Wahidi Azzan

Wahidi Azzan, officially the Wahidi Sultanate of Azzan, was one of four Wahidi sultanates in the area that eventually became the Aden Protectorate. It was established in 1830 and existed until May 4, 1881, when it became a part of Wahidi Balhaf.

Wahidi Sultanate of ʿAzzān سلطنة الواحدي في عَزّان
1830–1881
Status	State (Sultanate)
Capital	ʿAzzān (seat of the ruling dynasty)
Government	Sultanate
Historical era	19th–20th century
• Established	1830
• Joined with Ba'l Haf	4 May 1881
• Disestablished	1881
Today part of	Yemen

History

The Wahidi Sultanate of ʿAzzān was established around 1830 following the fragmentation of the larger Wahidi territories along the southern Yemeni coast. The Wahidi rulers maintained control over the inland region of ʿAzzān, a historic town located northeast of Balhaf in modern-day Shabwah Governorate.

During the 19th century, internal rivalries between the Wahidi branches led to frequent territorial disputes. British influence in southern Arabia grew after the establishment of the Aden Protectorate in 1839, and by the mid-19th century, the Wahidi sultanates, including ʿAzzān, came under indirect British oversight through a series of protection agreements.

In 1881, the Sultanate of ʿAzzān was unified with the nearby Wahidi Balhaf to form a single administrative unit under British protection. This consolidation aimed to stabilize local governance and strengthen British influence along the southern Arabian trade routes. The combined entity was later integrated into the broader framework of the Aden Protectorate.

Following the British withdrawal from South Arabia and the subsequent revolution in 1967, the remaining Wahidi territories were absorbed into the newly established People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen), and later unified with North Yemen in 1990 to form the modern Republic of Yemen.

Rulers

The rulers of the Wahidi Sultanate of ʿAzzān were members of the Wahidi dynasty. Limited documentation exists regarding the individual reigns of its sultans due to sparse colonial records and oral transmission of local history. Known rulers are mentioned primarily in 19th-century British colonial correspondences related to the Aden Protectorate.

See also

• Wahidi Balhaf
• Wahidi Haban
• Aden Protectorate
• History of Yemen
• South Arabia

References

• Hay, Richard (1952). The Tribes of the Aden Protectorate. London: Colonial Office. pp. 48–49.
• Peterson, J. E. (1965). The Aden Protectorate: Its History and Structure. University of Cambridge. pp. 112–115.
• "Wahidi Sultanates". British Aden Protectorate Records. Retrieved 24 October 2025.

14°20′00″N47°26′00″E / 14.3333°N 47.4333°E / 14.3333; 47.4333