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The Qu’aiti State of Hadhramaut, located in southern Arabia (present-day Yemen), was a sultanate under British protection as part of the Aden Protectorate. Ruled by the Qu’aiti dynasty, it maintained internal autonomy while relying on Britain for defense and external affairs. The state continued in this form until the British withdrawal and the formation of South Yemen in 1967.
The Qu’aiti State issued a distinctive series of postage stamps, initially using overprinted Indian and later Aden stamps before introducing its own designs. Many issues featured portraits of the ruling sultans, local architecture, and regional motifs, while later emissions included colorful thematic sets aimed at international collectors. These stamps reflect both traditional authority and evolving philatelic trends.
The state used the Indian rupee and later the East African Shilling, before adopting the South Arabian Dinar = 1000 Fils under the Federation of South Arabia
1966 - Qu'aiti State of Hadhramaut 100 Fils - Dhow Building - Surcharge Overprint
Original Stamp First Issued: 20 Oct 1963Overprint Surcharge Issued: 01 Apr 1966Orig: 2 East African Shillings, Surcharged to 100 South Arabian FilsCraftsmen SeriesDe La Rue & Co. Ltd.SG: AD-QSH 62 Colnect Link1966 - Qu'aiti State of Hadhramaut 100 Fils - Dhow Building - Surcharge Overprint
This stamp was originally issued by the Qu'aiti State in Hadhramaut in the east of what is today Yemen. It belonged to a pictorial issue featuring local industry - here, a wooden dhow under construction - reflecting the state's maritime economy. In the upper right hand corner is then ruler of the State, Awadh Il bin Saleh Al Qu'aiti who abdicated in 1966 in favour of his son. The overprint reflects the transition of the Qu'aiti State from the British Protectorate of Aden into the Federation of South Arabia. Although the Federation had been formed by the British in 1963, The Qu'aiti State initially refused to join it, seeing it as being dominated by states in Western Yemen. It was only after the security situation in Yemen began to deteriorate that the State finally agreed to join in 1966 - which is where this overprint stamp comes from.Joining the Federation was to no avail though. In 1967, communist forces overran Yemen, forcing the British to leave and ousting the ruler of the Qu'aiti State into exile before establishing the People's Republic of South Yemen. The "MUK" on the postmark would refer to Mukalla, the capital of the Qu'aiti State.
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