By 1888–1890, when the British signed treaties of protection with the rulers of the area, incorporating it into the Aden Protectorate, there were four states, their rulers known to the British by different titles: the ruler of Biʾr ʿAlī was a sultan, that of Balḥāf a tribal chief and those of Ḥawra and ʿIrqa shaykhs.
By 1888–1890, when the British signed treaties of protection with the rulers of the area, incorporating it into the Aden Protectorate, there were four states, their leaders known to the British by different titles: the ruler of Biʾr ʿAlī was a sultan, that of Balḥāf a tribal chief and those of Ḥawra and ʿIrqa shaykhs.