Yemen

Yeme - the Birthplace of Humanity

The Republic of Yemen in Asia occupies the south-west corner of the Arabian Peninsula with Oman on its east, Saudi Arabia on its north, Red Sea to its west and Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to its south. Its capital city, Sana’a, is the largest city and apart from the mainland, this country is also inclusive of 200 islands lying to its south in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. The largest amongst them is the Socotra Islands being 120 kilometres long and 40 kilometres wide and enjoying a language and culture of its own.

 

Popularly known as the cradle of civilization, Yemen was considered the land of milk and honey by the sons of Noah, a source of eternal life by Gilgamesh and supplier of frankincense and myrrh for wise men. In addition, it was also claimed as home by a woman named Sheba.

 

Although known as one of the countries which can make even God smile, Yemen has been relatively slow to develop as compared to it’s more dynamic neighbours in Middle East Asia. Having established its historical and mythological significance, this country went into hibernation for a long time to rouse out of its slumber fairly recently and reiterate its importance to the world.

 

Owing to its location, Yemen is as much influenced by Africa as the Arabian culture and much of the population inhabiting the Yemeni islands is indigenously African. People in the mainland are mainly of Arab origin and Arabic is the official language with English being the next most popular medium for conversing with tourists. Yemen has also been one of the most welcome havens for asylum seekers especially from neighbouring countries like Ethiopia, Somalia and Iraq while many Yemenis are known to reside in UK.

 

Integral to the Yemeni culture is a small evergreen shrub named Qat which is widely cultivated throughout the land and used for chewing. A plant which grows to a height of 1 to 6 metres and at the most may attain a height of 10 metres is believed to be the decision making catalyst in Yemeni business circles due to its narcotic laden juice. Local hearsay has it that Yemenis depend on Qat to help them see through the daily struggles which are an inevitable part of life in Yemen and hence it could be aptly described as being a national obsession.

 

Music and cinema have been a part of Yemen’s society since its inception, making it the cultural capital of the Arab world. While there have been many noteworthy musicians who have made their mark on the international platform, the film industry is yet in its gestational phase.