Upper Yafa

State of Upper Yafa يافع العليا Yāfi‘ al-‘Ulyā
State of the Protectorate of South Arabia
c. 1800–1967
Flag Emblem
Map of Upper Yafa in its region
Capital	Mahjaba
Area
• 1967 est.	1,600 km2 (620 sq mi)
Population
• 1967 est.	35,000
Government
• Type	Confederal Sultanate
• Motto	إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأمُرُ بِالعَدلِ وَالإِحسَانِ 'Inn Alllah yamur bialeadl wal'iihsan "Indeed, Allah commands justice and grace"
Historical era	20th century
• Established	c. 1800
• Disestablished	29 November 1967
Succeeded by South Yemen

Upper Yafa or Upper Yafa'i (Arabic: يافع العليا Yāfi‘ al-‘Ulyā), officially the State of Upper Yafa (Arabic: دولة يافع العليا Daulat Yāfiʿ al-ʿUlyā), was a military alliance in the British Aden Protectorate and the Protectorate of South Arabia. It was ruled by the Harharah dynasty and its capital was Mahjaba, a small town on a hill located about 50 km northeast of Habilayn.^[1]

The sultan of Upper Yafa had very little control over Upper Yafa's constituent sheikdoms,^[2] which had separate protectorate treaties with the British,^[3] and were free to disassociate from the policies of the Upper Yafa sheikh.^[2] The only time that the Upper Yafa sheikh held influence was during a crisis that threatened the independence of Upper Yafa's states, during which they would unite under the sultan. This meant that Upper Yafa was more akin to a military alliance than a genuine state.^[2]