“And I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of God ; and Satan hath made their works fair seeming to them , and he hath turned them from the Way : wherefore they are not guided” *

* Verses from the Koran mentioning the Queen of Sheba and her visit to King Solomon. which a bird , the Hoopoe , reports to the King.

Ancient Kingdoms

The ancient history of Yemen can be devided into two main periods. The first begins in the first millennium BC and ends with the decline of the eastern cultural centres towards the end of the pre - Christian era . In other words it begins with the rise of the frankincense and myrrh trade which the southern Arabians , the Sabian Kingdom , had monopolised. The frankincense route,  one of the most ancient trade routes, led from southern Arabia to Ghaza in Palestine , running inland and covering roughly a total distance of 3,400 Kms. This monopoly ended in the first century when the land route was losing it’s importance and was finally replaced by a direct sea route between Egypt & India.

The second era begins with the founding of the Himyar Kingdoms and the rise of centres of civilisation in the high plateau with it’s basins and unconquerable mountains. It ends with the decay of these cultures i.e. it lasts from the first to the sixth century AD.

Islam in Yemen

The Prophet was still alive when Islam came to Yemen. With the conversion of Badhan 628 - 630 AD. the Persian Governor of Yemen , to Islam , many of the sheikhs and their tribes converted to Islam. It was during this period that the mosques in al Janad and the great mosque in Sana’a was built . Active missionary work in Yemen only became possible after the conquest of Mecca in 630 A.D.

Between the eighth and the fourteenth century Yemen was ruled by a series of dynasties. In the mid fifteenth century the mamelukes of Egypt lost power to the Ottomans ( Turks ) . During this period the town of al Moka on the Red sea coast , became the most important coffee port in the world. 

By the 19th century the British expressed growing interest in the region and had signed series of treaties which was to be known as the south Arabian Protectorate of Great Britain.

The Imamate and Modern Yemen

After the retreat of the Turks from Yemen in 1918 Imam Yahya ( a Zaidi Imam ) established the Kingdom of Yemen. He was succeeded by his eldest son Imam Ahmed who stayed in power until his death in September 1962 . He was briefly succeeded by his son Crown Prince Mohammed al - Badr who was overthrown by a regime of revolutionaries. The new regime founded the Yemen Arab Republic.  

Developments in the southern part of the country were extremely violent during the 1960’s . In 1967 Aden gained independence from the British and finally the People’s Democratic  Republic of Yemen was formed.

On 22nd May 1990 with the unification of the Yemen Arab Republic (North) with the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South) , the Republic of Yemen was declared.