Yemen

Welcome to Yemen — the final stop on my 3-week, 3-country tour. Here’s a map of my itinerary, which started and ended in Rwanda.

Getting into Yemen is complicated because there’s an on-going civil war. Yemen’s airspace is a no-fly zone. The only flights in or out of Yemen are “emergency” flights, intended for Yemenis who absolutely have to get in or out of their country. So, to organize this trip, I contacted Abdul at EasyYemenTours.com and provided him with required documents:

• A scan of my passport
• A passport photo
• Recent bloods tests to verify that I don’t have Hepatitis or HIV
• $3,054 wired to Abdul’s bank account in Oman. This fee covered all expenses for my 8-day, 7-nite tour including round trip airfare from Cairo to Seiyun ($984), visa, travel authorization, accommodations, food, ground transport, guide, driver, admission fees, security escort and checkpoint bribes.

A week after submitting my documents and payment, Abdul emailed my airplane ticket, visa and travel authorization.

At the Seiyun airport, I was welcomed by my guide Waheeb and driver Hisham, both of whom speak English.

Although Yemen has only one seat in the United Nations, it’s really two countries. South Yemen, officially known as the Republic of South Yemen, has its capital in Aden. Its flag is shown at the top of this page. The other half of Yemen is called North Yemen, or sometimes the Yemen Arab Republic. North Yemen’s capital is Sanaa. For my Yemen tour, I visited the safe and secure parts of South Yemen, and went nowhere near North Yemen. I’ll say more about the two Yemens at the end of this blog.

My tour of South Yemen started and ended in Seiyun. Visiting Hadhramaut province and Yemen’s south coast, I was impressed.

• The breathtaking Hadhramaut Valley and its scenic tributary canyons (wadis) form an unusual chain of oases a few hundred kilometers long. Seasonal streams provide water for a wide range of agriculture.
• Protected by barren deserts to the north and south and steep canyon walls 500 meters high, kingdoms have thrived here for centuries in peace.
• Because of their isolation, the Hadhramaut people have retained their traditional ways and cultural heritage.
• Everyone I met was warm and welcoming. Thanks to my English-speaking guides, I was able to talk to many of them. I received smiles and waves everywhere I went. People liked having their pictures taken.

In the town of Shibam, I was invited to play dominoes with the gentlemen in the plaza. To everyone’s surprise, I won!

I had only one limitation on taking photos. Women in burqas, completely covered with only their eyes showing, were not to be photographed close up.

In all, we drove about 1000 kms all over South Yemen. The 4-minute video above will give you a sense of what the country looks like. Music by غلط يا ناس تصحوني وانا ناي.

To my palate’s delight, the Hadhramaut is a rich agricultural land. I feasted on lamb, rice, vegetables, fruits and bread from wood-fired ovens. In the port of Mukalla, we dined on fresh, spicy seafood.

In all, my tour of Yemen was a relaxing and comfortable adventure though a scenic landscape full of friendly people. I would recommend Abdul at EasyYemenTours.com if you have any interest in going to Yemen.

Yemen doesn’t see a lot of tourists because the country has been in a state of civil war since 2015. I asked several people, especially Waheeb and Hisham, to help me understand the conflict between North and South Yemen This is what I learned.

Owing to its geographic location, Yemen has been at the crossroads of many civilizations for over 7,000 years. Yemen was a major trade hub for frankincense, resins and spices, connecting ancient civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Mediterranean with luxury goods of South Arabia. Various dynasties emerged throughout the centuries, which functioned independently until the country was divided between the Ottoman and British empires in the 1840s. The Ottomans occupied North Yemen. The British governed South Yemen.

In 1962, North Yemen became an independent republic. In1967 Britain withdrew from South Yemen. North Yemen, with a larger population, better international relations, more foreign investment and a stronger economy, dominated the South. Meanwhile South Yemen became a Marxist state aligned with Russia and remained poor and oppressed by the North.

In 1986, the president of South Yemen survived an assassination attempt, fled to North Yemen and began negotiating for the unification of the two Yemens. In 1990, the two countries were officially united as the Republic of Yemen. Although now officially one country, the northwestern third of Yemen continued to dominate and oppress the rest of Yemen. In 1994, the South attempted to secede from the North, but was defeated, supposedly through subterfuge by the North.

Although Yemen remained one country after 1994, there was considerable instability. Houthi militants launched an uprising against the Yemeni government in 2004. In 2011, President Ali Abdullah Saleh was deposed in the Arab Spring riots. In 2013, Ali Abdullah Saleh returned to the North to overthrow the government with help from Houthis.

Although the Republic of Yemen is officially one country, the line separating North and South Yemen is still a reality. The Houthis, funded by Iran, control the North. In 2015, North Yemen attempted to capture the city of Aden. The Houthis were driven back by forces from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. South Yemen continues to be supported by the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Throughout my road trip, we encountered a few UAE/Saudi check points. When I pretended to be Yemeni, the soldiers allowed us to pass without too many questions. During my tour of South Yemen, I travelled peacefully throughout the Hadhramaut province, far from conflicts with the Houthis and North Yemen. If I hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have known that a civil war going on.

Learning the history and politics of Yemen was eye-opening. Learning about Yemen’s treatment of women was disturbing.

In Hadhramaut province, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting is a common, traditional ritual. The Hadhramaut Valley has one of the highest rates of FGM/C in the world according to UNICEF. Most females born in the Hadhramaut are subjected to Type 2 FGM within a week of their birth. The cutting is often performed by a family member. My guides were proud to report that both of their wives had been “circumcised” at birth to ensure their virginity at marriage and to make them less likely to commit adultery. I did not discuss this subject further.

Yemen is my 191st country. From Yemen, I returned to Kigali where Stella has waited patiently for me — with good news! Stella has been granted a visa for Thailand — which will be our next destination.