“Fascinating”: Yemen’s treasures, the last pillar of a devastated country
Repeated wars, the despotic reign of the Houthis, Israeli and American strikes: Yemen is full of architectural gems damaged by a dark decade, laments “Ha'Aretz.” The Israeli daily traces the history of a country that has remained isolated from the world and tells how the new generation is trying to preserve a cultural heritage that has become a tool for expressing identity.
In early May, Israel bombed northern Yemen. This was in response to a ballistic missile fired by Houthi rebels that crashed near Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Shortly after the attack, a video posted on the social network X showed three young Yemenis in a fit of rage, chewing khat [a plant with stimulant effects traditionally consumed in Yemen] while brandishing firearms. They were wearing the long traditional Yemeni garment called galabiya and had jambiyas, short daggers with curved blades, attached to their belts.
In Israel, the video went viral, drawing hundreds of mocking comments. “It’s as if the planes flew so fast they traveled back in time and bombed in the 7th century,” one user laughed. Another added, “They’re just as stylish as the Taliban,” while another chimed in, “I had to convince myself this wasn’t a colorized film from the 1920s.”
Behind this apparent “authenticity to the max” (in the eyes of Israelis) lies the living heritage of a preserved culture. A centuries-old tradition that has survived the ravages of time and war. Without wanting to,
Courrier International
