Al-Ḵurayba

Al-Khuraybah is a town of Wadi Dawan, a branch of the Hadramawt valley in eastern Yemen. Its buildings belong to a tradition of earthen architecture suited to the hot, dry valley, where settlements stand among high cliffs and palm groves. The town became a centre of trade and religious learning for the surrounding valley and its villages.

Scholars and judges of al-Khuraybah maintained connections with other centres of Hadramawt. Among them was Sulayman Bahuwayrith, a scholar and judge active in the seventeenth century. The town's market drew merchants and visitors from the surrounding country, while its religious scholars linked it to places such as Tarim and Sayun. In 1831 a European traveller, von Wrede, reached al-Khuraybah on his journey through the valley.