Qišn

Qishn lies on the southern Arabian coast in the country of the Mahra, whose people speak Mehri, a South Arabian language related to the speech of Socotra. The town was a seat of the Banu Afrar sultans, whose authority linked the mainland coast with the island across the sea. Their rule depended on consultation with Mahri tribes as well as the standing of the ruling family.

The Banu Afrar held Suq on Socotra before the Portuguese captured it in 1507. The garrison could not sustain itself on the island, and in 1511 the Portuguese dismantled their fort. The Qishn rulers promptly returned to Suq, retaining their connection with Socotra. During the sixteenth century Qishn also became an ally of Portuguese India in a southern Arabian world affected by the advance of Ottoman power.