Aden to the Hadhramaut: A Journey in South Arabia

1947

Brasch DS247 H32 MK82

London: John Murray

Dutch diplomat, Daniel van der Meulen (1894-1989) was also an Islamic and Arabic scholar. In a bid to travel the ancient incense trade routes, van der Meulen embarked on a journey from Aden, on the west coast of Yemen, to the Hadhramaut Valley region – about 650 kilometres as the crow flies. He set off on the eve of WWII in 1939 and visited towns in the region that had, over time, been governed by the Portuguese, the Ottoman Empire, and the British, among others. These photographs from van der Meulen's Journey showcase the town of Tarim. It was, and still is, an important religious centre in the Hadhramaut Valley and contains over 300 mosques. According to Wikipedia, the town has the ‘highest concentration’ of the prophet Muhammed’s descendants in the world.