Alsagoff Arab School

The majority of the Arabs in Singapore are Hadhramis tracing their ancestry from the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula called Hadhramaut, which is now part of the Republic of Yemen. The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen PDRY was formed on 30 November 1967 when it achieved independence after 129 years of British rule. Some of the people living there are known as “Hadhramis”. The land there is mostly desert region. The fertile areas, suitable for cultivation, are small and concentrated in the wadi region. This harsh natural environment drove the Hadhramis to travel out of the area to trade and acquire the necessary items they needed. They had travelled to and engaged in trade in several areas: Hyderabad, India , Dar-es-Salaam and East Africa as well as Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies. Broadly speaking, the Hadhramis have three social strata. The first are the Ba 'Alawi sada who are the descendants of the grandsons of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, namely Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, and are known by their singular honorific Syed for men and “Sharifah” for women. In Yemen and elsewhere, many among them are revered religious scholars and administrators.The second are the Mashaikhs, many among whom are scholars too, and sometimes, farmer. Their family names often begin with Ba- . Then there the Gabails, also known as the Kathiris, who are a collection of tribes. Most among them are landowners. Among the prominent Gabail families are the Bin Thalibs and Bin Abdats and the honorific Sheikh and Sheikhah often precede their names.
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