Dar al-Mustafa was founded in the 1990s by Habib Umar bin Hafiz and has grown into one of the most internationally influential Islamic seminaries of recent decades. It teaches a Shafi'i, Sufi-inflected curriculum rooted in the Hadrami scholarly tradition, and has produced graduates now serving as imams and teachers from Indonesia to the United States.
For most visitors the academy is interesting more as a phenomenon than as a sight: a quiet walled compound on the outskirts of Tarim, with the school's distinctive minaret rising over the date palms. It is occasionally open to visitors outside class hours; modest dress and an introduction are essential.