THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PORT OF MUKALLA AND ITS ROLE IN MARITIME TRADE FROM THE NINETEENTH CENTURY TO THE MID-TWENTIETH CENTURY

Abstract

This study examines the development of the Port of Mukalla in Hadhramaut from its establishment until the mid-twentieth century, considering it one of the vital commercial and maritime hubs in southern Arabia. It aims to highlight the structural, commercial, and administrative transformations that the port underwent and to relate these developments to the local, regional, and international contexts, while demonstrating the roles of the powers that influenced the port, particularly the growing British influence during the period under study. The study is based on the following central research problem: What was the nature of the development of the Port of Mukalla as a principal Hadhrami port? What were the political, economic, and administrative dimensions that shaped its development during the modern period? This research problem is examined through four main sections covering the integrated historical aspects of the port. The first section discusses the historical origins of the port, its relationship with the Hadhrami coast, and the circumstances surrounding its emergence as a local port that gradually expanded to perform regional commercial functions. The second section focuses on the structural and administrative transformations that occurred as commercial activities increased, customs administration developed, and successive local administrations assumed responsibility for the port. The third section examines the port's commercial routes, the types of goods traded, and Mukalla's role in maritime connections with the ports of Aden, Bombay, Zanzibar, Somalia, and Jeddah, while explaining the reciprocal relationship between commercial activity and economic transformations within Hadhramaut. The fourth section highlights the impact of both direct and indirect British influence on the organization, modernization, and administration of the port within the context of colonial competition in the region, as well as its interaction with the Qu'aiti State, which sought to strengthen its administrative and financial independence despite British involvement. The study adopts the historical analytical approach and is based on a wide range of primary sources, foremost among them original British documents preserved in the British Library and made available through the Qatar Digital Library, in addition to Ottoman archival documents, official records relating to the Qu'aiti State, port records, contemporary Hadhrami publications, and a number of specialized Arabic and translated references on navigation and trade in the Indian Ocean. These sources have provided the study with scholarly originality and contributed to presenting a more accurate and comprehensive historical interpretation of the development of the Port of Mukalla. The study concludes that the Port of Mukalla was not merely a coastal outlet but an active force in shaping the economic and political structure of Hadhramaut. It also served as an arena for interactions between internal and external powers, making it a witness to the modern transformations of Hadhramaut.