The Tihama Coast: Yemen's Red Sea Frontier

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Tihama, Yemen's Red Sea coastal plain — a hot, humid strip that was once the gateway for coffee, slaves, and pilgrims. They trace the region's role from the medieval Zabid, a UNESCO site and center of Islamic learning, to the 16th-century Ottoman occupation and the 19th-century British blockade of the slave trade. They discuss the unique architecture of mud-brick villages, the Zaraniq tribe's resistance to the Ottomans, and the modern crisis of Houthi control and displacement. Along the way, they unpack how the Tihama's history is tied to the Red Sea's broader past: Mocha's coffee port, the Ethiopian influence, and the forgotten kingdom of the Zaydis. Specific names include the Rassids, the Ottoman governor Özdemir Pasha, the British naval campaign against slavery, and the recent Saudi-led coalition airstrikes.

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