Al-Bu`si, Busi, Bo'sī,[1] (Arabic: البعسيBu`sī), or the Bu`si Sheikhdom (Arabic: مشيخة البعسيMashyakhat al-Bu`sī), was a small state in the BritishAden Protectorate. It was one of the states of Upper Yafa.[1]
History
Busi was established around the 18th century.[citation needed]
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 treaties, but Britain denied their applications on the ground that it was undesirable to multiply the number of treaty chiefs, among other reasons.[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 rulers of South Arabian states 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][page needed][failed verification]
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]
Demographics
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]
