Yemenite Jews in the Red Sea Trade and the Development of a New Diaspora

Abstract

This article explores the Red Sea world from the perspective of Yemenite Jewish migration and the Yemenite Jewish diaspora. Such a perspective, unexamined so far, supports the notion of the "Red Sea World" as a cultural geographical unit and helps extend its research parameters. In providing an integrative approach to the study of the multiple Jewish communities in the Red Sea region, which are typically viewed as distinct and relatively isolated, the research also contributes to the study of Jewish diaspora history. My research further reveals that there were close ties between Muslim and Jewish immigrants in the area around the Red Sea.