Throughout the Arabian desert there were small Sultanates that usually had some self rule but were vassals to a more powerful King or in this case British era Aden. The small, landlocked Kathiri State refused to join the Federation of Southern Arabia though it was still under it’s protection from earlier treaties. Therefore the stamps are legitimate, so much so they could even be used in Aden itself. That sounds pretty generous from naughty colonials until you realize that the protection meant preventing Seiyun from retaking ports on the coast that might have made it more viable. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
This stamp has a nice look to it. A minaret in Tarim, local, makes you feel you are there. Looking at you from the top right corner is our friend Sultan Hussein, who had been Sultan since 1949 and would continue his rule for another 13 years. Notice though the mention of Aden to remind of big brother
Todays stamp is issue A11, a 25 cent, Rupies were gone by then, stamp issued by the Kathiri State of Seiyun on January 15th, 1954. It was originally a 10 stamp issue with many interesting views of a pretty obscure place. In 1964, three more stamps were issued in new denominations showing new views. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used.
The Kathiri tribe first established their Sultanate in 1395 and got a lot bigger around 1460 when they conquered the port of Shiri. There territory was mainly in modern eastern Yemen but a little of western Oman also. The capital city of Seiyun, current population 135,000, is older than that. It is first mentioned around 400 AD as a resting place for travelers. The legend is that there was a well remembered barmaid named Seiyun for whom the place is named.
After a war with the Yafai tribe, the Kathiri state became much smaller and landlocked. The former prosperity of grape cultivation had also been complicated by climate change. Interaction with the coastal ports had seen many Kathiri tribesmen seeking new lives in far off places like Indonesia and East Timor. East Timor’s current Prime Minister is of Kathiri ancestry.
In the 1880s the Sultan met with the British Resident of Aden and the Sultan of Zanzibar to try to get their support for his taking back a few of the small ports including Shiri. It did not go well and he was formally warned by India that gunboats would be sent to prop up the current government of the ports. The Sultan then waited 10 years but then attacked and took the ports he wanted. He was able to hold them for two years and disputes went on till 1918 until the Resident of Aden imposed a treaty on the tribes of Kathiri and Q’ati.
The end for the Sutanate came in 1967 when the Socialists, pan Arabists of South Yemen overthrew Sultan Hussein. The area is still part of a united, well except for that pesky civil war, Yemen. Seiyun is no longer even a provincial capital.
Well my drink is empty and I think Seiyun has already declared last call for alcohol. Come again soon for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.