Fadhli or the Fadhli Sultanate (Arabic السلطنة الفضلية ), was an independent sultanate

Sultan

Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

 on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula

Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...

 from at least the 15th century until 1967. It was one of the original "Nine Cantons" that signed protection

Protectorate

In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...

 agreements with Great Britain

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 in the early 20th century and became part of the British Aden Protectorate

Aden Protectorate

The Aden Protectorate was a British protectorate in southern Arabia which evolved in the hinterland of Aden following the acquisition of that port by Britain in 1839 as an anti-piracy station, and it continued until the 1960s. For administrative purposes it was divided into the Western...

.

It was a founding member of the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South

Federation of Arab Emirates of the South

The Federation of Arab Emirates of the South was an organization of states within the British Aden Protectorate in what would become South Yemen. The Federation of six states was inaugurated in the British Colony of Aden on 11 February 1959. It subsequently added nine states and, on 4 April...

 in 1959 and its successor, the Federation of South Arabia

Federation of South Arabia

The Federation of South Arabia was an organization of states under British protection in what would become South Yemen. It was formed on 4 April 1962 from the 15 protected states of the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South. On 18 January 1963 it was merged with the crown colony of Aden...

, in 1963. The capital of the Fadhlis was Shuqrah

Shuqrah

Shuqrah is a coastal town in southern Yemen. It was the capital of the Fadhli Sultanate until the capital moved to Zinjibar in 1962, although the royal residence remained in Shuqrah....

, located on the coast of the Gulf of Aden

Gulf of Aden

The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....

, until 1962, when the administrative capital was moved to Zinjibar

Zinjibar

Zinjibar is a port and coastal town in south-central Yemen, the capital of Zinjibar District and the Abyan Governorate. It is located next to the Wadi Bana in the Abyan Delta. From 1962 to 1967, it was the administrative capital of the Fadhli Sultanate, although the royal residence remained at...

, located about 60 km to the east of Aden, although the sultan's residence remained at Shuqrah.

The last sultan, Nasser bin Abdullah bin Hussein bin Ahmed Alfadhli (Arabic: السلطان ناصر بن عبدالله بن حسين بن أحمد الفضلي), was deposed and the state was abolished in 1967 upon the founding of the People's Republic of South Yemen, which is now part of the Republic of Yemen

Yemen

The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

.

Sultans

The Sultanate extended back at least to Othman who ruled until 1670. The sultans were:

• Othman (`Uthman), reigned  ...–1670
• Fadhl bin Othman, reigned 1670–1700
• Ahmed bin Fadhl bin Othman, reigned 1700–1730
• Abdullah bin Ahmed bin Fadhl, reigned 1730–1760
• Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Ahmed, reigned 1760–1789
• Abdullah, reigned 1789–1805
• Ahmed bin Abdullah, reigned 1805–1819
• Abdullah bin Ahmed bin Abdullah, reigned 1819–1828
• Haydara bin Ahmed bin Abdullah, reigned 1870–1877
• Hussein bin Ahmed bin Abdullah, reigned 1877 briefly
• Ahmed bin Hussein bin Ahmed, 1877–1907, signed treaty with British 1888
• Hussein bin Ahmed bin Abdullah, second reign 1907–1924
• Abdul Qadir bin Ahmed bin Hussein, reigned 1924–1927
• Abdullah bin Hussein, reigned 1927–1929
• Fadhl bin Hussein, reigned 1929–1933
• Abdul Karim, reigned 1933–1936
• Saleh bin Fadhl, reigned 1936–1941
• Abdullah bin Othman (`Abd Allah ibn `Uthman), reigned 1941-1962, abdicated
• Ahmed bin Abdullah, reigned 1962–1964, abdicated
• Nasser bin Abdullah bin Hussein bin Ahmed, reigned 1964–1967, the last sultan

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