{{Infobox settlement <!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage--> <!-- Basic info ----------------> |name = Al Luḩayyah |other_name = |native_name = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English --> |nickname = |settlement_type = |motto = <!-- images and maps -----------> |image_skyline = |imagesize = |image_caption = |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |pushpin_map = Yemen<!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map --> |pushpin_label_position = bottom |pushpin_mapsize = 300 |pushpin_map_caption = Location in Yemen <!-- Location ------------------> |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = {{flag|Yemen}} |subdivision_type1 = Governorate |subdivision_name1 = Al Hudaydah |subdivision_type2 = |subdivision_name2 = |subdivision_type3 = |subdivision_name3 = |<!-- Politics -----------------> |government_footnotes = |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager --> |leader_name1 = |established_title = <!-- Settled --> |established_date = <!-- Area ---------------------> |area_magnitude = |unit_pref = Imperial <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired--> |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = <!-- ALL fields dealing with a measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion--> |area_land_km2 = <!--See table @ Template:Infobox Settlement for details on automatic unit conversion--> <!-- Population -----------------------> |population_as_of = 2005 |population_footnotes = |population_note = 2,656 |population_total = |population_density_km2 = |population_density_sq_mi = |population_metro = |population_density_metro_km2 = |population_density_metro_sq_mi = |population_blank1_title = Ethnicities |population_blank1 = |population_density_blank1_km2 = |population_density_blank1_sq_mi = <!-- General information ---------------> |timezone = Yemen Standard Time |utc_offset = +3 |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |coordinates = {{Coord|15|23|0|N|42|33|37|E|region:YE|display=inline}} |elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags--> |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = <!-- Area/postal codes & others --------> |postal_code_type = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... --> |postal_code = |area_code = |blank_name = |blank_info = |blank1_name = |blank1_info = |website = |footnotes = }}
'''Al Luḩayyah''' (also spelt '''Luhayyah''', '''Loheia''', '''Luhaiyah''', or '''Loheiya'''; {{langx|ar|اللحية}}) is a town on the Tihamah coastal plain, Yemen. It is located at around {{coord|15|42|14|N|42|41|31|E |region:YE_type:city |display=inline,title}}. The port lies 6 km (4 miles) southwest of Al Luḩayyah, partially protected by the offshore island of Al-Urmak.
== History == According to local tradition the town was founded at the dawn of the 15th century by a holy man, Sheikh Ali az-Zayla'i, named after the city he was from Zeila in Somalia.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gori|first=Alessandro|title=Una Famiglia Santa Tra Africa Orientale e Yemen: Gli Zaylaʿī Nelle "Ṭabaqāt" di Aḥmad B. Aḥmad B. ʿAbd Al-Laṭīf Al-Šarǧī|date=1998|jstor=41881017|journal=Rivista degli studi orientali|volume=72|issue=1/4|pages=41–60|quote=According to the Yemeni author al-Šarǧï, whose Arabic text is fully translated and analyzed in this article, the al-Zaylaʿī of Yemen originally came from (Zayla) Africa.}}</ref> The interest in the local saint (who is buried in the local mosque) quickly attracted new settlers, and within a century, the unassuming town developed from around the mid-15th century into a bustling town, and a substantial center of the export trade in coffee.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQvhZaEVzjcC&dq=sheikh+Ali+az-Zayla%27i.|title=Yemen|last=McLaughlin|first=Daniel|date=2008|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=9781841622125|pages=162|language=en}}</ref> By the end of the 18th century, the az-Zayla'i family was still regarded as a holy family<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kXfYAQAAQBAJ&dq=Sheikh+Salei|title=Western Arabia & The Red Sea|last=Naval|date=2013-10-28|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781136209956|pages=546|language=en}}</ref> and Al Luḩayyah was a walled and well-fortified town. It was under the direction of the Emir Farhan when an expedition from Denmark visited the city and described their reception.<ref>Travels through Arabia and other countries in the East: performed by M. Niebuhr...translated into English by Robert Heron (Edinburgh, 1792)</ref>
From about 1800 onwards Al Luḩayyah was a part of the Ottoman Empire, and in 1912 suffered damage during the Italo-Turkish War.<ref>''The Times'', Wednesday, Jan 17, 1912; pg. 5; Issue 39797; col C :'The Italian Naval Victory:..the Italian cruisers Puglia and {{ship|Italian cruiser|Calabria||2}} razed the fortifications at Kunfuda, Loheia, and Midy,...' According to the New York Times though '...the Italians...on January 5 poured a hail of shells into the military camp. The Turks, however, suffered very few casualties, and no damage was done to the houses in the town.' ''New York Times'', 16 January 1912.</ref> It was captured in 1918 in a joint attack by the British Navy and forces loyal to the Idrisi rulers of Asir,<ref>''The Times'', Tuesday, Oct 24, 1922; pg. 18; Issue 43170; col E</ref> under whose control it remained until 1925 when it again came under Yemeni authority. It was seized in spring 1934 by the Saudis, who returned it however in the same year under the Treaty of Al-Ta'if.<ref>''The Times'', Thursday, Jun 14, 1934; pg. 15; Issue 46780; col F: 'Arabian Peace: Treaty signed by Wahabi King'</ref>
The town was formerly a trading centre of significance but has declined in the last two centuries, especially as seaborne traffic has moved to more modern facilities at Ahmadi, the port of Al Hudaydah. The population is estimated at under 3,000.<ref>Luhayyah, Al-." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010</ref>
{{Wide image|File:CoastalTownsThomasElwon (Loheia, Luhayya).jpg|1200px|align-cap=center|'Town of Loheia', sketched by Thomas Elwon between 1829 and 1834.|alt=Town of Luhayya}}
== Notes == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://acor.digitalrelab.com/index.php?s=filter=place_name:al-Luhayya%20(Yemen) Photographs of Al Luḩayyah] at the American Center of Research
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Al Luhayyah}} Category:Populated places in al-Hudaydah Governorate Category:Populated coastal places in Yemen Category:Port cities and towns of the Red Sea Category:Towns in Yemen