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Lahij or Lahej (Arabic: لحج, romanized: Laḥj) is a city and an area located between Ta'izz and Aden in Yemen. From the 18th to the 20th century, its rulers were of the Abdali branch of the Al-Sallami tribe who in fact trace their lineage to one of the 10 tribes of Yaffa called Kalad. Lahij was the capital city of Sultanate of Lahej, a protectorate of the British Empire until 1967, when the sultan was expelled and the city became a part of People's Republic of South Yemen.
Lahij
لحج | |
|---|---|
City | |
 The town of Lahij, capital of the sultanate of the same name. The sultan's palace in the background. Postcard issued c. 1935 but picture probably taken several years earlier. | |
  Lahij Location in Yemen | |
| Coordinates: 13°03′N 44°53′E / 13.050°N 44.883°E | |
| Country |  Yemen |
| Governorate | Lahij |
| Occupation |  Southern Transitional Council |
| Elevation | 125 m (410 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 30,661 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (Yemen Standard Time) |
History
Lahij has always historically been identified as Aden's base city. Since Aden was a port city, not many Yemenis lived there, rather it was used by many foriengers as well for its location. Lahij has always been one of the very fertile parts of Yemen and was nicknamed "Lahej Al Khathra", which translates to Lahej the green. This means it stood out from the rest of South Yemen which was known to be desert. In the early 1700's a few Sallami tribesmen (members of the Al-Sallami family who migrated from Kalad region of Lower Yaffa) migrated to the Tuban Delta in Lahij and settled between the 2 valleys that surround Lahij. Their new settlement was named Al-Majhafa which translates to "the unfair" in arabic due to settlers upset with the lack of provisions the area offered them. As more tribes settled the area along the Tuban Valley settlements sprang up. Many of these settlers were bedouin permanent migrants from Abyan, Baidha and Shabwa regions. Some where also Yaffai tribesmen like the Sallami family. Others were various Hoshabis from the Musaymeer area looking for new lands. During this time, Hadrami religious Sayids made their way into the area and as custom, one of them name Balfijar asked to established a "howtah" (الحوطة). A howtah in Hadrami culture is where a few religious imams ask surrounding tribes to allow them to create a settlement that is guarded by a boundary of trees in which no tribesmen can enter with their weapons. The Howtah will only be a sacred place of religious learning where people can live without tribal violence. There are many Howtahs that stretch Yemen from hadramout to lahij, however the Howtah in Lahij outgrew its original plan and became a settlement. Today the Capital of Lahij province is called Al-Howtah. It is the same Howtah that was created by Imam Balfijar.
Economy
Historically, Lahij has produced coconuts.[1] As of 1920, it used caravans to trade with Aden.[2]
Climate
| Climate data for Lahij | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.6 (88.9) |
32.4 (90.3) |
34.4 (93.9) |
37.2 (99.0) |
38.7 (101.7) |
39.5 (103.1) |
39.4 (102.9) |
38.3 (100.9) |
37.1 (98.8) |
35.7 (96.3) |
33.6 (92.5) |
32.3 (90.1) |
35.9 (96.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.7 (78.3) |
26.4 (79.5) |
28.3 (82.9) |
30.8 (87.4) |
32.7 (90.9) |
33.5 (92.3) |
33.6 (92.5) |
32.7 (90.9) |
31.6 (88.9) |
30.0 (86.0) |
27.7 (81.9) |
26.3 (79.3) |
29.9 (85.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.9 (67.8) |
20.4 (68.7) |
22.2 (72.0) |
24.4 (75.9) |
26.7 (80.1) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.2 (81.0) |
26.1 (79.0) |
24.4 (75.9) |
21.8 (71.2) |
20.3 (68.5) |
24.1 (75.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 4 (0.2) |
1 (0.0) |
3 (0.1) |
12 (0.5) |
18 (0.7) |
2 (0.1) |
19 (0.7) |
46 (1.8) |
67 (2.6) |
20 (0.8) |
2 (0.1) |
2 (0.1) |
196 (7.7) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[3] | |||||||||||||