Al-Ghurfa (city-state)
Open-knowledge reference entry
al-Ghurfa was a city-state ruled by the Bin 'Abdat dynasty that existed in South Arabia from 1918 to 1945.
Timeline
7 June 1918: the Kathiri Sultanate signs the Aden Agreement with the Qu'aiti State, leading to the Kathiri being incorporated into the Aden Protectorate.
1918: the local Bin 'Abdat dynasty rejects the Aden agreement. As a result, the village of al-Ghurfa secedes from the Kathiri Sultanate.
March 1925: Sayyid Husayn b. Hamid al-Mihdhar, the Qu'aiti sultan, signs an agreement with the Kathiri sultan that the Bin 'Abdat dynasty's control over al-Ghurfa should be liquidated.
July 1926: A combined Qu'aiti-Kathiri force surrounds al-Ghurfa, but is unable to conquer the city after a month-long siege. The attacking force lacked solidarity and morale, while the defenders resourcefully used sniper fire to undermine the besiegers.
September 1926: the "Bin 'Abdat brothers" (the sheikh of al-Ghurfa and his brother) are invited to Aden for negotiations, which take place by late January 1927 at the latest. The sheikhs submit a 50-page memorandum wherein they document their claim to sovereignty over al-Ghurfa.
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