Yahya Muhammad Hamid Ed-Din - World War I

World War I

Prior to the outbreak of World War I he signed the famous Treaty of Daan with the Ottomans in 1913. The treaty allowed for his rule over the Zaydi controlled portions of Yemen to be recognized.

Following the end of World War I and the demise of the Ottoman Empire and upon the news reaching Yemen on Thursday 14 November 1918 through an Ottoman envoy led by Mahmoud Nadim Bey and Ahmad Tawfiq, Imam Yahya entered Sanaa three days later on Sunday 17 November 1918. He entered in the company of many tribal leaders from Hashid, Arhab, Nihm, and Khowlan. He arrived at the residence of the Judge and Scholar Hussein bin Ali Al Amri and received dignitaries, scholars, Turkish princes, judges, and a flood of subjects who came to proclaim him the supreme ruler of all of Yemen.

His first order of the day was to forbid entering the capital Sanaa with arms, and appointed sentries at the gates to start a reign of peace and justice unparalleled during the years his rule. City after city accepted the rule and authority of Imam Yahya; the port of Mocha, and the city of Taiz were amongst the first most important cities. He took steps to create a modern state, and maintained all Ottoman officials who would stay to support the development of government.

He created a regular army in 1919 that enlisted soldiers from the surrounding tribes to Sanaa; from the tribes of Sanhan, Bani Harthi, and Bani Hushaish. He signed many treaties to recognise Yemen as a Sovereign State. The first was signing the Italo-Yemeni Treaty in 1926.

Due to conflicting tribes in the border areas between Saudi Arabia, and Yemen that escalated a war ensued that was ended in 1934 in the signing of the Taif treat between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The treaty was the basis for the final territorial agreement between both countries concluded during the reign of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, and President Ali Saleh.