Al Ghaydah

Al Ghaydah is the capital of Al Mahrah Governorate in far eastern Yemen, near the border with Oman. It is a coastal town on the Arabian Sea with a population of roughly 11,000, and hosts an internet cable landing point (the FALCON undersea cable) that gives it an outsized role in the governorate's connectivity. The town has remained relatively unscathed by Yemen's civil war and has absorbed internally displaced people from other parts of the country as a result. Al Mahrah has a distinct Mahri-speaking population and culture set apart from the rest of Yemen, and the governorate is one of the country's least developed.

By Plane

Al Ghaydah Airport (AAY), served by Yemenia, connects the town to Aden and Socotra.

By Train

Yemen has no operating railway network.

By Car / Road

Al Ghaydah sits on the coastal road that runs from Mukalla, through Al Mahrah, to the Omani border crossing.

• Qishn — coastal fishing town to the west
• Sayhut — coastal settlement further west
• Hawf — mountainous district near the Omani border, east of Al Ghaydah
• Mukalla — Hadramawt's coastal capital, west along the coast road