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Seiyun (also transliterated as Saywun, Sayoun or Say'un; Hadhrami Arabic pronunciation: , Literary Arabic: ) is a city in the Hadhramaut and Governorate of Hadhramaut in Yemen. It is located in the middle of the Hadhramaut Valley, about from Mukalla, the capital of Mukalla District and the largest city in the area, via western route. It is from Shibam and from Tarim, the other large cities in the valley.
It is said that the origin of the city was a resting point for travellers. There was a café with a woman named Seiyun there, and the area was named after her in her honor. Since then, the city has become the largest area of Hadhramaut valley. Prominent villages surrounding the city include Madurah, Mérida, Burr, Hazkir, and Houta Sultana.
It is served by Seiyun Airport. It is also well known for the Seiyun Palace of the Sultan of Kathiri built in the 1920s with mud and stones. It oversees the marketplace for merchants coming from outside.
Seiyun during the Islamic period emerged as a village in the era of the Rashidun Caliphate. It was administratively part of the city of Tarim. This was the case during the Umayyad period as well. In 708, it became administratively affiliated with the city of Shibam. The son of Haritha led the revolution in 1179 but it gained its autonomy only in the year 1501 when it became the capital of the valley in the era of Badr Abu Tuwairq (1501-1556), where an administrative unit consisting of a sultanate that extended from Ain Ba to the west of the city of Dhofar was founded. In the 18th-century, Yafa conquered the cities of Hadhramaut and took over many parts of Seiyun, where the state was established. In 1852, it became the capital of the Kathiri (Aden-Kathiri) which was within the British Aden Protectorate (1869 - 1963). Its fortified fortress, the Sultan's Palace, was the seat of Sultan al-Kathiri. from the Sultanate were sometimes inscribed "Kathiri State of Seiyun." After the independence from British colonialism, Seiyun became the capital of the Southern district in the fifth province of Hadhramaut. Sayun District Website
The terrain consists of a relatively flat plain, part of the Wadi Hadramaut, surrounded by mountain ranges on the northern and southern sides, leading to the northern and southern plateaus. Several sub-valleys of Wadi Hadramaut pass through these mountain ranges, including Wadi Shuhuh, Wadi Jathmah, and Wadi Bin Salman in Tarim, and Wadi Mudar in Bur.
Regarding the buildings, in the 7th century AH, they were confined to Shaharah - Al-Sahil until the 8th century AH. The cemetery of the city was established in the 7th century outside the city in the eastern direction. Taha ibn Umar later acquired a piece of land far from the city and built a mosque (Taha Mosque), but there were no other architectural features. In the 10th century AH, the urbanization expanded due to its status as the capital of the Kathiri Sultanate during the reign of Sultan Badr Abi Tuwairq (922-977 AH). In the year 1120 AH, Ali ibn Abdullah Al-Sqaf obtained a piece of desert land in the tribal district and built a mosque on it. The urbanization continued in the 14th century when Abu Bakr bin Salim Al-Saban acquired a piece of desert land in Wadi Jatham and built a mosque on it. The Seiyun Mosque was built in the 9th century AH to accommodate this development. In the 14th century, the mosque was rebuilt as a Friday mosque, and there are four mosques in Seiyun where Friday prayers are held: Al-Jami Mosque, Taha Mosque, Al-Qarn Mosque, and Basalam Mosque. The oldest of them is the Al-Jami Mosque in Seiyun, which was the only mosque where Friday prayers were held.
This palace was initially established as the residence of the Sultan during the reign of Sultan Badr bin Abdullah bin Jafar Al Kathiri, famously known as "Abu Tuwairq" (922-977 AH). This indicates that the palace existed before the reign of Sultan Abu Tuwairq, who made it his official residence and added a mosque to it. He also renovated the palace and expanded it. The Sultan Abu Tuwairq, who emerged during a period of bloody conflicts that engulfed most of the territories of Hadhramaut, managed to occupy most of these territories, including Shahr.
In the year 1125 AH, Omar bin Jafar Al Kathiri renewed the construction of the palace. In 1272 AH, Ghalib bin Muhsin Al Kathiri arrived in Seiyun and made it the capital of his rule. He used the Dawil Palace as his ruling headquarters and renovated it. Later, his son Mansour bin Ghalib bin Muhsin Al Kathiri continued the construction of the palace in the period between 1355-1357 AH, adding adornments and making expansions, including the construction of the Al-Aqra, which is the entrance leading to the palace, and building a large hall in the façade and its surroundings. The palace remains in the same state until now.
Recently, part of the palace has been utilized as a museum, which was inaugurated in 1983. The museum houses ancient artifacts collected from various sites in Wadi Hadhramaut, including those excavated from the Ribat site. It also features sections dedicated to folk heritage and historical documents, including those related to the Kathiri Sultanate when Seiyun served as its capital. Additionally, part of the palace has been designated as an administration office for the Ministry of Culture. A theater was also built on the southeast side of the palace in 1982, accommodating over 5000 spectators.
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