Sukainah Abdulqader
I have been hoping to return to my home in Yemen for the last five years.
Currently
studying in Malaysia, whenever a friend inquires about my country, I am
quick to offer my services as their tour guide.
When you decide to go to Yemen, I will personally take you around, I always say with a huge grin.
I
hope to take them to Shibam Hadhramaut to show them "the oldest
skyscraper city in the world", a little known fact; its streets known
for harmony.
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| Shibam Hadhramaut is also called the "the Manhattan of the desert", and
is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the
principle of vertical construction. — javarman / Shutterstock.com |
I hope to take them to Wadi Dawan so they can taste the purest of
honey in the world, a symbol of peace, created through a
centuries-strong tradition. I can almost imagine us walking through the
beautiful valley, with the voice of singer Abu Baker Salem echoing over
the desert sands.
I hope to take them to Bab al-yaman, the point
of entry into the Old City of Sa'adah if only to introduce them to the
people. I have discovered first-hand an unparalleled kindness in them. I
often think back to the strolls with my brother down the streets here
as children, every farmer that we passed would generously offer us
fruits and refuse any payment for them. All of them so poor, yet the
richest!
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| Bab al-Yaman is where old Sanaa meets modern Sanaa. — Judith Lienert / Shutterstock.com |
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| The traditional architecture of the Old City of Sanaa. The Old City is
also a UNESCO heritage site—dinosmichail / Shutterstock.com |
I remember mostly how we were never refused help here. How strangers offered car rides without a moment’s hesitation.
There
is a wonderful silver market here that I frequented with my father. We
would always stop at a shop owned by a Jewish family to exchange
pleasantries. You must always respect them, my father told me once. In
the nooks and crannies of these streets, people thrived on mutual
admiration. No matter their belief, every greeting was a warm one.
I
especially hope to introduce my friends to the finest thing about
Sada'ah – its pomegranates. How I could write pages and pages on those
pomegranates.
 |
| A man sells janbiyas in Sanaa. Janbiya is a traditional knife that
Yemeni men above the age of 14 wear as an accessory to their clothing. —
dinosmichail / Shutterstock.com |
I hope to show them Sanaa through my eyes, the city that has so profoundly captured my heart.
I
hope to take my friends to the traditional Friday gathering at my
relatives’ house, where we especially gather for tea just to catch up on
everybody else’s life. I hope to take them through the streets to
distribute free candy to joyful children, to hear them scream ‘
Jaalah’ as they dance around us gleefully.
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| Children in search of drinking water in Sanaa. — Oleg Znamenskiy / Shutterstock.com |
I hope also to arrange a stay for them at a tairamanah, where the
room at the top offers the view of a breathtaking sunset, bathing the
entire city in hues of yellow and purple at the time of
maghrib.
 |
| A view of Sanaa. — sunsinger / Shutterstock.com |
I hope to take my friends to walk on the cool white sands of Socotra,
the jewel of biodiversity in the Arabian Sea. And take them to the
highest peak of the highest mountain for a view of the ocean of clouds
below.
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| White sand on the beaches of Socotra. —Creative commons |
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| The Socotra Island is dotted with dragon trees. —Creative commons |
I hope to explore Aden with them. Walking on the kurnaish while men
clap their hands to a peculiar beat for their friend’s wedding.
I am most excited to show off the elephant mountain to them, truly like a big beautiful elephant the middle of the sea.
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| The winding mountain road from Al-Mukalla to Aden. —Creative commons |
I hope we can sit with the girls of Aden and try out their unique
homemade perfumes, heady from the subtle scents of zabad, bakhur and
laban alasfor.
I hope to show them Taiz and its infamous Shibani Restaurant, where your order:
andak waheed shai ya laed is shouted from one waiter to the next all across the restaurant until it reaches the kitchen!
Here the bread of mullawah and Aden’s infamous tea will make you forget all the troubles in the world.
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| Men cook breads in the street bakery. — Oleg Znamenskiy / Shutterstock.com |
I hope to take my friends to meet the artistes of Taiz, Yemen’s
capital of culture. I hope they will enjoy all those long discussions on
philosophy. I hope they will appreciate the brave, empowered Taizi
women.
I hope to show them a Yemen free from all labels; a people free from all hatred.
But above all, I hope I still have a country to go back to that hasn’t been torn by war.
I hope I still have people to go back to who have not been displaced.
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| The remains of a Soviet truck GAZ-66 at a former minefield near Aden. — Dmitry Chulov / Shutterstock.com |
I hope that if I continue to talk about Yemen, you will understand
that it is home to a people just like you. All Yemen needs to be saved
is the uniting of hearts.
Killing people won't solve any problems
in Yemen; this is a war of ideas. And if there was ever a war that
needed to be stopped, all you really have to do is ask the people who
want it to end.
Some days, like today, I see all my aforementioned hopes fading…
I have made many promises to many friends. I hope I can keep them.
If I cannot, I must apologize to my friends.
Sukainah Abdulqader is a Yemeni citizen who spent her childhood in Sada'ah and witnessed the emergence of the Houthi group.
She is currently studying Political Science at the International Islamic University in Malaysia.
Sukainah Abdulqader is a Yemeni citizen who spent her childhood in Sada'ah and witnessed the emergence of the Houthi group. 
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