River · Yemen
Wadi Hadramaut
The Wadi Hadramaut is the longest valley river of Yemen and cuts deep into the dry highlands. Through the Wadi Masila its water finds a way to the Arabian Sea in the south-east.
Picture credit: www.peace-on-earth.org (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Wadi Hadramaut?
The river starts here: Dry highlands in the interior of Yemen.
It ends in the Arabian Sea, by way of the Wadi Masila.
Countries on the river: Yemen.
The story behind it
A wadi is a river valley that is dry for most of the year. The Hadramaut looks like a wide canyon between steep yellow cliffs, with a green ribbon of date palms on its floor. People have lived here for thousands of years and built tall houses of mud brick that look like early skyscrapers; the town of Shibam is the most famous of them. Farmers grow dates, wheat and honey plants, and goats browse in the shade. Water lies hidden under the gravel, and wells bring it up. Only after heavy rain does a real river appear, brown and fast, and then the flood can sweep away walls and roads. Because the water flows so rarely, nobody agrees on how long this river should be counted at all.
Questions children ask
How long is the Wadi Hadramaut?
No secure length can be given for the Wadi Hadramaut. The valley only carries water after rain, so it is unclear which part should be counted. It is still considered the longest river valley in Yemen.
Which country does the Wadi Hadramaut flow through?
The Wadi Hadramaut lies entirely in Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula. It runs through the region that carries the same name. Many old towns and palm gardens stand along its floor.
Where does the Wadi Hadramaut flow into?
Its water reaches the Arabian Sea through the Wadi Masila. This only happens after strong rain, when a real river forms for a short time. For most of the year the lower valley stays dry.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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