Studies on current traditional forms of authority in Yemen have mostly focused on tribal and religious authorities; consistently using those two terms to analyze much of the political and social dynamics of the country. There is, however, another form of authority which deserves much attention, which is that of the “seyyid”. Within this social segment the two forms of authority converge to create a hybrid that is not solely religious neither solely tribal. Neglecting this segment with its peculiar form of authority may be due to a misconception that it has been effectively eroded with the coup d’état of 1962. This would have been the case, had country been radically revolutionized. But what happened was that the basic forms of local authority were retained, and the “seyyid” merely limited in power, but not eliminated as an authority. The “seyyid” authority which was acquired in their 1100 years of presence in Yemen has many layers. One of those layers is the “seyyid” monopolization to the right of governance; ie: the Imamah. But other layers still persist and have continuously been manifested directly and indirectly in various situations from the simple role of mediation, to the leadership of the strongest insurgency in the Republican history of Yemen. One can even extend that authority to conscious sense of intimidation the presence of the “seyyid” still exhorts. This doesn’t mean that it is a static authority. Rather it is as all traditional authorities undergoing its own process of adaptation to the various challenges and requirements of modernization. My paper will highlight some of the questions that need to be asked to gain a better understanding of this traditional hybrid form of authority in terms of its foundations and socio-political role.