sultanate · Arabia and the Gulf
Upper Yafa Sultanate
Origins
Like its neighbour the Lower Yafa Sultanate, Upper Yafa emerged in the early 18th century when the Yafa tribes rejected rule by the Qasimid State. The sultans of the Harhara family, based at Mahjaba, held a loose primacy over the upper Yafa clans and their sheikhdoms.
Rule and society
Authority was weak and shared with several sheikhs, and the sultanate had almost no administration. Its rugged highlands were famous for their stone tower houses and terraces, and many of its men emigrated or served as soldiers in Hadramawt and India. Upper Yafa entered British protection late and stayed outside the Federation of South Arabia, remaining part of the Aden Protectorate.
Decline and legacy
In 1967, as British rule ended, the National Liberation Front took control and Upper Yafa was incorporated into South Yemen.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Upper Yafa Sultanate was part of Aden Protectorate1903 CE – 1967 CE
More states of Arabia and the Gulf →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Upper Yafa Sultanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/upper-yafa-sultanate
- MLA
- “Upper Yafa Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/upper-yafa-sultanate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Upper Yafa Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/upper-yafa-sultanate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Upper Yafa Sultanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/upper-yafa-sultanate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻