Razihi

The Razihis are the people of Jabal Razih, a terraced mountain block rising to 2,790 m at Jabal Hurum on Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia, west of Sa'dah. Their speech, Razihi, differs so much from Yemeni Arabic that they call other Yemenis' speech 'Yamanit'; linguists consider it, with Faifi across the Saudi border and the speech of Rijal Alma, possibly the last living descendant of the Old South Arabian languages of Saba, and first called it 'Naziri'. Men can switch to an Arabic register for outsiders. Razihis belong to the Khawlan bin Amir federation, perhaps the Khawlan of Sabaean inscriptions, and are organised in about ten named tribal units with subdivisions, many with names beginning 'Ilt (for example 'Ilt al-Qayyal). Al-Hamdani described the area in the 10th century, and under the 18th-century Qasimi imams Razih was a principality, later two hereditary statelets.

Razih is a land of farmers and traders on steep, carefully built terraces, growing sorghum, fruit, coffee and qat. Its tribes have a long written legal tradition: hundreds of handwritten contracts and treaties from the early 17th to the late 20th century record agreements among the tribes and with rulers, and disputes are settled by elaborate procedures with little violence. Weekly markets, tribal honour and Sayyid families acting as arbiters shape public life. No recent account of family life, dress or festivals specific to Razih was found.

Most Razihis are Zaydi Shia Muslims, like the other highland tribes of Sa'dah, and Sayyid families (descendants of the Prophet) long held religious and political leadership. Sa'dah is the birthplace of the Houthi movement, whose Zaydi revivalist teaching is now imposed in schools and mosques. Folk practices common in Yemen (amulets, healing, the evil eye) probably exist but are not documented for Razih.

No Scripture, JESUS Film or audio recordings exist in Razihi. Razihis understand Arabic and can use Arabic Scripture and media, though Razihi is the language of home. No believers or outreach are known.