Seyyids or descendants of the Prophet, and of townsmen of northern origin, besides a considerable class of African or mixed descent. Van den Berg estimates the total population of Hadramut (excluding the Mahra and Gāra) at 150,000, of which he locates 50,000 in the valley between Shibām and Tarim, 25,000 in the W. Duwān and its tributaries, and 25,000 in Mukalla, Shihr and the coast villages, leaving 50,000 for the non-agricultural population scattered over the rest of the country, probably an excessive estimate.
The Seyyids, descendants of Ḥosain, grandson of Mahomet, form a numerous and highly respected aristocracy. They are divided into families, the chiefs of which are known as Munsibs, who are looked on as the religious leaders of the people, and are even in some cases venerated as saints. Among the leading families are the Sheikh Abu Bakr of Aināt, the el-Aidrus of Shihr and the Sakkāf of Saiyun. They do not bear arms, nor occupy themselves in trade or manual labour or even agriculture; though owning a large proportion of the land, they employ slaves or hired labourers to cultivate it. As compared with the other classes, they are well educated, and are strict in their observance of religious duties, and owing to the respect due to their descent, they exercise a strong influence both in temporal and spiritual affairs.
The tribesmen, as in Arabia generally, are the predominant class in the population; all the adults carry arms; some of the tribes have settled towns and villages, others lead a nomadic life, keeping, however, within the territory which is recognized as belonging to the tribe. They are divided into sections or families, each headed by a chief or abu (lit. father), while the head of the tribe is called the mukaddam or sultan; the authority of the chief depends largely on his personality: he is the leader in peace and in war, but the tribesmen are not his subjects; he can only rule with their support. The most powerful tribe at present in Hadramut is the Kaiti, a branch of the Yāfa tribe whose settlements lie farther west. Originally invited by the Seyyids to protect the settled districts from the attacks of marauding tribes, they have established themselves as practically the rulers of the country, and now possess the coast district with the towns of Shihr and Mukalla, as well as Haura, Hajrēn and Shibām in the interior. The head of the family has accumulated great wealth, and risen to the highest position in the service of the nizam of Hyderabad in India, as Jamadar, or commander of an Arab levy composed of his tribesmen, numbers of whom go abroad to seek their fortune. The Kathiri tribe was formerly the most powerful; they occupy the towns of Saiyun, Tarim and el-Ghuraf in the richest part of the main Hadramut valley. The chiefs of both the Kaiti and Kathiri are in political relations with the British government, through the resident at Aden (q.v.). The ’Amudi in the W. Duwān, and the Nahdi, Awāmir and Tamimi in the main valley, are the principal tribes possessing permanent villages; the Saibān, Hamumi and Manāhil occupy the mountains between the main valley and coast.
The townsmen are the free inhabitants of the towns and villages as distinguished from the Seyyids and the tribesmen: they do not carry arms, but are the working members of the community, merchants, artificers, cultivators and servants, and are entirely dependent on the tribes and chiefs under whose protection they live. The servile class contains a large African element, brought over formerly when the slave trade flourished on this coast; as in all Mahommedan countries they are well treated, and often rise to positions of trust.
As already mentioned, a large number of Arabs from Hadramut go abroad; the Kaiti tribesmen take service in India in the irregular troops of Hyderabad; emigration on a large scale has also gone on, to the Dutch colonies in Java and Sumatra, since the beginning of the 19th century. According to the census of 1885, quoted by Van den Berg in his Report published by the government of the Dutch East Indies in 1886, the number of Arabs in those colonies actually born in Arabia was 2500, while those born in the colonies exceeded 20,000; nearly all of the former are from the towns in the Hadramut valley between Shibām and Tarim. Mukalla and Shihr have a considerable trade with the Red Sea and Persian Gulf ports, as well as with the ports of Aden, Dhafar and Muscat; a large share of this is in the hands of Parsee and other British Indian traders who have established themselves in the Hadramut ports. The principal imports are wheat, rice, sugar, piece goods and hardware. The exports are small; the chief items are honey, tobacco and sharks’ fins. In the towns in the interior the principal industries are weaving and dyeing.
The Mahra country adjoins the Hadramut proper, and extends along the coast from Sihut eastwards to the east of Kamar Bay, where the Gāra coast begins and stretches to Mirbat. The sultan of the Mahra, to whom Sokotra also belongs, lives at Kishin, a poor village consisting of a few scattered houses about 30 m. west of Rās Fartak. Sihut is a similar village 20 m. farther west. The mountains rise to a height of 4000 ft. within a short distance of the coast, covered in places with trees, among which are the myrrh- and frankincense-bearing shrubs. These gums, for which the coast was celebrated in ancient days, are still produced; the best quality is obtained in the Gāra country, on the northern slope of the mountains. Dhafar and the mountains behind it were visited and surveyed by Mr Bent’s party in 1894. There are several thriving villages on the coast, of which el-Hafa is the principal port of export for frankincense; 9000 cwt. is exported annually to Bombay.
Ruins of Sabaean buildings were found by J. T. Bent in the neighbourhood of Dhafar, and a remarkable cove or small harbour was discovered at Khor Rori, which he identified with the ancient port of Moscha.
Authorities.—L. Van den Berg, Le Hadramut et les colonies arabes (Batavia, 1885); L. Hirsch, Reise in Südarabien (Leiden, 1897); J. T. Bent, Southern Arabia (London, 1895); A. von Wrede, Reise in Hadhramut (Brunswick, 1870); H. J. Carter, Trans. Bombay As. Soc. (1845), 47–51; Journal R.G.S. (1837). (R. A. W.)
HADRIA [mod. Atri (q.v.)], perhaps the original terminal
point of the Via Caecilia, Italy. It belonged to the Praetutii.
It became a colony of Rome in 290 B.C. and remained faithful
to Rome. The coins which it issued (probably during the Punic
Wars), are remarkable. The crypt of the cathedral of the
modern town was originally a large Roman cistern; another
forms the foundation of the ducal palace; and in the eastern
portion of the town there is a complicated system of underground
passages for collecting and storing water.
See Notizie degli scavi (1902), 3. (T. As.)
HADRIAN (Publius Aelius Hadrianus), Roman emperor
A.D. 117–138, was born on the 24th of January A.D. 76, at
Italica in Hispania Baetica (according to others, at Rome),
where his ancestors, originally from Hadria in Picenum, had
been settled since the time of the Scipios. On his father’s death
in 85 or 86 he was placed under the guardianship of two fellow-countrymen,
his kinsman Ulpius Trajanus (afterwards the
emperor Trajan), and Caelius Attianus (afterwards prefect of
the praetorian guard). He spent the next five years at Rome,
but at the age of fifteen he returned to his native place and
entered upon a military career. He was soon, however, recalled
to Rome by Trajan, and appointed to the offices of decemvir
stlitibus judicandis, praefectus feriarum Latinarum, and sevir
turmae equitum Romanorum. About 95 he was military tribune
in lower Moesia. In 97 he was sent to upper Germany to convey
the congratulations of the army to Trajan on his adoption by
Nerva; and, in January of the following year, he hastened to
announce the death of Nerva to Trajan at Cologne. Trajan,
who had been set against Hadrian by reports of his extravagance,
soon took him into favour again, chiefly owing to the goodwill
of the empress Plotina, who brought about the marriage of
Hadrian with (Vibia) Sabina, Trajan’s great-niece. In 101
Hadrian was quaestor, in 105 tribune of the people, in 106
praetor. He served with distinction in both Dacian campaigns:
in the second Trajan presented him with a valuable ring which
he himself had received from Nerva, a token of regard which
seemed to designate Hadrian as his successor. In 107 Hadrian
was legatus praetorius of lower Pannonia, in 108 consul suffectus,
in 112 archon at Athens, legatus in the Parthian campaign (113–117),
in 117 consul designatus for the following year, in 119 consul
for the third and last time only for four months. When Trajan,
owing to a severe illness, decided to return home from the East,
he left Hadrian in command of the army and governor of Syria.
On the 9th of August 117, Hadrian, at Antioch, was informed
