Yemen
Sheba Land
Identification. The name of the country is derived from the legendary
ancestor Yaman, the son of Qahtan, or from the Arabic root ymn ("the
right") since Yemen is located to the right of the Meccan sanctuary of
Kaaba. Some scholars compare the Arabic word yumna ("happy")
with the Roman name for the southwest Arabia, Arabia Felix ("Happy
Arabia"). Inhabitants feel that they have a common culture, although local
and class identities are still important.
Location and Geography. Medieval Arab geographers thought of Yemen as covering the
entire southern strip of the Arabian peninsula, from the mountainous southwest,
including Najran and Asir, to Hadhramaut and Oman on the east. Today that area
includes the regions that make up the Republic of Yemen (RY), which was formed
in 1990 when the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR, or North Yemen) with its capital in
Sana'a, and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY, or South Yemen),
with its capital in Aden, were unified. The capital is Sana'a, and Aden is
referred to as the country's economic capital. The approximate size of the
nation, since some of its borders are not demarcated, is 187,000 square miles
(North: 75,000 square miles; South: 112,000 square miles), or 482,100 square kilometers.
There are six cultural and economic
zones. The Tihama, a coastal plain and hilly area along the Red Sea, is
fifteen to twenty-five miles (twenty-five to forty kilometers) wide. It is an
area of fishing, commerce, and trade in the ports of al-Mukha (Mocha)
and al-Hudayda as well as agriculture in oases (the main crops are
millet, maize, sugarcane, watermelons, tobacco, and cotton) as well as
livestock breeding. Handicrafts are made in Zabid, Bayt al-Faqih, and
other centers. The highlands in the west have regular seasonal rains. Terraced
agriculture (millet, wheat, barley, grapes, coffee, tobacco, vegetables,
fruits, qat) is practiced, and goats, sheep, cows, and donkeys are raised. The
central mountains consist of wide plateaus and basins. Fields are watered from
wells and rainfall is sufficient for most crops. This region includes urban
centers such as Sana'a and Sa'da. The high plateau in the east gradually merges
with the desert Rub al-Khal . Date palms are cultivated in small oases,
and the population is semi nomadic. There are salt deposits near Shabwa, Safir,
and Harib. The limestone tableland of Hadhramaut and Wadi Masila has valleys (wadis)
carved deep into the plateau. Cultivated patches are irrigated with rain
and flood waters and from wells. Hinterlands towns include Shibam, Sayun, and
Tarim in the Inner Wadi, and there are seaports at al-Mukalla and al-Shihr. The
adjacent Mahra province and Socotra island are culturally related to this zone.
The Gulf of Aden coastal plain, which is five to ten miles (eight to sixteen
kilometers) wide, is discontinuous. Its ports, from Aden in the west to Sayhut
and al-Ghayda in the east, are connected with the inland regions rather than
with one another.
Demography. The population is ethnically Arab, divided between Sunni
Muslims of the Shafi'i school and Shi'a Muslims of the Zaydi school. There are
small groups of Jews, Hindus, and Christians. In 1949 and 1950, about fifty
thousand Yemeni Jews left for Israel. In 1998, the population was 17,071,000. The
annual growth rate is limited by migration and a high infant mortality rate.
The birthrate is high, and almost half the population is under fifteen years of
age.
Linguistic Affiliation. Yemenis speak Arabic, which belongs to the Semitic language
family. Classical
Arabic, the language of Islam and
the Koran, is used on formal occasions. The spoken dialects, whose areas
roughly correspond to the six cultural zones, are used in everyday life. Some
groups have maintained their ancient oral tongues of the south Arabic branch.
The most commonly used foreign language is English, and Russian is still
understood in Sana'a and Aden.
Symbolism. The notion of allegiance is shaped by kinship, the native
land, language, faith, and a shared culture. The symbol of male honor is a
curved dagger, the jambiyyah ; lineage is symbolized by a clan's tower
at the top of a hill; and generosity and hospitality are expressed in making
and serving coffee. The coffee tree, the state eagle, the national colors, and
the Marib Dam are shown in the new national emblem. The colors of the national
flag (horizontal bands of red, white, and black) reflect pan-Arab symbolism,
being similar to the flags of Syria, Iraq, and Egypt. The national anthem and
national days of celebration emphasize the unification of the country.
History
and Ethnic Relations
Emergence of the Nation. The ancient walled city Sana'a is said to be the oldest city
in the world, founded by Noah's eldest son, Shem, the forefather of Qahtan.
Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba (Saba), is mentioned in the Bible and the Koran. The
kingdom of Saba, with its capital, Marib, had existed since the first
millennium B.C.E. The Marib Dam provided irrigation for about twenty-five
thousand acres of arable land; its collapse in the first centuries C.E. is depicted in the Koran as a
punishment from God. The prosperity of the principal rival kingdoms, Saba,
Hadhramaut, Awsan, Qataban, and Ma'in, was based on the cultivation and
overland exportation of frankincense, myrrh, and spices to the Mediterranean.
Ancient South Arabian culture developed an intricate architecture and created
masterpieces of figurative and decorative arts. It maintained contacts with Egypt,
Greece, Palmyra, Chaldea, and Abyssinia, which was founded by Sabaeans, as well
as India. In 25–24 B.C.E. , the Roman emperor attempted to conquer the Sabaean
kingdom, which was the southernmost outlet of the trade route to India. At that
time, caravan traffic became less important than the shipping route between
Egypt and India. The whole of southwestern Arabia was united by the kingdom of
Himyar (circa 100 B.C.E. – 525 C.E. ,
which controlled the Red Sea and the coasts of the Gulf of Aden. After the fall
of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. ,
many Jews settled in the region, and the Christian (Nestorian) faith was
propagated. In the early sixth century, the kings of Himyar converted to
Judaism and persecuted local Christians, leading the Abyssinians to take control
of South Arabia in 525. The Persian Sassanians followed in 575.
The advent of Islam to South Arabia
in the seventh century ousted local pantheons and monotheistic cults. Yemeni
tribes took an active part in the Arab conquests and the construction of an Islamic
state, and the tribal principal became a distinct form of communal organization
in the area. In 898, al-Hadi Yahya proclaimed himself the first Zaydi imam,
establishing a Shi'a dynasty that ruled in several regions of northern Yemen
until 1962. The Egyptian Ayyubids invaded in 1173 and controlled all of Yemen
until 1228. Their local vassals, the Rasulids, ruled until 1454, the golden age
of art, science, and prosperity. The Tahirid tribesmen succeeded the Rasulids
but were overthrown by the Egyptian Mamluks (1515–1517), who opened Yemen to
invasion by the Ottoman Turks.
The Portuguese, the French, and the
British as well as the Ottoman Empire tried to seize the main routes to the
Indian Ocean. The local coffee mocha (named after the town al-Mukha), became
an important item in world trade. The split of Yemen into the south and the
north was caused by British and Ottoman politics. In 1839, the British occupied
Aden. The Ottomans took control over main regions of the north in 1848–1872 in
spite of armed resistance by the Zaydi imams, who had defeated the Turks in
1568, 1613, and 1635. Frequent uprisings forced the Ottomans to grant autonomy
to the Zaydi regions in 1911. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918,
the Turks withdrew from the north; its independence under the Zaydi imams was
internationally recognized in 1923. The imams claimed the right to all of
historical Yemen but ceded the province of Najran to Saudi Arabia in 1934. In
1962, the rule of imams was overthrown, and YAR was paroclaimed.
The
South was administered by British Bombay presidency until 1937, when it was
designated the Crown Colony of Aden and Protectorate. In 1963, the Aden Colony
became part of the British-sponsored Federation of South Arabia, which was
scheduled to become independent in 1968. The British had to withdraw in 1967,
and power was seized by the Marxist-oriented National Liberation Front. The
south was proclaimed the People's Republic of South Yemen in 1967 and the PDRY
in 1970. The tribal, religious, and pro-Western YAR and the Marxist, secular,
and pro-communist PDRY engaged in border warfare in 1979 and 1987. In 1989, the
YAR and the PDRY signed a draft document for unification. On 22 May 1990 the
new Yemeni nation was born.
Urbanism,
Architecture, and the Use of Space
Apart from a relatively few pastoral
nomads who live in tents or caves, most residents are urban dwellers
(one-fourth) and sedentary agriculturalists. Since ancient times builders have
used local materials to build cities and villages on mountain slopes, dry
islets at the bed of a valley, stony plateaus, and sandy seashores. Most
localities, from walled cities to tiny hamlets, are still divided into
traditional quarters or neighborhoods. Public spaces, especially markets,
foster communication among men.
Cultural zones vary in the use of
building materials. In villages in northern Tihama timber and straw are used,
while in towns shell lime is more common; in southern Tihama timber and brick
are used. In the central mountainous region, hewn stone is used; in the highlands,
houses are made of stone, burned brick, and stamped clay. In the desert, houses
are built from stamped clay and sun-dried mud bricks. These materials also are
used in Hadhramaut, whose multistory "skyscrapers" in Shibam are
reputed to be the highest mud constructions in the world. Natural stone is used
mainly in Mahra and on Socotra.
The majority of buildings originate
from pre-Islamic fortified towers that combine in a single structure under a
whitewashed flat roof the functions of dwelling, storage, and fortress.
The traditional division of Arab
dwellings into men's and women's halves led to the use of separate staircases
and room entrances hidden behind partitions. There is a minimum of furniture:
cushions and mattresses are placed along the walls for sitting, and special
mattresses, which are taken away in the daytime, are used for sleeping. The
floor is covered with palm leaf matting, goat-hair rugs, or imported rugs.
Cubbyholes are made in thick walls for books, utensils, and clothes.
UNESCO has sponsored international
campaigns to protect the architectural heritage, encouraging the use of local
materials and building methods. These principles were maintained in the
building of the Ministry of Justice in Sana'a and Provincial Health Center and
Hospital in Dhamar. The 1990s witnessed a construction boom in the urban
centers.
source: http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Yemen.html#ixzz1mMCQYJNF
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