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Concept
Lahij
Summary
Lahij or Lahej (Laḥj), also called Al-Hawtah, is a city and an area located between Ta'izz and Aden in Yemen. From the 18th to the 20th century, its rulers were of the Abdali branch of the Al-Sallami tribe who trace their lineage to one of the 10 tribes of Yaffa called Kalad. Lahij was the capital city of Sultanate of Lahej, a protectorate of the British Empire until 1967, when the sultan was expelled and the city became a part of People's Republic of South Yemen. Now it is part of the Republic of Yemen.
It is located in the delta of the Wadi Tuban on the main trade route connecting Aden with Ta'izz, Ibb, and Sanaa. Al-Hawtah is known for the shrine of al-Salih Muzahim Ja'far, which attracts pilgrims from throughout Yemen during the month of Rajab. It is known as "al-Hawtah al-Ja'fariyyah" in his honor.
The capital of Lahj used to be at al-Ra'ra', which was destroyed when the Ottomans conquered the Tahirids in the early 1500s and then all but disappears from historical records. Al-Hawtah became capital then.
Lahij has always historically been identified as Aden's base city. Since Aden was a port city, not many Yemenis lived there, rather it was used by many foreigners for its location. Lahij has always been one of the very fertile parts of Yemen and was nicknamed "Lahej Al Khathra", which translates to Lahej the green. This means it stood out from the rest of Yemen which was known to be desert. In the early 1700s a few Sallami tribesmen (members of the Al-Sallami family who migrated from Kalad region of Lower Yaffa) migrated to the Tuban Delta in Lahij and settled between the 2 valleys that surround Lahij. Their new settlement was named Al-Majhafa which translates to "the unfair" in Arabic due to settlers upset with the lack of provisions the area offered them. Many of these settlers were Bedouin permanent migrants from Abyan, Baidha and Shabwa regions. Some were also Yaffai tribesmen like the Sallami family. Others were various Hoshabis from the Musaymeer area looking for new lands.
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