Prominent villages surrounding the city include Madurah, Mérida, Burr, Hazkir, and Houta Sultana.

Destruction of the columns confirms that the Hadhramaut region was undergoing an economic prosperity owing to the spread of grape cultivation in large areas under the climatic conditions different from the current ones.

The son of Haritha led the revolution in 1179 but it gained its autonomy only in the year 1501 when it became the capital of the valley in the era of Badr Abu Tuwairq (1501-1556), where an administrative unit consisting of a sultanate that extended from Ain Ba to the west of the city of Dhofar was founded.

As for its architectural development, it can be summarized as follows: In the 7th century AH, it was a small village located within the district of Shaharah - Al-Sahil.

It then developed to include other buildings, and a wall was built around it during the reign of Sultan Badr Abi Tuwairq in the year 922 AH.

In the year 1120 AH, Ali ibn Abdullah Al-Sqaf obtained a piece of desert land in the tribal district and built a mosque on it.

The urbanization continued in the 14th century when Abu Bakr bin Salim Al-Saban acquired a piece of desert land in Wadi Jatham and built a mosque on it.

This indicates that the palace existed before the reign of Sultan Abu Tuwairq, who made it his official residence and added a mosque to it.

In the year 1125 AH, Omar bin Jafar Al Kathiri renewed the construction of the palace.

In 1272 AH, Ghalib bin Muhsin Al Kathiri arrived in Seiyun and made it the capital of his rule.

Later, his son Mansour bin Ghalib bin Muhsin Al Kathiri continued the construction of the palace in the period between 1355-1357 AH, adding adornments and making expansions, including the construction of the Al-Aqra, which is the entrance leading to the palace, and building a large hall in the façade and its surroundings.

It also features sections dedicated to folk heritage and historical documents, including those related to the Kathiri Sultanate when Seiyun served as its capital.

Qarat Al-Ar houses an ancient fortress mentioned in the year 616 AH when it was cited by historians as the place where Sultan Abdullah bin Rashid Al Qahtani was imprisoned and killed.