Yemen before World War I (1908-1914)

This study aims to reveal the administrative, military, political, economic and cultural processes of Yemen before the First World War. In this direction, the developments in the administrative structure and administrative officials are explained. In addition, with the changes in the administrative division, the developments in the fields of architecture, transportation and communication are revealed. Military and political developments in Yemen were experienced very intensely during this period. In this period, the rebellions of Imam Yahya, the leader of Zaydiism, a branch of the Shiite sect, and Sayyid Idrisi, a sect leader in Asîr, were struggled. For this reason, there has been an intense dispatch of military forces to Yemen. In 1911, with the Dean Agreement signed between the Zaydi leader Imam Yahya and the Commander of the General Forces Ahmet İzzet Pasha on behalf of the Ottoman Empire, calm was achieved in Yemen. After this treaty, the presence of Sayyid Idrisi and the British in Yemen continued as a political problem. As a matter of fact, Yemen was opened against the British as a front in the First World War. In addition to the fact that the economic structure in Yemen is based on agriculture and animal husbandry, products specific to the region have come to the fore in exports. Educational institutions in Yemen were established and continued under the administration of the Ottoman State. Educational innovations carried out in Anatolia were also established in this region. It is seen that health services in Yemen are of military importance. In addition, epidemics were frequently experienced and various precautions were taken. In this study, it was emphasized how Yemen, which was a province of the Ottoman Empire for a long time, was governed with its administrative, political-military, economic and social structure.