By Charles & Patricia Aithie
Reviewed by Karen Dabrowska
Between a travelogue and a socio-cultural history of Yemen, the book by Charles & Patricia Aithie is beautifully produced with over 350 colour photographs and an insightful text.
In the introduction, Mark Marshall, a former British ambassador to Yemen provides a brief historical resume for the general reader. He concludes that the authorities in the Yemen Arab Republic held that in Yemen unity was impossible without democracy but that any attempt to break up the union would also amount to an attempt to impose at least partial dictatorship. When the ex-leaders of the Peoples Democratic Yemen Republic, having lost the election, tried to recreate their ex state, their failure to do so was at least in part due to popular revulsion at the idea of losing the two values, unity and democracy. That the Republic of Yemen survived this rude test in its infancy, is why today as in the mythical days of Qahtah and so rarely since, the land of Yemen is once again united under Yemeni rule.
The introduction is followed by a chronology stretching from 5000 BC to the present day - the final entry reading: 2000 northern border agreed with Saudi Arabia.
The book is divided into three sections: The Highlands, the Tihama and the Hadramaut, the south coast and Aden. Sadly, the authors neglect Socotra, a pictorial gem and do not do justice to the old city of Sana'a with its numerous markets and colorful characters. The photographs of the scenery, especially the mountains in the north and the harbor of Aden are as breathtaking as the subject matter but there is little empathy for the people: the book is a book which delights in scenery and buildings rather than the country's inhabitants.
The authors must be congratulated for their penetrating flashes of insight into Yemeni life: they talk about agriculture, architecture, crafts, religion, qat, coffee and even ghost crabs which are able to run forwards, backwards or sideways across the sand at speeds of up to 16 kilometres an hour.
The introduction to the highlands reminds the reader that the rough terrain which has contributed much to the isolation of Yemen's interior, has given rise to unique forms of agriculture, architecture and lifestyle. Until the twentieth century few foreigners saw the area: until the revolution in the 1960s travellers needed permission from the Imam himself to enter it. Those visitors who did travel in the highlands experienced many difficulties and returned with tales of a remote world. But, even though much of the highlands of Yemen is still wild, mysterious and difficult to access, men from its remote villages have themselves often travelled extensively - some, for example, as sailors from the port of Aden during British rule. This has meant that, despite their apparent isolation, many of the people of these areas have a broad knowledge of the world.
The authors have combined their photographic skills with assiduous research. In their description of The Tihama they mention the Danish expedition led by the explorer Carsten Niebuhr in 1763. At that time al-Luhayya and Mukha were described as the main ports of the Tihama, the lowland strip that lies along the Red Sea coast. Since then the coffee trade has declined and the shift from dhows and fishing boats to modern shipping and oil tankers has seen Hodeidah take over as the main port: the city has seen much expansion in recent years. Yet much of the Tihama beyond Hodeidah is still rooted in the past and communities have continued to sustain a way of life that existed for centuries - and one unlike that of other parts of Yemen.
In addition to the main narrative, the story of the country is told through photo captions: in the section on the Hadramaut and the south coast, next to a photo of dangerous looking horns, we learn that today there are still dances in the interior of the Hadramaut at which the dancers hold ibex horns above their heads in a ceremonial re-enactment of a time when the ibex hunt was a commonplace event. The ibex hunt ceremony was part of an ancient ritual to invoke rain to water the crops.
Some topics, such as Hadramaut honey, the Tawila Tanks in Aden and the geological story are separated from the narrative by boxes.
The book takes the reader on a journey through the country which the Romans called Arabia Felix - Fertile Arabia - capturing a way of life which changed little over the centuries until the 1970s but is now being eroded.
Many of the cities are described in great detail where the present is always cross referenced with the past. Taiz, for example, is a tremendously energetic city. "It has been inhabited since pre-Islamic times and has been a capital for various periods during its history. Today it is a centre of modern industry and commerce and buzzes with life. It sits on a plateau about 80km northeast of Mukha at an altitude of 1,400m. The citadel perched on its own volcanic cone, is tucked under the cliffs of the 3,200-m high Jebel Sabr, a granite mountain. During the reign of Imam Ahmad bin Yahya Hamid ad Din who died in 1962 it housed the hostage relatives by whom he sought to secure the allegiance of the tribal leaders. The city sprawls beneath it".
Like the country they are describing, the authors have a multi-faceted background: Charles Aithie was born in Edinburgh and studied geology at Aberdeen and Oxford Universities before working for BP for ten years, in Scotland, the UAE and Indonesia. Patricia Aithie is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical society and a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers. She was born in Cardiff and studied Fine Art and History of Art at the Canterbury College of Art before studying at the Glamorgan School Journalism.
They both lived and worked together in the Middle and Far East for more than five years travelling extensively with their cameras. They now work from their home in Wales, where in addition to their researching and writing work they maintain an extensive photographic library serving publishers and the visual media.
For further information and copies of Yemen Jewel of Arabia contact Emma Ainger, Marketing Manager, Stacey International: emm@stacey-international.co.uk

Saleh Abdulbaqi
Cultural Editor
Yemen Times
The glorious period that Aden witnessed in the 1950s and 1960s made it a springboard for thought, culture and politics. This was not restricted to Yemen alone but it extended over the whole Arabic Peninsula and the Gulf countries.
Among these eminent and creative Yemeni talents, we find Mohammed Saleh Azzani. In a short period, Al-Azzani achieved what no one could achieve in his age in the field of singing. His talent is endless and allows him to be very creative in the composition of modern songs. He was greatly admired by the great singers Mohammad Morshed Nagi and Mohammad Sa'ad Abdullah. The deceased singer, Ahmad Bin Ahmad Kasem, offered him a song entitled "I Believe I Love you" which was performed by the singer Ahmad Mahyoob.
Al-Azzani was born in Aden in 1964. He grew up and studied there. He attended Al-Nahdha School where Mohammed Murshed Nagi had the leading impact to make Al-Azzani's voice echoed in the world of songs. In 1985, he presented the first artistic work of his life.
He is so gifted that he can create and bridge any artistic work. He met the great singer, Mohammad Mohsen Atrosh who has had the greatest influence on him. The latter praised Al-Azzani for his voice abilities.
Then, Al-Azzani sang a number of wonderful songs that were aired on Aden Radio Station. In this short period of time, he gained huge popularity and love by the audience.
During his artistic career, he created and composed so many songs.
As he could not achieve the popularity he was aspiring for, he sought another environment where he could prosper. He went to Djibouti to participate in artistic festivals.
In short, his marvelous and unique voice granted him large success. So, he could achieve what many Yemeni singers were unable to.

From time to time we hear about new discoveries of traces of ancient civilizations in Yemen. Among those glorious civilizations is Sheba whose story was documented in Holy Books. Despite its ancient history, Yemeni soil is still full of treasures of this fading kingdom.
Recently, there has been news on a discovery of foundations of a very old kingdom in Radman province in al-Beidhaa. This kingdom was established on a hill. The road leading from center of al-Beidhaa to this place is very tough and mountainous. The place is surrounded by huge mountains at 2000 feet above sea level. It is said that this kingdom appeared in the 8th century BC after the collapse of the state of Shammar Yuharish.
The recently discovered site is fully fenced. Its location between the kingdoms of Sheba and Himiar indicates that it had been the trading market of both kingdoms. As approaching the area is still not allowed, I could not take any photos from the site. All the traces uncovered indicate establishment of a very strong kingdom there. The archeologists dug out a fence, old cities, palaces, markets, temples, wells. Part of the fence, two gates that are believed to lead to the Himiarian kingdom were found.
Unfortunately, a lot of people are still ignorant of the great value of such sites. Many ancient palaces have been destroyed by people who wanted to make use of their nice ready stones for building. Others, seeking gold treasures, destroyed whatever they found on their way.
The myths of gold treasures still threaten a lot of ancient and historic sites in al-Beidhaa and many ancient governorates. It is therefore necessary to set up strict procedures to protect such ancient sites.

Saba Published Distinguished News Features
Yemen News Agency (Saba) issued two news features for following up the latest developments related to the U.S. anti-terror campaign. The first file entitled "The U.S. toward Retaliation" and the second "The U.S. toward War" are two of the best files issued by Saba News Agency in its history. The two files included in-depth reporting, analysis and news stories about the attacks on New York and Washington coming from various sources. The new publications are the product of the Reporting Bureau at Saba News Agency headed by Mr. Abdulelah Shaya'a and the support of Mr. Nasar Taha Mustafa Chairman of the Board of Director of Saba News Agency.

Maqaleh Awarded al-Shareqa
Prize for Culture
Dr. Abdulaziz al-Maqaleh has recently been awarded the al-Shareqa Prize for Culture. Mr. al-Maqaleh ranked first of 37 candidates who were nominated for this prize. It is worth mentioning that this honoring prize is awarded to distinguished intellectual and creative activities taking place in Asia, which is administered by UNESCO.
Al-Maqaleh is the first author and poet from the Arab region to win this prize. Miss. Taylor, Chairman of the committee, said that the committee unanimously agreed to translate the different works of Dr. al-Maqaleh into English and French.