Al-Mukallā

Al-Mukalla is a port on the Arabian Sea and a coastal gateway to the Hadramawt interior. Once known as Bandar Yaqub, it began as a small harbour for landing goods; its use is recorded in the eleventh century. The town occupies a projecting cape and the slopes facing it, between the sea and the rugged country behind the coast.

In 1271 the Rasulid ruler al-Muzaffar strengthened the port with defensive works. Centuries later the Kasadi family established its authority here, and the name al-Mukalla became widely used. Under their rule in the early eighteenth century the old town and port developed as a trading centre. The older settlement on the cape spread eastwards, and the harbour continued to serve travellers and merchants moving between the sea and the valleys of Hadramawt.