Hamida Zakariya Esma'il was the first female judge in South Yemen, Yemen, and the Arab World.
Zakariya had a law degree from Cairo University and in 1970 worked at the South Yemen Ministry of Justice as a legal councilor.
In 1971, at the age of 27, Zakaria was appointed as a judge at the Court of Assizes, in Aden. Her appointment made her the first woman judge in the Arab world.
Zakariya was married and was a mother. She died prior to 2015.