Tihami

Tihami is a term used to describe people, culture, and things associated with the Tihama, a broad coastal plain along the western edge of the Arabian Peninsula, including parts of Yemen and western Saudi Arabia. It is commonly applied to inhabitants of the coastal strip and to the dialects and cultural practices tied to this region.

Geographically, the Tihama extends along the Red Sea coast from southern Saudi Arabia to Yemen’s southwestern coast. The area is characterized by low-lying, hot and humid conditions near the shore, with greater aridity inland where mountains rise at the edge of the plateau. The coast supports mangroves and palm groves, and traditional livelihoods include fishing, date cultivation, and agriculture in irrigated oases. Historically important ports on the Yemeni coast include al-Hudaydah and Mokha, which have long served as hubs of maritime activity and trade.

Tihami Arabic comprises several coastal varieties spoken in this region; while mutually intelligible with other Yemeni dialects, it features distinctive phonological and lexical traits linked to maritime trade and cross-cultural contact with Africa and the Levant. The culture often reflects a history of seafaring, fishing, and coastal commerce, with culinary and social practices influenced by interactions across the Red Sea.

Historically, the Tihama coastal plain has been a conduit for Red Sea trade and a site of early Islamic settlements, later evolving under Ottoman and local rule. In Yemen, busy port towns and fishing communities have long characterized the region, with Mokha gaining renown as a coffee port in the 18th–19th centuries. In modern times, the Tihama includes urban centers and rural areas facing development pressures, with the economy anchored in fishing, agriculture, and transit trade, alongside urban services.