The coast of Yemen, located on the Southern Arabian Penninsula, has seen its share of history, which is still seen from the evidence of its towns, villages, traditions, and folklore. As one of the world's most ancient countries, Yemen supplied the ancient world with exotic items such as frankincense, myrrh, spices, condiments and other luxury items. Much like the majority of ancient trade that occurred in Eurasia (the Middle East), many civilizations prospered from the trade of spices, especially frankincense and myrrh, which were greatly prized and worth their weight in gold. This region was ruled from 1000 B.C. by three successive civilizations: the Minean, Sabaean, and Himyarite. To the north of the coast is the great sea of sand - Rub' al Kahli, called the Empty Quarter, which is a sea of sand roughly the size of Texas, inhabited by few people. To avoid time loss in trade, ships were often used along the coast at points of contact, at which goods would be transferred for in-land trading cities. Roads were relatively established after generations of trading routes being used by long trains of camels carrying the burden of the spices. The area had been entirely conquered by the Romans by the first century B.C. The southwestern coastal strait is known as Bab El-Mandeb, which links the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea, remained an important trade corridor for about 3,000 years.

Islam was introduced into the region in about AD630 and the Yemen was ruled by a series of Arab caliphs. The first mosques to be built in the Yemen were in San'a al-Janad and near Wadi Zabid. These mosques are still standing. Later in the seventh century the Ummayyad and Abbasid caliphs moved their capital first to Damascus and later to Baghdad, thus diminishing Yemen's political status in the new Islamic Empire. A succession of governors of the region followed, with a number of dynasties struggling for supremacy. These dynasties included the Ziyadids, the Najahids, the Sulayhids, Egyptian Ayyuhids and the Turkoman Rasulids. The most important dynasty, founded in AD897 by Yayha bin Husayn bin Qasim ar-Rassi, were the Zaydis of Sa'da. This stable, Shiite dynasty lasted well into the 20th century.

The coastal area has a primarily dry and hot climate with an annual rainfall of about 9 inches (229mm). The region is prone to severe sandstorms and maximum daytime temperatures ranging from 32° C in winter to over 40° C in summer. The region was once rich in fawna and flora, but is virtually non-existent due to hunting and the effects of agricultural use of the arable land available. Al-Mukalla is a seaport and fishing centre in the southern part of the Hadhramawt province, and was founded in 1035A.D. as a fishing village. The beautiful white buildings in the old town are of interest to visitors and there are several impressive mosques, notably ar-Rawdha and the Mosque of 'Umar. Outside the town a small fortress, Husn al-Ghuwayzi, can be seen on the summit of a cliff.