Yemen

Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, occupies the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, its landmass stretching over approximately 455,503 square kilometres (175,871 square miles) and yielding some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) of shoreline. To the north, its boundary meets Saudi Arabia; to the northeast, Oman; eastward, the Arabian Sea; southward, the Gulf of Aden; and westward, the Red Sea—across whose waters Yemen shares maritime limits with Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia. Sanaa, the nation’s constitutional capital, perches over two millennia of settlement at an elevation exceeding 2,100 metres; its population of some 34.7 million is overwhelmingly Arab and Muslim, and its membership in the Arab League, the United Nations, the Non‑Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation reflects a long history of diplomatic engagement.

Geographically and climatically, Yemen divides into four principal regions. Along the Red Sea coast lies the Tihamah: a flat, sweltering plain pocked by lagoons and ringed by dunes. Though the torrid minimum enables no river to reach the sea, subterranean aquifers feed agriculture inland. Beyond, a spine of highlands splits into western and eastern plateaus. The western highlands receive the bulk of orographic rainfall, rendering terraced farms verdant; their eastern counterpart, drier, yields sparser cultivation. Eastward again lies the Rubʿ al Khali, or Empty Quarter—an expanse of shifting sands at the Arabian peninsula’s heart. Offshore, Yemen’s sovereignty extends to several Red Sea isles—Hanish, Kamaran, Perim—and to the Socotra archipelago, situated nearer Africa, whose volcanic peaks and endemic flora betray affinities with that continent.

For over seven millennia, Yemen has lain at a crossroads of commerce and culture. In the first millennium BCE, the kingdom of Saba’ marshalled caravans of frankincense and myrrh, founding colonies across the Red Sea in what is now Ethiopia and Eritrea. By 275 CE, the Himyarite realm succeeded Saba’, where Judaism left enduring marks on political and social life. Christian communities took root in the fourth century; within three centuries, Islam arrived and quickly prevailed. Yemenite warriors served at the Prophet’s side and later in the conquests that carried Islam beyond Arabia. Throughout the medieval age, dynasties such as the Rasulids and Tahirids rose and fell, while highland towns established seminaries that would make Yemen a hub of Islamic learning.

Between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries, Yemen confronted foreign incursions. The Ottoman Empire claimed much of the north; the British entrenched themselves in the south around Aden. After World War I, Imam Yahya declared an independent Kingdom of Yemen. In 1962, republican officers deposed the monarchy, forming the Yemen Arab Republic, or North Yemen. Five years later, Aden and its hinterland seceded as the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, the Arab world’s sole professed socialist state. Only in 1990 did north and south reaffirm unity as the Republic of Yemen; its first president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, presided until the Arab Spring of 2011 compelled his resignation.

Political upheaval returned swiftly. Mass protests over economic stagnation, rampant unemployment and proposed constitutional amendments coalesced against Yemen’s entrenched leadership. By 2015, civil war had engulfed the country: the Houthi movement in Sanaa confronted the internationally recognized government, while foreign powers intervened by air, land and sea. The ensuing humanitarian disaster ranks among the gravest of the century: by 2019 some 24 million Yemenis—three quarters of the population—required aid, and indicators for hunger, child mortality and disease spread remain dire. Yemen ranks lowest in human development outside Africa and lowest in global peace, even as its peacetime economy has all but collapsed under blockade and conflict.

Yet amid hardship, Yemen’s architectural heritage stands resilient. In Sana’a’s Old City—inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986—tower‑houses of baked brick and stone ascend six, even seven stories, their facades patterned in geometric gypsum reliefs. Lower floors once stored livestock and granaries; atop, a reception room (mafraj) offered vistas across the rooftops. Northward lies Shibam, the “Manhattan of the Desert,” whose 16th‑century mud‑brick skyscrapers still guard the Wadi Hadhramaut. Still further, Zabid preserves a medieval university town, its arcades echoing with centuries of scholarship. At Wadi Dahr stands Dar al‑Hajar, the rock palace of the Imam, whose coloured‑glass fanlights and ornate plasterwork recall a quieter era.

The Socotra archipelago, designated a World Heritage Site in 2008, offers natural marvels unmatched elsewhere. Some 37 percent of its 825 plant species occur nowhere else on earth; likewise, 90 percent of reptiles and 95 percent of snails. The famed Dragon’s Blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari) dots limestone plateaus, while coral reefs teem with 253 coral and 730 fish species. Socotra’s isolation has fostered not only biodiversity but also a distinct language and culture, attesting to Yemen’s layered patrimony.

Administratively, Yemen comprises twenty-one governorates plus the Amanat al‑ʿAsimah municipality around Sanaa; a 2013 reform elevated Socotra to its own governorate. Subdivisions cascade from 333 districts to over 2,200 sub‑districts and nearly 38,300 villages. In 2014, a constitutional plan proposed six federal regions—four northern, two southern—though civil war interrupted its full enactment.

Economically, unification brought modest gains: by 2013 Yemen’s gross domestic product (purchasing‑power parity) had reached US $61.63 billion, with per‑capita income of $2,500. Services comprised over 60 percent of output, industry 31 percent and agriculture under 8 percent; petroleum once contributed a quarter of GDP and 63 percent of revenue. Since conflict resumed, GDP has fallen by more than half, exports have stalled, and infrastructure has degraded. Yemen endures among the world’s poorest, its human development indices deep in the lowest ranks.

Demographically, Yemen is young. From 4.3 million in 1950, its population swelled to some 33–35 million by the early 2020s, nearly half under age fifteen and under 3 percent above sixty‑five. Fertility remains high, at roughly 4.5 children per woman, projecting a further rise to perhaps 60 million by mid‑century. Arabic underpins public life: Modern Standard Arabic serves in education and governance; Yemeni Arabic, with its archaic phonetics and vocabulary, remains the vernacular. In Socotra and eastern Hadhramaut, South Semitic tongues—Soqotri, Mehri and others—persist. English enjoys growing currency, especially in former British zones.

Islam unifies Yemenis, with Zaydi Shi’ites constituting approximately 45 percent and Sunni Muslims, chiefly of the Shafi‘i school, about 53 percent; smaller Isma’ili and Twelver communities complete the tapestry. Religious observance shapes daily rhythms: mosque calls at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening punctuate marketplaces and mountain villages alike.

Visiting Yemen demands patience and vigilance. Owing to security concerns, flights fluctuate; as of mid‑2024, only Sanaa, Aden and Say’un airports receive limited service from Amman, Cairo, Riyadh and Mumbai. No railways exist. Overland entry via Oman remains possible, though permits (tasriih) from tourist police are compulsory for intercity travel by road; Saudi border crossings impose stricter requirements. Buses—air‑conditioned, if sometimes aged—link main cities, though private travellers often charter four‑wheel‑drives with local guides. Coastal ferries from Djibouti plod across the Gulf, and intrepid souls may yet stow aboard cement carriers bound for Socotra.

Within cities, shared taxis—locally “bijou” or Peugeot‑derived minibuses—operate on a fill‑and‑go basis, seating up to nine passengers; negotiating two seats up front or entire rows remains customary for added comfort. For independent travellers in calmer regions, intracity buses afford inexpensive, convivial passage. Permit photocopies, a passport and itinerary suffice to secure open‑road passes, though military checkpoints may still demand multiple endorsements.

Despite logistical hurdles, Yemen’s attractions endure. In Sanaa, the labyrinth of narrow lanes, the red‑wood latticed windows and the scent of cardamom‑spiced coffee recall centuries of daily life. Kawkaban, perched at 3,000 metres, preserves Himyarite inscriptions and Stars of David from ancient Jewish communities. Sa‘dah’s mud‑brick ramparts shield vineyards of grapes and palms whose fruit sustains highland villages. Al Mahwit crowns mountains with cloud‑clad farms; Bura‘ harbours monsoon‑fed forests unlike any other on the peninsula. Manakhah’s lofty settlement demonstrates medieval hilltop planning; Ma’rib’s ancient dam, once attributed in legend to the Queen of Sheba, attests to engineering feats that irrigated vast fields. In Ibb, the “Green Heart,” torrents of annual rainfall feed valleys of coffee and honey; nearby Jiblah echoes with fortified stone houses. Al Khawkhah offers Red Sea beaches shaded by palms, while Ta‘izz, the republic’s cultural nexus, sits beneath Jabal Sabir’s terraced slopes. Tarim and Say’un in Hadhramaut reflect Hadhrami elegance in brick‑built palaces and mosques. Al Mukalla fronts the Arabian Sea with modernity, yet its coast gives way to the unspoiled sands of Bir Ali. Finally, Hauf National Park, a relic of monsoon influence, sustains pockets of rainforest and wildlife shared with Omani neighbors.

For the visitor, social norms require discreet conduct. Political topics—particularly opinions on the United States or Israel—may ignite unease. Religion commands deference: mosques impose dress codes, and during Ramadan public eating or smoking occasions offence. Cameras require permission; portraits of women or security installations may provoke hostility. Charitable impulses find better expression through recognized charities rather than impromptu gifts to children, which can foster dependency. Bargaining sits at the heart of commerce; fixed pricing for foreigners is rare, and negotiation embodies the custom.

Thus, Yemen remains a land of contrasts: a cradle of civilization whose architecture and natural wonders defy conflict’s ravages; a place where hospitality endures amid hardship, and where every valley and village carries layers of history. To understand Yemen is to acknowledge its suffering and its beauty in equal measure, to respect its traditions and its people, and to recognize that—even in its present trials—Yemen’s legacy shapes both the past and the promise of the wider Arabian world.