By Hassen Al Zaidi
Yemen Times Staff
Baraqish is one of the ancient historical towns in Yemen, located on the road which leads to Jawf governorate, 160 km to the north- west of Sana’a. It was built during the era of the Maeen state in the fourth century B C and it had played a great role in the Maeeni people success of their revolution on the state of Sheba in the year 400 B C.
Baraqish was a source of Yemenis inspiration as the religious life concentrated in it, as mentioned by the historian, Halif. This town which is still full of unraveled secrets about the Maeeni civilization, is nowadays exposed to acts of stealing of its historical antiquities and smuggling them for the sake of getting money at the expense of their national heritage, betraying the sense of patriotism that they should enjoy.
The moment I saw it, I felt that I’m in front of a great and deep- rooted historical town, reflecting the great image of an old Yemeni civilization. The person accompanying me in my visit to the town of Baraqish, one of Jawf inhabitants, told me that the historical site of the was systematically exposed to acts of illegal digging by some citizens for the sake of searching for antiques to be smuggled and sold, causing a great loss of a national wealth. He said that people here sell the antiques they find to special brokers who smuggle them out of the country.
It is worth mentioning that Al Wahda Newspaper has recently reported that security forces seized about (450) antique pieces intended to be smuggled via Sana’a airport, but did not refer to the criminals who committed that serious crime and in a bid to sell out our history to foreigners. It is a pity that we never heard about punishing such gangs or sending them to courts for trial, authorities have rather sufficed themselves to announcing the seizure of the antiques. A man there told me that he hoped to retrieve the amount of YR 4,000,000 one of the inhabitants had received for selling an antique one year ago. I felt sorrowful when I remembered an interview conducted by a Yemeni newspaper with a Swedish head of an agency when he said the only hope in his life ever is to see Baraqish and some other historical towns in Al Jawf if he could help. We hope that our government interferes to save our history and antiques from thieves and smugglers.

BY SALEH ABDULBAQI
During Yemen’s flourishing cultural era of the 1960s, many artists and poets emerged signaling a cultural and musical revolution that influenced many aspects of life in the country. Those talented artists enriched Yemen’s musical reputation with their professional and creative works that were implemented with very high quality standards and superb styles. Many of those poets present their poems with precise expression of feelings and mystical descriptions of human thoughts. Among those fascinating individuals is poet and artist Ahmed Ali Annasri.
Annasri was one of the most widely known poets of Lahj, who enriched the Lahji songs with his distinguished poetry. On the occasion of his second memorial on July 2nd 2002, the Association to Develop Culture and Literature in Aden organized a memorial ceremony in Dar Sa’ad recalling his great contributions to the Yemeni cultural movement and remembering his role in presenting the Yemeni poem in the best form.
Among the intellectuals, who delivered speeches on this occasion were poet Gamal Mahlati, critic Hani Mohammed Saed Garadah and novelist Al-Shatiri.
In his statement, Al Mahlati dealt with the poetic perceptions and influences in Annasri’s poetry, which reflected itself deeply in his songs. Hani Garadah noted in his speech the methodical dimensions, rhetorical expressions and eloquence the late poet used to skillfully employ expressions quoted from the Holy Koran’s narrations. Al-Shatiri indicated that Annasri’s poetry reflected the green villages and oases of Lahj as well as the poet’s love to his land.
All participants in the event agreed on the worthy contributions of the late in lyric poetry and national songs in which he used efficiently to positively influence the political incidents inside the country and abroad.
In his poetry, Annasri supported the revolutions of many Arab countries including the revolution of the million martyrs of Algeria and Bur Saeed’s revolution of Egypt in 1956.
Annasri’s national songs are considered among the most famous and widely known to the public as many people know some of them by heart. Among those songs are Duk al Ka’a, Kaheel Atarf and others.
There are many singers who continue to sing Annasri’s songs such as Abdulkareem Tawfeek and others who relied on his original poetry in producing their own works. Those songs and poets that relied on Annasri’s poetry along plus all his own original songs were put together in one poetic collection entitled Duk al Ka’a and was issued in 1986 by the Ministry of Culture in Aden.
The gesture of Aden’s educated intellectuals represented by the Association to Develop Culture and Literature in Dar Sa’ad was praised by all faithful Yemenis who appreciate talented and creative poets such as Annasri. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture in Aden however to sponsor such events more frequently so as to remember great achievers of the past who contributed a lot to Yemen’s cultural development.

BY ISMAEL AL-GHABARI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Sayoun is one of the most attractive tourist towns in Yemen. With its ancient history dating back to the sixteenth century after Hijrah and with its buildings’ unique architecture, Sayoun –located in Hadhramout Valley south east Yemen- is the destination of thousands of foreign tourists who come to explore the beauty of the city and find the hidden treasures of history.
Wherever you walk in the lanes of Sayoun, you will find smiling faces, hospitable people, ancient sites, beautiful buildings and mosques, and signs of wisdom and knowledge. Once you see them, and perhaps walk into them, you will never forget those skyscrapers, which are the first of their kind on this planet, and which mark the town’s rich human history.
Unlike today’s skyscrapers, those of Sayoun are made of mud and mud only. The innovation and greatness of old Yemenis can be clearly seen in this spectacular town. But the town is mostly famous for the different dynasties of scholars and religious men (Ulama), who graduated from its mosques and schools and left the country to teach others thousands of miles away. The town was and still is the place where tens of scholars and poets come from.
In recent year, Sayoun just as the case with many other Yemeni historic towns have received care and attention from the government and other concerned local and international bodies to preserve its uniqueness and natural beauty. The town had its share of development projects in all human sectors. Commercial activities and expansion in residential areas have also been taking place in the last decade, but the main concern of the people lies in the need to preserve the town’s purity and nature. There are currently certain plans to install modern infrastructure and provide the town with needed requirements to catch up with the rest of the world but without disturbing the delicate environmental balance.
Tourists have always sensed something different in Sayoun. The difference seems evident in the way people communicate, think, and study. The city is the homeland of hundreds of thousands of Hadhrami scholars and intellectuals who traveled to South East Asia and Africa to spread Islam, knowledge, and wisdom. The city stands proud as the source of generations of inspired scholars who did not spare any effort to represent Yemen in the best way possible on a global scale.

WRITEEN BY: MOHAMMED MIFTAH ELFAITOORY
TRANSLATED BY: SHEIK ELDIN MOHAMMED NUR ALI
In a world owned by its owners,
The poor are the rich lords.
The loser is who doesn’t take,
What she gives in modesty.
The heedless is who thinks,
Things are really the things.
The tyrant Sultan’s Crown is an apple,
Swinging up the yard’s mast.
The Sofist’s crown is shining,
Upon a straw mat.
Believe me O Throne’s Ruby,
Dead are not those dead,
And Rest is not rests.
.......................
What kind of seas do you ask me about?
O my beloved!
Do you ask about a whale,
Whose legs are made of rocks,
And eyes are made of ruby?
About clouds of fire,
And islands of coral?
About a dead who’s carrying a corpse,
To escape where he dies?
Don’t be astonished O Ruby,
The amazing of man’s fate is,
Himself the man.
.............
The judge is weaving his moustache
For the pub’s singer.
The village’s sage is hanged,
While the monkeys are playing,
In the market place.
O my darling,
The needy’s gold is copper,
Your judge is tied to his Usurped seat
Judging people and in the cemetery,
He’s walking in vanity and pulling his aba.
...........................
You can’t see us with eyes not ours,
You can’t recognize us,
Unless we reward you and
It’s only time to recognize us,
And we reveal to each.
..............
The humble of us may be the upper,
O Ruby,
Be the Humble,
To be the Upper.
..........
The sea waters will dry,
Migrating birds will return,
And the broken sieve is on your shoulders.
Your grieving eyes look like mountains,
And destinies and generations.
O my love,
Don’t make weep,
That’s enough for you and me,
For the great grief,
Can’t be revealed.