The Fadhli Sultanate was one of the original "Nine Cantons" that signed protection agreements with Great Britain in the early 20th century and became part of the British Aden Protectorate. It was a founding member of the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South in 1959 and its successor, the Federation of South Arabia, in 1963. The capital of the Fadhlis was Shuqrah, located on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, until 1962, when the administrative capital was moved to Zinjibar, located about 60 km to the east of Aden, although the sultan's residence remained at Shuqrah.