Qu'aiti

Qu'aiti, officially the Qu'aiti State of Shihr and Mukalla, was a sultanate in the Hadhramaut region of South Arabia, in what is now Yemen. The Sultanate spanned the Indian Ocean coast up to the border of Mahra, encompassed the historic city of Shabwa, the central valleys and oasis settlements of Hadhramaut, and controlled the southern Empty Quarter. Its capital was Mukalla, and it was divided into six Banners (provinces), namely Mukalla, ash-Shihr, Shibam, Wadi Doan, the Western Province, and Hijr. Mukalla, ash-Shihr, and Shibam were the Sultanate's major cities.

Sons of Umar bin Awadh al-Qu'aiti, who became a jemadar in the forces of the Nizam of Hyderabad State (now in India), first took the town of Shibam from the rival Kathiris in 1858 to consolidate their rule over all of Hadhramaut.^{[citation needed]}

In 1866, Sultan Ghalib bin Muhsin, Sheikh of the Kathiri, expelled Ali bin Naji from Shihr and took possession of the fort. At this time, the inland town of Shibam was held by the Qu'aiti tribe. Qu'aiti Sheikh, Abdulla, being apprehensive that the capture of Mukalla would follow that of Shihr and that his communication with the seaboard would be cut off, applied to his brothers, in the service of the Hyderabad State, for assistance against Sultan Ghalib bin Muhsin. A request was thereupon preferred by the Minister of the Nizam for the armed interference of the British Government on behalf of the rightful Jemadar of Shihr. The government, however, declined to interfere or to allow an armed expedition to be fitted out by Arabs from the Indian coast.

In April 1867, Awadh (Nawaz) bin Umar, better known by his Hyderabad title of Sultan Nawaz Jang, a brother of the Qu'aiti Jemadar Abdulla, after establishing a blockade on the sea-coast, landed near Shihr, attacked and put to flight Sultan Ghalib bin Muhsin, and established the authority of his brother as Jemadar of Shihr. An attempt was made by the Kathiri Sheikh in December of the same year to retake the place, but he was repulsed by the Qu'aiti, who have since remained in unmolested possession of the port and district. An application was made by the Kathiri Sheikh to the British Government for permission to recover Shihr by force, but it was considered undesirable to interfere. At the same time, the Nizam's Minister declared his readiness to prohibit any interference on the part of Hyderabad subjects in the affairs of Hadhramaut.

Salih bin Muhammad died in 1873, shortly after the conclusion of a treaty with him, by which he engaged for himself, his heirs, and successors, to prohibit the import or export of slaves to or from Mukalla and its dependencies. He was succeeded as Naqib by his son, Umar bin Salih, who accepted an offer by the Qu'aiti Jemadar of Shihr to aid him in reducing the refractory Sheikh of Doan. Taking advantage of his admission with 600 followers into the fort of Mukalla, the Qu'aiti Jemadar demanded payment of a debt alleged to have been due to him by the late Naqib. Finding himself powerless to resist this demand, the Naqib consented to a treaty under which he agreed to cede half of Mukalla, of Bandar Burum, and of the district of Al-Harshiyyat in return for a payment of 2.5 lakhs of dollars, from which, however, the debt due to the Qu'aiti Jemadar was to be deducted. But hostilities continued; the Naqib entered into an alliance with the Kathiri, and the Qu'aiti, with the aid of their relatives at Hyderabad, purchased a vessel and dispatched her to Aden. There she was detained under the provisions of the Foreign Enlistment Act of 1870, and not released until the Qu'aiti Jemadar had bound himself under a heavy penalty to send her at once to Bombay without touching at, or undertaking any operations against, any of the ports of Hadhramaut. He further attempted to establish a blockade of Mukalla and hoarded native craft suspected of being bound for that port. For the plunder of three such vessels, he was compelled to pay an indemnity of Rs. 6,142 and warned of the consequences of such interference with commerce in the future.

In 1873, an engagement was concluded with the Jemadar of Shihr, by which he bound himself, his heirs and successors, to prohibit the import or export of slaves to or from Shihr and its dependencies.

The British Government steadily avoided interference or arbitration in the disputes between the Naqib of Mukalla and the Jemadar of Shihr, and took no action regarding them beyond asking for assurances from the ministers of the Hyderabad State that persons in the service of the Nizam, who might be convicted of taking part in the quarrel by supplying money and munitions of war to their relatives on either side, and so prolonging the strife, would be dismissed. But at length, in 1876, there being no prospect of the cessation of hostilities without some authoritative interference, the Political Resident at Aden, acting under the authority of Government, visited the two chiefs, and through his mediation a truce for two years was concluded, on the expiry of which period a further extension of one year was arranged. No permanent settlement was, however, effected, and eventually hostilities were resumed in 1880 and resulted in the capture of Burum by the Jemadar of Shihr. Being driven to extremities, the Naqib of Mukalla signed the agreements drawn up by the Political Resident, and Burum was evacuated by the Jemadar of Shihr.

No sooner was the Naqib thus relieved from immediate pressure than he repudiated the terms of the settlement. The Government of India thereupon directed that the Jemadar should be replaced in possession of Burum, which was surrendered by the Naqib without further bloodshed. Finally, in November 1881, the latter gave himself up to the Commander of H. M. S. Dragon and was conveyed with his dependents to Aden, while the Jemadar of Shihr was put in possession of Mukalla and its dependencies. From Aden, the Naqib went to Zanzibar with several Sheikhs and followers, and in 1888, he accepted the maintenance provided for him.