As-salamu alaykum! Welcome to the land of ancient skyscrapers and the scent of frankincense—Yemen!
Yemen is located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, where the Red Sea meets the Indian Ocean. There are around 36,000,000 people living here, and the capital is Sana’a, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The official language is Arabic, spoken in various distinct dialects that reflect the country’s deep tribal and regional history.
Yemen covers about 527,968 square kilometers (203,850 square miles). The country is roughly the same size as the state of Thailand or about twice the size of the United Kingdom. The landscape is a dramatic mix of scorching coastal plains, rugged mountain peaks reaching over 3,000 meters, and the vast “Empty Quarter” desert to the north.
The most popular sport is Football, followed closely by traditional camel racing in the coastal regions. Their national animal is the Arabian Leopard, a rare and majestic predator that symbolizes the rugged beauty of the Yemeni mountains.
The flag consists of three horizontal stripes of red, white, and black where the red represents the blood shed by martyrs and the unity of the nation, the white stands for a bright future and purity, and the black symbolizes the dark past of colonial rule and oppression.
The food is incredibly aromatic and heavily spiced with cumin, coriander, and turmeric. You must try Mandi, a traditional dish of meat and rice cooked in a tandoor (clay oven) that gives it a smoky flavor. Another favorite is Saltah, the national dish, which is a bubbling brown stew made with meat, vegetables, and a frothy top of fenugreek (hulbah). For breakfast, look for Shakshouka or Malawah, a flaky, layered flatbread. Yemen is also the spiritual home of coffee; you must try Qishr, a traditional warm drink made from coffee husks, ginger, and cinnamon.
Yemen is home to Shibam, often called the “Manhattan of the Desert,” which features 16th-century mud-brick tower houses that rise up to eight stories high. The country features the Socotra Archipelago, a UNESCO site known for its “alien” landscape and the Dragon’s Blood Tree, which produces a red sap and looks like a giant green umbrella. You can visit the Old City of Sana’a, famous for its “gingerbread” houses decorated with white gypsum patterns. For an engineering marvel, see the Shaharah Bridge, a limestone arch bridge built in the 17th century to connect two mountain villages across a deep canyon. Interestingly, the port city of Mocha gave its name to the famous coffee and chocolate pairing because it was the primary hub for the global coffee trade for centuries!
From the incense markets of Taiz to the turquoise waters of Aden, Yemen is a land of ancient wisdom and towering resilience. Shukran! That means “Thank you!”