The region of Sharʿab occupies a highland plateau lying approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the northwest of the city of Taʿizz in the north-central part of Taʿizz province in southern Yemen, Sharʿab is today one of Yemen’s most densely populated areas. It is made up of two districts: Sharʿab as-Salam and Sharʿab ar-Rawna. According to the 2004 Yemeni census, the former has a population of 146,650, and the latter has 186,955 inhabitants.

Prior to the mid-twentieth century, the Sharʿab region was heavily populated by Jews. According to some estimates there were …