Upper Yafa or Upper Yafa'i ( ), officially State of Upper Yafa ( ), was a military alliance in the British Aden Protectorate and the Protectorate of South Arabia. It was ruled by the Harharah dynasty and its capital was Mahjaba, a small town on a hill located by road 621, about 50 km northeast of Habilayn. The sultan of Upper Yafa had very little control over Upper Yafa's constituent sheikdoms, which had separate protectorate treaties with the British, and were free to disassociate from the policies of the Upper Yafa sheikh. The only time that the Upper Yafa sheikh held influence was during a crisis that threatened the independence of Upper Yafa's states, during which they would unite under the sultan. This meant that Upper Yafa was more akin to a military alliance than a genuine state. History The Yafa'i tribe has traditionally inhabited the mountainous hinterland of the Aden area. Upper Yafa was formed in the 18th century. It included the sheikhdoms of Al-Busi, Al-Dhubi, Al-Hadrami, Al-Muflihi, Al-Mausata, Na'wah and Rubeitein. In 1895 Sultan Qahtan bin Umar succeeded to the titular chieftainship on the death of Sultan Muhammad bin Ali. Very few dealings were held with the Upper Yafai till 1903, when in that year it was proposed to demarcate the north-eastern frontier. Treaties were concluded with the Dhubi, Mausatta and Muflahi sections, with Sultan Qahtan as titular chief of the whole tribe, and with the Hadrami and Shaibi sections. In August the Shaibi frontier was demarcated, but, on the survey party entering the Rubiatein district, a post which had been established at Awabil was attacked by Sultan Salih bin Umar, Sultan Qahtan's brother. The attack was repelled; but, as the Turks declared that any advance into the Rada district would imperil the negotiations then proceeding between the two countries, all attempts to demarcate the north-eastern frontier were abandoned. In October 1903 an Agreement was made by Shaikh Mutahir Ali of the Shaibi tribe, by which he undertook to look after the boundary pillars for a monthly stipend of 7 dollars. In 1904 owing to the agreement entered into with the British Government, Sultan Qahtan bin Umar was deposed by tribesmen headed by his brother, Salih. In 1905 Government sanctioned the gift to Sultan Qahtan of $3,000 as assistance towards effecting his rehabilitation. The Shaibi tribesmen have their headmen of clans, who owe a sort of allegiance to