The Kathiris once ruled much of Hadhramaut, but their power was truncated by the rival Qu’aitis in the 19th and 20th centuries, losing Al-Mukalla in the late 19th century process. The Kathiris were eventually restricted to a small inland portion of Hadhramaut with their capital at Seiyun (Say’un).
The sultanate entered into treaty relations with the British in 1888 and became a part of the Aden Protectorate in 1916, a division occurred in Kathiri and the Sultanate of Tarim separated from Kathiri.
The Kathiri State declined to join the Federation of South Arabia, but remained under British protection as part of the Protectorate of South Arabia. Al-Husayn ibn Ali, Kathiri sultan since 1949, was overthrown in October 1967, and the following month the former sultanate became part of newly independent South Yemen.
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