al-Shihr
Al-Shihr (), also known as ash-Shir or simply Shihr, is a coastal town in Hadhramaut, eastern Yemen. Al-Shihr is a walled town located on a sandy beach. There is an anchorage but no docks; boats are used. The main export is fish oil. The town is divided in two by a wādi (dry riverbed) called al-Misyāl. The western quarter is called Majraf and the eastern al-Ramla. As of 1997, it had several souqs (markets), including Sūq al-Lakham, Sūq al-Hunūd, and Sūq Shibām.
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Al-Shihr (), also known as ash-Shir or simply Shihr, is a coastal town in Hadhramaut, eastern Yemen. Al-Shihr is a walled town located on a sandy beach. There is an anchorage but no docks; boats are used. The main export is fish oil. The town is divided in two by a wādi (dry riverbed) called al-Misyāl. The western quarter is called Majraf and the eastern al-Ramla. As of 1997, it had several souqs (markets), including Sūq al-Lakham, Sūq al-Hunūd, and Sūq Shibām.
==History== thumb|270x270px|Al-Aidarous gate of Shihr thumb|upright|Northern gateway of al-Shihr on a stamp issued in 1942 The history of ash-Shihr (formerly also al-Asʿāʾ) can be traced back as far as about AD 780. It was a major port on the incense trade route as an exporter of frankincense to places as far away as China. Ibn Khurradādhbih calls the area around al-Shihr the bilād al-kundur, Land of Incense. It was also known for its ambergris, ʿanbar Shiḥrī. It was the main port of Hadhramaut until replaced by Mukalla in the 19th century.