Yemen - Qasimid Dynasty

  General Description   The land now contained within the nation-state of Yemen, in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, has a long history of human occupation. ^[1] Here, however, we focus on its more recent history. The Ottoman Empire gained control of the region in the first half of the 16th century CE before being overthrown by the Qasimi dynasty. ^[2] The Qasimi dynasty ruled until the 19th century, when Yemen was divided up between the Ottomans in the north and the British in the south. ^[3] North Yemen became independent in 1918, while South Yemen did not gain its independence until decades later in 1967. The two countries were united in 1990. ^[3]
Population and political organization
During the Qasimi period, Qasimid imams and their retainers and courtiers co-existed and occasionally competed with tribal shaykhs and their followers. ^[4] Tribal leaders retained significant power, although the imams still collected taxes. ^[5] Tribal authority remained important even under British and Ottoman rule. Some Yemeni leaders sided with the colonial powers, while others continued to resist. ^[6] Nor did the new government supplant autonomous tribal power after independence: the tribes were stronger than the new imamate, although they remained fragmented. ^[7] After 1962, when the imamate was overthrown, the new government created a more structured bureaucracy. ^[8]
Secure population estimates for the Qasimi or colonial period in Yemen are lacking. In 1990, the population of Yemen was estimated at between 10 and 11 million. ^[9]

[1]: (Walters 2003, 2) Walters, Delores M. 2003. “Culture Summary: Yemenis.” eHRAF World Cultures. http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu/document?id=ml01-000. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/6KEQJQHU.

[2]: (Dresch 1989, 198) Dresch, Paul. 1989. Tribes, Government, and History in Yemen. Oxford: Clarendon. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/4W92UNAD.

[3]: (Safa 2005, 119) Safa, Mohammad Samaun. 2005. “Socio-Economic Factors Affecting the Income of Small-Scale Agroforestry Farms in Hill Country Areas in Yemen: A Comparison of OLS and WLS Determinants.” Small-Scale Forest Economics, Management and Policy, no. 4: 117-34. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/UJZUBQH3.

[4]: (Dresch 1989, 200) Dresch, Paul. 1989. Tribes, Government, and History in Yemen. Oxford: Clarendon. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/4W92UNAD.

[5]: (Dresch 1989, 206) Dresch, Paul. 1989. Tribes, Government, and History in Yemen. Oxford: Clarendon. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/4W92UNAD.

[6]: (Dresch 1989, 216) Dresch, Paul. 1989. Tribes, Government, and History in Yemen. Oxford: Clarendon. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/4W92UNAD.

[7]: (Dresch 1989, 228) Dresch, Paul. 1989. Tribes, Government, and History in Yemen. Oxford: Clarendon. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/4W92UNAD.

[8]: (Mundy 1995, 2) Mundy, Martha. 1995. Domestic Government: Kinship, Community and Polity in North Yemen. London: Tauris. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/DD3SKZCS.

[9]: (Walters 2003, 1) Walters, Delores M. 2003. “Culture Summary: Yemenis.” eHRAF World Cultures. http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu/document?id=ml01-000. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/6KEQJQHU.