Events: with Hadhramout as main theme

In the past few days, several cultural events in a number of places - have Hadhramaut as their main subjects. In Tarim - Tareem, which is the 2010 Islamic Culture capital - an exhibition of old photographs on Hadhramout is being held; in Britain, Frey Stark's classic A Winter In Arabia, which has Hadhramout as its main subject - is reviewed; and in Singapore, an exhibition of early Arabs, mainly Hadhramis, is opening.

In Tarim an exhibition is held: A Time in Hadhramaut is a historical exhibition of photographs taken by Harold and Doreen Ingrams during their stay in Hadhramaut. During their time in Hadhramaut, the ingramses also kept diaries, the captions for this entire exhibition come from these Diaries, their books: Arabia and the Isles, A Time in Arabia, Social and Economic Conditions of the Eastern Aden Protectorate and A Report on the Social, Economic and Political Condition of the Hadhramaut and from a number of articles by Harold and Doreen in different Journals.

The exhibition covers some of the journeys made by Harold and Doreen Ingrams and especially The First Detailed Survey of Hadhramaut 1934.

The exhibition, which was organised to be a part of Tarim festival being the Capital of Islamic Culture 2010, drew lots of media and attendance attention. The British Council Yemen held an opening reception for the exhibition at its final home and current venue, Al Kathiri Sultan’s Palace in Seiyoun. Read more from the British Council

In Britain, Freya Stark's book is reviewed: Part of Stark's quest in Yemen was the search for Shabwa, Hadhramaut's ancient capital, and it's through this journey that she examines the the country, its landscapes and its people. Stark's writing has a wonderfully broad appeal, infused with an engaging mixture of erudition and a beguiling attention to the smaller domestic details of her own circumstances.From the Telegraph

In Singapore, another exhibition is being held - with Hadhramis in mind : The exhibition in English will feature current and historical information about the social, economic and cultural links between Hadhramaut in Yemen and Southeast Asia.

Hadhramaut is where most of the early Arabs in Singapore originated from. From Channel News Asia

It is not surprising for such events to be held, in different places around the world - with Hadhramout as the main subject. Hadhramout has had a very prominent role both in history and Islam; and people from Hadhramout or their descendants, live in many countries: Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, East Timor, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Vietnam, the Philippines, the Maldives, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Comoros, Mozambique, Seychelles, East Africa, Somalia, Djbouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan - many Hadhramis live in these countries and have played important religious, cultural and commercial roles. Today, the Hadharem are some of the most influential businessmen in Saudi Arabia, the Arabian Gulf countries, South East Asia and Eastern Africa. Indeed, most countries around the world have people - a few or many - of Hadharem living there.