Balhaf
Balhaf(Arabic:بالحاف) is an industrial port town and an oasis in an area of coastal dunes in the Burum Coastal Area ofYemen.It has palm trees and white sand, which gives way to fields of black lava and to the fishing port of Bir-Ali. Qana, a major point of departure of theRoute I'Encens,was the main port of the ancient kingdom ofHadhramaut,and is dominated by a hill, Husn al-Ghurab, or remains of the ancient vestiges. A I'écart is located on an extinct volcano, a crater lake with turquoise waters. The "Corniche" road leads to the coastal port of Burum. Burum, a typical fishing port, is an old village surrounded by a gypsum kilns. Close by, one can see the large bay of Mukalla, whose wetlands are populated by migrant birds fromIndiaor Africa.[1]
Location
[edit]Balhaf belongs toShabwaof Yemen, located about 150 km fromMukalla-the capital of Hadhramaut (48.1802°E 13.9854°N).
History
[edit]Balhaf was the capital of theSultanate of Wahidi Balhaf,one of several Wahini states which in the 1880s became part of the BritishAden Protectorate.In 1902 the fort at Balhaf was demolished by troops from the BritishcruiserHMSPerseus,in response to pirate activities by the locals.[2]
World Heritage status
[edit]This site was added to theUNESCOWorld HeritageTentative List on 08/07/2002, in the mixed (cultural and natural) category.
Importance
[edit]Balhaf is now considered one of the main ports of Yemen, particularly after the success ofYemen LNGproject for constructing aliquefied natural gasplant in 2006.
Notes
[edit]- ^"Balhaf/Burum coastal area".
- ^"Piracy in the Gulf of Aden".The Times.No. 36868. London. 9 September 1902. p. 3.
