Along the southernmost edge of the Arabian Peninsula lies the ancient country of Yemen. This crossroads of history is home to 4 World Heritage sites. Its ancient city of Sana’a has been inhabited continuously for over 2 and a half millennia.

Ancient History

Located between Africa’s Rift Valley and the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Yemen has been a cultural crossroad since the birth of civilization. Yemeni tradition says that the ancient city of Ma’rib was founded by Shem, the eldest son of Noah. Yemen may even have been home to ancient Sheba.

Islam arrived in Yemen in the 7th century. Thereafter, the region was ruled independently by a succession of theocratic dynasties, all of whom claimed descent from the prophet Muhammad. Although rule passed from dynasty to dynasty, the region thrived without significant change for nearly a thousand years.

Modern History

Yemen became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Northern Yemen would remain under Ottoman rule until the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist in 1918.

British interest in the area began with the need to establish a coaling station for British East India Company ships running the tea and spice routes to India. After being captured by Company forces, Aden became a British protectorate in 1839. The holding grew in importance after the Suez Canal opened in 1869 and Arabian oil was discovered in the 1930s.

In 1904, the Ottoman and British Empire agreed to accept the boundaries of influence that they had been establishing for decades. Northern Yemen would remain under Ottoman influence, while South Yemen would remain under British rule.

After the Ottoman Empire collapsed in 1918, northern Yemen became the Mutawakklite Kingdom of Yemen. It survived until 1962, when an Egyptian-sponsored coup d’etat created the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR). The North Yemen Civil War broke out shortly afterwards. This proxy war was really between Egypt, which supported the YAR, and the British-sponsored Saudi forces, which supported the monarchy. It only ended after both sets of foreign troops were withdrawn, 6 years later.

Aden and the surrounding coastland continued to be ruled as part of British India. Yet at the same time, popular support for Egyptian Pan-Arabism meant that anti-British sentiment was growing. Some of the surrounding emirates united into the British-sponsored Federation of Arab Emirates of the South in 1959. Others formed their own union, the Protectorate of South Arabia.

When the British withdrew, the Federation promptly collapsed. In the power vacuum that followed, southern Yemen became independent in 1967 as the People’s Republic of South Yemen (PRSY), a communist state.

In 1990, Yemen was finally reunited. After a few hiccups and a brief civil war over a new discovery of oil, the Democratic Republic of Yemen was born in 1994. The years since then have been mostly peaceful. Yet even to this day, friction continues between the north and the south.

Geography

Yemen is a land of geographical contrasts. Rain comes from the southwest and is blocked by the escarpment of the western highlands. As a result, the Tihama coastal region along the Red Sea is hot, humid, and marshy, while the eastern parts of the country are bone dry. Yemen has plenty of lagoons along the coast, but no permanent rivers anywhere.

The western highlands have the highest rainfall anywhere on the Arabian Peninsula. While the low-lying Tihama has about 4 inches of rain each year, mountainous Ibb receives nearly 40 inches. To take full advantage of every drop of rain, the slopes in this region are heavily terraced into farming plots. Rivers from these highlands evaporate long before they reach the sea.

In central Yemen, the mountains level into a great central plateau of rolling hills, at an average elevation of over 6,000 feet. It still rains here, but most of the rain has been left behind on the western slopes.

In the northeast, the Wadi Hadhramaut blends into Saudi Arabia’s great Rub’ al-Khali Desert. This region is so dry and desolate that until recently, there had been no need to define a border. The only humans in this region are nomadic Bedouin herders, and even they avoid the deep desert.

Weather

Yemen’s climate varies with geographical region. The hottest and driest region is the northeastern desert, where rain almost never falls, while the most muggy is the coastal Tihamah. In general, humidity and rainfall amounts increase from east to west.

The Tihamah is tropical, wet, and consistently one of the hottest areas on earth. Summer temperatures can go over 120 degrees F, with humidity upwards of 70%. The central and southern Tihamah is subject to thick fogs rather than direct precipitation, creating a fog desert.

On the southern coast away from the Red Sea, Aden is slightly less hot and sticky. Summer highs often reach 100, but even in January the average temperature is 77 degrees. About 5 inches of rain falls in heavy torrents, mostly during July and August, with a secondary spike between March and April.

The western escarpment and highlands have rainy monsoon summers and cool, dry winters. On the central plateau, where annual rainfall rarely exceeds 20 inches of rain, summer daytime high temperatures are usually in the 70s, while temperatures in winter can dip below freezing. Further east, the daily temperature range may be as much as 50 degrees. All of the highland areas sometimes experience sandstorms, swept down from the Arabian Peninsula.

With its nearly perfect climate, it is no wonder that Sana’a is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities of the world. Summer highs are in the 70s to low 80s. In January and February, daytime highs may be limited to the mid to high 60s, while temperatures sometimes drop below freezing at night. Most of Sana’s 8 inches of rain fall during July and August.

Wildlife

Unfortunately, Yemeni wildlife is disappearing at a faster rate than just about anywhere else in the world. The rare Arabian leopard and caracals can now only be found in the wild in the most isolated parts of Yemen. Thus far, the creatures of the Tihamah have been more fortunate, because the extreme climate has kept them mostly free of human interference.

Culture

The culture of Yemen ranges from cosmopolitan Aden and ancient Sana’a to the traditional ways of the central plateau. Some villages on the plateau have been so isolated that ways of life have changed little in hundreds of years.

Yemen is an Islamic country. In general, the more isolated the region, the more conservative its cultural values. Both women and men can show respect for Yemeni culture by wearing modest clothing in public.

Food

In Yemen, hospitality is a matter of personal honor. Food should always be accepted when offered, lest you offend the host.

Chicken, lamb, rice, fish in the coastal areas, and over a dozen varieties of flatbread are common in Yemeni cuisine. Tea is more popular in southern Yemen, while coffee dominates the highlands.

Saltah is considered the national dish of Yemen. It is a basic meat stew which is spiced with sahawiq, a mix of tomatoes, chili peppers, garlic, and assorted other herbs. Other ingredients may include rice, scrambled eggs, or potatoes. Saltah is served with flatbread, which is used as a spoon to scoop up the stew.

Politics

Yemen is a democracy with a governing prime minister and a president who is head of state. Laws are enacted by the bicameral legislature, which consists of the elected Assembly of Representatives and the appointed Shura Council. While all people over 18 years of age may vote, only Muslims may hold elected office.

The Arab Spring has resulted in major demonstrations throughout Yemen. As of the end of 2011, Yemen remains a country in transition. It remains to be seen what the future holds in store.