Le Yémen au xviie siècle : territoire et identités

During the 17th cent., Ḥaḍramawt and Yemen are to be considered as clearly separate entities. From a geographical point of view, Ḥaḍramawt is not to be seen as a part of Yemen. The Yâfi‘ area—also known as al-Mashriq or Mashriq al-Yaman—constituted its eastern border. Yemeni borders were also varying according to cutlural relations. The occupation of Ḥaḍramawt under Zaydi authority for 20 years did not bring both lands together; neither did it lead to increased cultural exchanges. Generally, for the learned elite of the time, belonging to an ethnic group or a land was only of minor importance while they attached great importance to religious affiliations. Ḥaḍrami people subscribed to Shâfi‘ism when the scholars from Highlands subscribed to Zaydism. An ideological gap was driving them apart from one another. The same indifference prevailed between the Zaydis in the Northern territories and the Shâfi‘is in the South