Mahra Sultanate
Mahra is a historical country in Western Asia, which is also the name of Mahra Sultanate of Qischn and Socotra (Arabic سلطنة المهرة في قشن وسقطرى, DMG saltanat al - Mahra fī Qišn wa - Suqutra ) or Mahra Sultanate of Ghayda and Socotra (Arabic سلطنة المهرة في الغيضاء وسقطرى, DMG saltanat al - Mahra fī - l Ghayda ʾ wa - Suqutra ) or English Mahra State is known. The state included the present-day province of Hadramout, al - Mahra and Socotra island with a total area of 102,045 km ². The main variety of Mahra were Qischn in Hadramaut and Tamrida on the island of Socotra.
History
The Sultanate was founded in 1549 and arrived in 1750 under the control of the Banu Afrar Dynasty. In 1886, the sultanate became a British protectorate and was one of the so-called Ostprotektoraten the Protectorate Aden. In the early 1960s refused Mahra from joining the South Arabian Federation, but remained under British protection of the protectorates of South Arabia. In October 1967, the sultanate was dissolved by the Marxist-oriented " National Liberation Front" and Mahra was part of the November 30, 1967 from independent People's Republic of Yemen. After the unification of South Yemen with North Yemen in May 1990, the part Mahras forms in Hadhramaut (excluding the island of Socotra ) the Al- Mahra governorate.
The population is fluent in Arabic and Mehri, one of the South Arabic languages. Mahra shares alongside linguistic and cultural similarities with the neighboring Dhofar in Oman. In both areas, the cultivation of incense plays a major role. These territories referred monsoon rains, which favors a more abundant vegetation than in the neighboring desert regions also benefit from the soothing influence of Charif.
Postal Area
The Sultanate directed in 1967 its own postal service and issued the March 12, 1967 a total of 162 stamps with the words Mahra State / South Arabia out. The brands that are mostly dedicated to works of art or sports events were in New York produced by the Agency M. Sellinger and sold directly to collectors. Even after the dissolution of the Sultanate by the " National Liberation Front " and the independence of the People's Republic of Yemen 1968 stamps were issued for Mahra yet to start. Together with other stamps of the South Arabian Federation they were declared on 1 November 1969 invalid.