It lies at the coast of Arabian Sea about 777 km from the capital Sana'a. It is the capital of the Governorate  of Hadhramout and one of the Yemeni seaports on the Arabian Sea. It was known as "Khisa" or "Bandar Jacob". The name of Mukalla came late. The city was firstly  settled by fishers who came from neighboring regions.

There the emirate Al-Kassad was established, in the year 1115 A.H (18th century AD). It was a capital of Quaiti Sultanate. The old city of Mukalla is characterized by a unique architectural design which was prevailing in the cities overlooking the coasts of Arabian Sea and the ports of Red Sea like Ahqaba, Jeddah, Hudaida, Mukha and Aden, during the 18th and 19th centuries. All these cities lost their original architectural fabric and nothing remains but Mukalla type which combines the elements of Yemeni architectural and design of southeast Asia .

Husn All-Ghuwazyi : Is one of the most important sights of Mukalla at the entrance of the city, built in (1884 AD).

Ma'in palace: which was built by sultan Omar Awadh Al-Quaiti. Mukalla museum currently  occupies a large part of it.

Mukalla is reputed for the production of gypsum.

Mukalla is greatly expanding today, thanks to the renovation of its seaport and the extension of its beautiful coasts at the Arabian Sea like Khalf beach.

                        Shihr                          

This small fishing port, 60 km east of Mukalla, is a very old settlement. The town, also was named "al-Asaa ". It was a commercial outlet for the frankincense brought by land from the far east of Mahra to Shibam then to Shihr from there, it is exported to outside world. Shihr was also one of the pre-Islamic Arab seasonal markets, which was called "Souk of Shihr Mahra" It was also a meeting point of commercial exchange between India, Arab Gulf, Egypt and & east Africa, on one hand, and Yemen, on the other. 'l7w most important historical sights of Shihr include Ben Ayash fortress and the town wall the wall has two gates; "Al-Aidarous" and "Al-Khour" .
Shihr seaport had replaced the old port of Qana. It was also one of the important handicrafts centers, especially for textiles and silver. It was occupied by the Portuguese in 1523 AD, who had stayed only for a short period.

                      Shibam                        

The town of Shibam lies in the middle of Wadi Hadhramout, at its narrowest point. It is 19 km from Say 'un. It was one of most important souks in these regions. Shibam is a tight collection of some 500 skyscrapers; seven to eight-stories high, crammed into an area of only half a sq km. '!he city seems as a fortified castle on a hill of almost 30 meters from the Wadi bed.
Shibam is a very old city. It was also the capital of
the Hadhramout region for some period.
The Citadel of Shibam was the residence of the governor, dating from the 13th century AD the biggest of the six mosques of the city is Shibam Mosque, built in the 8th century AD at the time of Caliph Harun Ar-Rashid.

The number of houses is a little more than 500. Most of the houses have four to seven stories. Because the town is built so low, it is vulnerable to floods and was partly destroyed by floods in 1532 AD.

Starting 1980, Shibam was declared by of a UNESCO as a world monument and initiated a program to safeguard its cultural heritage. It is sometimes known as ''Manhattan Desert".

                      Say'un                        

It was the capital of Kathiri Sultanate for the period between 1400 and 1967 AD. It is the current administrative center of Wadi Hadhramout and the largest city there. Say'un is 320 KM north of Mukalla. Its economy was greatly boosted in the 15th century AD, when Sultan Badr Abu Twairiq (982 A.H-16th century AD) made it a capital of his state.

Say'un Grand Mosque; dates back to the 11th century A.H (17th century AD).

The palace of Sultan Al-Kathiri; Is the most important tourist and historical site there. It was built of clay brick and decorated with gypsum. It is characterized by beautiful artistic elements reflecting the Arab Islamic and far east architectural elements. The museum occupies part of this palace, whereas the other part is occupied by a public library.

Among the sights of Say'un is the market of traditional and handmade products. Say'un is surrounded by of palm groves and several gardens.

                        Tarim                          

Tarim is situated on the east bank of Wadi Hadhramout some 35 km to the northeast of

Say'un. It has received much attention in the historical narratives for the importance of its role throughout the ages. The town was a capital of Kinda Kings for a period of time. After Islam, it became one of the religious centers. Until recently, it was a town of knowledge and one of the most important teaching centers in Yemen. Tarim was the capital of Kathiri Sultanate

A lot of its inhabitants emigrated to the western coast of India and established commercial settlements in Singapore and Indonesia since 1220fiV.

Many of the emigrants used to return to Tarim, and build a mosque "thanks to God for safe return". Then the emigrant starts to build a luxurious house reflecting the volume of wealth he had earned. Thus, the architectural movement developed and many houses and palaces were built. They introduced new styles mixing between southeast Asian character and local design. Tarim's houses are beautiful surrounded by palm trees.

Tarim Citadel is an important historical site of the town. There are also a number of old fortifications and castles, the most important of which are Al-U'rr fortress (Husn), Al-Muhdar Mosque (1915,jIVJ, its 125 foot-high square minaret, and Al-Ahgaff library which is one of the most important Yemeni houses of manuscripts.

                                  A'inat                                

It is 8 km east of Tarim. It is a beautiful village dates back to the 16th century. It has a distinguished design of religious tombs and shrines in addition to some unique architectural structures.

                        Religious Sites                          

Hadhramout is a land of prophets and messengers. There lie the tombs of the Prophet Hud and the prophet Saleh (peace be upon them). There are also the seasonal festivals of religious nature at specific sites near some famous tombs.

Among these sites is the tomb of the Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) which is 90 km east of Tarim. The date of the pilgrimage is from 6th until 12th of the month of Shaa'ban, every year. A seasonal market is held on the occasion of the pilgrimage. There are also a number of tombs like the tomb of the Prophet Saleh (peace be upon him), the tomb of the holy man Ahmed Ibn Isa Al­Muhajir and the tombs of Mashhad on the way to Al­Hajarayn.

                        Al-Mashhad                          

It is some 90 km from Say'un. Mashhad is a small village with some fine tombs. The tomb of Sheikh Ali Ibn Hassan Al-Attas, died in 1127 A.H. (18th century AD) was reputedly rebuilt in the 1830s. The tomb is annually visited during the period (8-16) of the month Rabia' Al-Awal every year. Here, also a local market is held at the same time.

                        Raybun                          

It is 94 km from Say'un near the outlet of Wadi Dawa'an into Wadi Hadhramout. It is one of the most important archeological sites dates back to the 10th century BC. Not much of it remains today but only few ru­ins of old temples, a part of the old city, and an old irrigation network.

                        Wadi Dawa'an                          

There are a number of tributaries for Wadi Hadhramout including Wadi Dawa'an, Wadi A'ian, Wadi Amad and Wadi Sar. Wadi Dawa'an is considered the most important and famous one. Along the valley a number of beautiful villages are spreading, representing the majesty of Yemeni architecture.

Wadi Dawa'an is also well reputed for the production of super quality of honey which made it famous everywhere.

                        Hajarayn                          

Hajarayn literally means "the tow cities" in the old Yemeni language. It is one of the most beautiful villages in Yemen, in general, and in Wadi Hadhramout, in particular. It is a remarkable stone village atop a rocky slope of Wadi Hajarayn over-looking a forest of palm trees. It is one of the most ancient villages in Wadi Hadhramout. There are a lot of beautiful villages at the two banks of Wadi like Seef, Budha, Rashid and Al­Khuraiba.

Here is a traditional building

It Will Be There A Page For Sana'a Soon

Doa'a Mohammed