well as the Q'aiti Dynasty, 1882-1967

In 1809, tragedy hit Hadhramaut after the 1809 Wahhabi invading. Important documents and books taken from Robertat of Tarim was destroyed through fire, or dumped into wells. The Wahhabi occupation was only short-lived however, it devastated the economy. In the aftermath, exiles grew, with the most popular destination was Hyderabad (India) which was in which there was a Nizam. Nizam employed a huge army. In this city is an Yemeni soldier called Umar bin Awadh Al Qu'aiti was promoted to the rank of Jemadar and amassed an impressive fortune. His influence allowed him to make his own Quaiti Dynasty in the latter part of the 19th century. In 1888, having secured all land with the exception of the area that surround Saiyun and Tarim and the surrounding areas, the Qu'aitis concluded an agreement to the British in 1888. The Qu'aitis then formed a unified Sultanate in 1902, which was later part of Aden Protectorate.

Ingrams' Peace

While establishing a regionally modern administration, in the 1930s, Q'aiti Sultan Saleh bin Ghalib (r. 1936-1956) was under demands to modernize the administration - something which was a challenge for him because of his lack of resources. These demands were in large part prompted by the return of Yemeni exiles, like their relatives, the Kaf Sayyids who were from Tarim. The Al-Kaf family enjoyed fortunes in Singapore and desired to invest money to improve their the conditions of their homes. The family was led by Sayyid Abu Bakr al Kaf bin Sheikh and his family, they built an auto road that ran between Tarim to Shihr and hoped to use it to transport products into Hadhramaut and the surrounding areas, but were met by the opposition of tribes with camels who owned an exclusive transport system between the interior and the coast. 

On February 27, 1937 a accord between the Q'aiti and Kathiri Sultanates, which was completely unprecedented within the past history of the region, was made in large part due to an effort of two people: Sayyid Abu Bakr al Kaf as well as Harold Ingrams the first politician and officer of Hadhramaut. Sayyid Abubakr made use of his wealth and personal assets to fund the peace that was widely referred to later by the name of "Ingrams Ingrams Peace." This was a step towards stability, allowing the implementation of administrative, educational and development initiatives. 

The modern era from 1967 to the present

In the month of November, 1967, the British pulled out of South Yemen in the face of massive protests and a growing insurgency. Their adversaries The National Liberation Front that was led by radical Marxists who seized power and Tarim as well as the remainder of South Yemen, came under communist rule. In the end, Aden Protectorate became an independent Communist state known as called the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY). Hadhramaut was a an affiliate of the communist-allied PDRY was able to survive in large part thanks to money from overseas. The year 1990 was the time when South North and South North Yemen were united. The town has not been affected during the Yemeni Civil War.

Culture

Hadhramaut is believed to be the most religious region in Yemen. It is a region in which the fusion between tribal as well as Islamic customs determines the cultural life of its people. Apart from urban settlements Hadhramaut is still a tribal society even though the tribal bonds aren't as powerful as they were. Hadhramis reside in densely constructed cities that are centered around drinking stations on the wadis. Hadhramis harvest wheat and millet, tend dates palm and coconut groves, and also grow some coffee. The plateau is where Bedouins are able to tend goats and sheep. It is believed that the Sayyid aristocracy is a descendent of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who was educated in the traditional manner and strict about Islamic respect they are revered in both secular and religious issues. Zaydism is predominantly restricted only to Yemeni mountains which is where Hashid as well as Bakil are the most dominant tribes. The remainder of Yemen mostly adheres to Shafi'i. Shafi'i school of Islamic law and jurisprudence. While Zaydis belong to the Shias and Shafi'is Sunnis but the difference in religion is usually minimal, and both groups is free to worship in other mosques, in the event that the mosque they prefer is not appropriate for them.

Tribal groups

Most Yemeni communities are Himyari Origin. The exceptions are mostly of Kindi heritage, which originated in the aftermath of an incursion from north during the sixth century. Kindah are believed to have been responsible for the ruin of Shabwa at the time they arrived. However, they later settled in and were married to Himyaris. The presence of straight hair rather than curly hair typically indicates Kindi blood, and certain Kindi are more physically imposing than the majority of Himyaris. Kindi tribes comprise ones like the Seiar, Al Doghar (Wadi Hajr) as well as among others, the Ja'ada (Wadi Amd), and one of the segments from the Deyyin (on the plateau to the south that is Amd). The tribes that live among them, but with a distinct distinction, is the Mashaikh. As opposed to the tribes they were not raided and neither were they robbing. They also wore a distinct kind of jambiya that was designed for use in the home than for fighting. Al Buraik still supply the majority of the people in the Shabwa region. The majority of them are settled, but a few are nomadic grazing together with the Kurab. There are other Mashaikh scattered around the valleys and hills. Most important is Al Amoodi of Budha, several of whom are successful traders throughout all of the Middle East. The majority of people from tribesmen as well as Mashaikh tend to be farmers. and those living in the mountains and on the plateau nearly entirely. Further to the north or east however there is less rainfall and more nomadic communities. The Manahil, for example, are almost completely nomadic, with the exception of people who have a broader view of modernity and those of the Hamum as well as the Mahra are predominantly nomadic. In the outskirts of Rub the Khali they continue to graze wherever they can, though there are a surprising amount are part of the Seiar and Awamr farmers are on the water-scarce area north of the Hadhramaut.

Architecture

Socially and geographically diverse The diversity of Tarim is evident in the intercultural interactions and the mixed architectural structures of diverse regions. The foreign styles and ornamental characteristics came into Yemen in the form of stylistic and aesthetic shifts. In this manner, Tarimi architecture is the interaction between different cultures from outside and within the modern state of the nation.

Libraries and mosques

The minaret of Al-Muhdhar Mosque The height of Tarim is approximately 53 meters (174 feet) high. It is considered to be the highest point in South Arabia One of the most tall earth structures all over the world

It is believed that Tarim is home to up to 365 Masajid (mosques) and one is the Sirjis' Mosque was built in the 7th century. From the 17th century to the 19th century they had a major impact on how Islamic research in the region. The Tarim's Al-Muhdhar Mosque is set in an a-mud minaret with a height of 53 meters  it is the tallest mosque of its kind in Hadhramaut as well as Yemen.The minaret was designed by poetry of the locals Abu Bakr bin Shihab and Alawi A(174 feet)Mash-hur. It was completed in 1914. Mosque was named in honor to Omar Al-Muhdar, a Muslim leader who was a resident of the city in the 15th century.

Tarim also has the enormous Al-Kaf Library which is attached to Al-Jame'a Mosque and houses more than 5,000 documents from the region, covering the religion of the region, the thoughts of prophets Islamic Law, Sufism medical, astronomy and agriculture, biographies, the history of mathematics, history, logic as well as the 8 volumes in Abu Muhammad al-Hasan's al-Iklil (The Crown). A lot of them date to the past for hundreds of years and usually contain vividly colored illustrations. Between 300-400 manuscripts are thought to be among the most unique among this part of the Islamic world, as per the scholar Abd al-Qader Sabban. The thing that makes these manuscripts unique is that the majority of them belong to Yemeni editors and authors who lived within the Wadi Hadhramaut region. There are also manuscripts belonging to academics of Morocco, Khurasan as well as others Muslim region. In 1996, the estimates for the number of people who came in the Al-Kaf Library exceeded 4,780 individuals.

Palaces

                                                Street view

Tarim is known for its numerous palaces - an assortment of around 30 mansions built between 1870s and the 1930s. The late 18th to early 20th century the merchant families of Hadhramaut grew wealthy by investing in foreign trade and investment. The Al-Kaf family was regarded as the most powerful. The family members were revered religious scholars. In addition they were among the first of the region's Westernizing elites and also contributed to public works projects under the tradition of modernization. Their palaces are a testament to their wealth and the intricate character of the elite modernizing from the colonial age. Palaces that were financed by Al-Kafs as well as other families were built according to the styles which they experienced throughout British India and Southeast Asia. The palaces contain instances from Mughal, British Colonial, Art Nouveau, Deco, Rococo, Neo-Classical, and Modernist styles that were unmatched in Yemen. Although these styles of foreign decoration were integrated into the Tarimi architectural style, the traditional Hadhrami methods of construction that were based on the tens of years-old tradition of unfired mud bricks and lime plasters were the principal methods used to construct these structures.

Qasr al-'Ishshah Complex

The complex of the 'Umar bin Shaikh Al-Kaf Qasr al-'Ishshah ( qaSr 'l`ishaW@) is one of the earliest Kaf homes in Tarim. Shaikh al-Kaf built the home using the profits from South Asian trade and investment in Singapore's Grand Hotel de Europe in the 1930s. 'Ishshah derives from the Arabic root'sh-sh ( `shW) which means to nest, establish or establish. Qasr al-'Ishshah is a collection of several buildings built over the course of forty years. The first building, also known by the name of Dar Dawil, was constructed in the late 1890s. As Umar's family expanded as did the dimensions of Dar Dawil's complex.

Qasr al-'Ishshah exhibits some of the most impressive instances of the lime-plasterboard decoration ( malas) in Tarim. The design of the exterior south façade has its roots in Mughal royal architecture and also the colonial designs from the Near East, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Interior stucco decorations vary from room to room, and includes Art Nouveau, Rococo, Neo-Classical and combinations of these three. The decorative elements often include pilasters on the walls that frame the openings, built-in cabinets that feature intricate wood carvings and skilled woodwork, column capitals, ceilings with decorated niches, and Kerosene lamp holders along with complicated colour schemes.

From 1970 until the year 1991 Qasr al-'Ishshah was expropriated by the PDRY and was divided into multi-family housing. The house was recently handed back to the Al-Kaf family, and the legal rights to ownership are divided by Shaikh al-Kaf's descendants. In 1997 The Historical Society for the Preservation of Tarim hired the entire house to show the structure open to visitors as a house museum. It is the only museum with its own museum in Hadhramaut.

Education

Rabat Tarim

Rabat Tarim is an educational establishment that teaches Islamic as well as Arabic sciences. It was established in 1886 when a number of Tarimi famous people decided to create an Islamic institution that would accept students from the country and foreign in Tarim and to allow foreign students to attend. These notables were Mohammed bin Salem Assri, Ahmed bin Omar al-Shatri, Abdul-Qader bin Ahmed al-Haddad Ahmed bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Junied as well as Mohammed Bin Omar Arfan.This Rubat Tarim opened its doors officially opened on October 2 in 1887. The supervision was attributed by the mufti of Hadhramaut Abdul-Rahman Bin Mohamed Al-Meshhur. The first teachers at Rubat Tarim were Alwi bin Abdul-Rahman bin Abibakr al-Meshhur Hussein the bin Mohammed al-Kaf Ahmed bin Abdullah al Bekri al-Khateeb, Hassan bin Alwi bin Shihab, Abu Bakr bin Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Bekri al Khatib in addition to Mohammed Bin Ahmed al-Khatib. They were entrusted with teaching in the time that Abdullah bin Omar al-Shatri was named upon his return to Mecca which is where he studied during 4 months. Al-Shatri worked the students at Rubat Tarim voluntarily until his death in 1942. His sons succeeded him (Mohammed, Abu Bakr, Hasan and Salem). After 1979, Rubat Tarim was closed by the PDRY. The facility reopened following an unification process in Yemen in 1991, and continues to operate.The PDRY closed the Rubat Tarim port in 1979..

According to data from 2007 the number of scholars who graduate of Rubat Tarim has surpassed 13,000. The number of foreign students at present is around 300 with 1500 Yemeni students. Many of the graduates went on to travel abroad to spread Islam and to establish religious institutions. Many became authors and publishers in the Tradition and The Interpretation Quran as well as other fields of knowledge related to religion. The most well-known scholar among them was likely Abdul Rahman Al-Mashhur.