Hamida Zakariya Esma'il was the first female judge in South Yemen, Yemen,[1] and the Arab World.
[2] Zakariya had a law degree from Cairo University and in 1970 worked at the South Yemen Ministry of Justice as a legal councilor.
[1] In 1971, at the age of 27,[1] Zakaria was appointed as a judge at the Court of Assizes, in Aden.
[3][4][5] Her appointment made her the first woman judge in the Arab world.
[2] Zakariya was married and was a mother.