Al-Busi

Bu`si Sheikdom مشيخة البعسي
c. 18th century–1967
Largest city	Hazar-ul-Abu's
Common languages	Arabic
Religion	Islam
Government	Monarchy
Sheikh
• 1903-1954	2 rulers, names unknown
History
• Established	c. 18th century
• British protectorate	1954
• Disestablished	1967
Population
• 19171	2,000
Succeeded by South Yemen
Today part of	Yemen

Al-Bu`si, Busi, Bo'sī,<sup>1</sup> (Arabic: البعسي Bu`sī), or the Bu`si Sheikhdom (Arabic: مشيخة البعسي Mashyakhat al-Bu`sī), was a small state in the British Aden Protectorate. It was one of the states of Upper Yafa.¹

Busi was established around the 18th century.

Protectorate treaties were signed with the other states of Upper Yafa in 1903, but Busi was excluded and remained independent.² Between 1903 and 1954, two different sheikhs of Busi, father and son, attempted to obtain a protectorate treaty, but Britain denied their applications, partly because it was undesirable to multiply the number of treaty chiefs.² Although Busi was not allowed to enter into the British protectorate, the sheikhs were still entitled to an annual visit to Aden.² The Sheikh of Busi was one of the South Arabian rulers attending the second Lahej conference in 1930.³

In August 1954, a request for a protectorate treaty by the Sheikh of Busi was forwarded by Tom Hickinbotham, the Governor of Aden, to Alan Lennox-Boyd, the Secretary of State for the Colonies.² In that year, Busi became the last of the Yemeni polities to enter into a protectorate treaty with Britain.⁴ In A History of Modern Yemen (2000), Paul Dresch notes that this treaty was virtually identical to the ones Britain had signed with Busi's neighbours 50 years earlier.⁴ Busi did not join the Federation of South Arabia in 1962, but was nominally part of the Protectorate of South Arabia.⁵

Its last sheikh was deposed in 1967 upon the founding of the People's Republic of South Yemen and the area is now part of the Republic of Yemen.⁶

The Busi country was a flat plain intersected by small valleys, the principal of which was the Wādī-ul-Ab'us.¹ Busi was bordered by Al-Dubi in the west and Hadrami in the north.² Busi had no border with the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen.²

Busi was inhabited by a single tribe of the same name. In 1917, it was estimated to have a population of around 2000.¹ The plurality of the Busi, about 900 of them, resided in the settlement of Hazar-ul-Abu's, while the rest of them were spread out over 18 other villages in the vicinity.¹

As of 1917, Busi had around 500 fighting men.¹