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6/1/1984 - Visit to the Tihama by Kenneth Cline

TITUTE OFCWORIAIRS American Express Sharia Kasr E1 Nil Cairo Egypt June Dear Pe The following coversotrips I Tama coastali region North Yemen The first journey place larch second April For narration I combined description German elorer Hans Helfritz Without Shade New Yo Robert cBride Company probablysidi Le avgthe favoured highlands Yemen plains rather Switzerland suddanly finding oneself planted themiddle S wrote exaggerating alittle AccerdgtoHelfrit theAabicroot mostArabic words built around three consonants implies malodours Here noing Seen Of culture thehighlands theproud fortified iesare faroff continued The villages consist miserable straw shaped beebaskets their appearance typiCally Africa And natives contrast those highlands black percentage negro blood Helfritz muster jmpathy people They Zaramiq natured hospitable people mostp fanatical prejudice against foreigners their poverty stricken unhealthy Ztcostthemamgreateffortsto subjoctthem antheyare rever revolting against Zor entur sentiments Helfritz description accurate continuing Ln terms climate Seosra Va mataa quite different Yemen Zf Yemeni highlands could comfortably affixed East Africa The Tihama plain stretches miles Saudi Arabian frontier Bah straits guarding entrance Red Sea The distance mountains varies between miles Kenneth Cline Village Reporting Fellow Institute studying village North Yemen Egypt KWC Iiuch Tihama barren sandy wasteland Seven major basins which catch runoff mountains suppo anagriculturecentered sorgh sesame dates subsistence crops cotton egetables fruits TSmperatures during summer range degrees This en0ugh But humidit ranging 7Opercent canme Tihama unbearable someone clate During medieval times Yemen ruled succession dynasties ruled highlands But Ziadi established capital Tihama Zabid A famous university flourished there From early centuries Tihama occupied various foreign powers Turks Egyptians hammad Ali Turks again When Turks Yemeni Yahya ruled Tv ofeTihama began moving take_control ihama The campaigns fierce because tribal racial differences because religious people Tihama belong Shaef branch Sunni Islam The Yahya power centered tribes belonging Zaidi branch Shi Islam It Imam Yahya until finmlly defeat Zaramiq tribe powerful Tihama Yahya scare during Saudi Arabia Saudi forces grabbed Tihama including Hodeidah Atreaty restored Tihama Yemenis province northern Th highland Hajja place begin Tihama It capital Hajja province which includes northern Tihama large section highlands Abs largest Tihama Hajja province One could Hajja province includes KWC Tihama An excellent paved links Hajja cities Amran Sa Sana equally paved readcennects Abs Hedeidah Tihama But cennec tiens between Hajja Abs abysmal One reach Tihama roughly graded Snaking mountains The bumpy enough rattle brains But since people northern Tihama arduous journey Hajja conduct govern mental business constantly reminded highlanders Historically Hajja tronghold zaidi imams built itadel underground prisons palace there When Imam Yahya assassinated Ahmed Hajja rallied ribes standard swept defeat rebel Sana Situated meters level The mamic palace Hajja Hajja typical Arab highlands Being capital province perhaps prosperous Paved streets schools governmentbuildingsareabundant inHajja The tures curious amenity anywhere Yemen concave mirrors intersections drivers other coming around biind The indication Hajja proximity Tihama large numbers black skinned working laborers construction I spent Hajja comfortable tourist hotel A place gather energies lunge mountain morning It YR about splitting headache service Hajja Abs Rattling mountain crowded Datsun I bumped metal couple times It seemed these taxis rarely carry western passengers because found myself object curiousXty I heard repeated references conversation Amra Israel K C Road Map NOrth Yemen KWC Coming mountains fllowed Tihama Pches green plants either sorghum maize peaed A1so conical thatched unveiled Hitting plain driver picked speed The landscape reminded theWadi Juba intheeasern Of country gently undulating wasteland spotted scrub bushes fruit groves behiUd terraces green fields Once reached north south ihama highway short drive Abs awaite escape purpose visitingthisnorthern partof Thatchedhut ihama Red Se_a Loheya Ddr nturies Loheya important ports country being other Today Loheya sleepy fishing llage But distinguished looking villas glory remain The American ambassador supposedly bought entire carved wooden Loheya house I wanted But getting there tough The Tihama major north south misses Loheya kilometers The coast sturdy wheel drive vehicle roads Four wheel drive taxis common Yemeni countryside I figured I could Lug Loheya I junction south Abs waited One young offered drive Loheya YR I outraged Did I small roadside restaurant Couple hours waiting something better KWC Various approache story costs money Loheya terrible service passenge goiug there fellow offered takeme Zohra supposedly waytOLoheya for50YR motorcycle I agreied A distance looked quite reasonable produced under sweltering morning But I c0untryside theback motorcycle Parched dustytractswerebrokenb green rigate fields I could motorized Wel pumps andchildrenwere harvestingCrops 0sthad acksk The brightl coloreddre purple blein favored heniarrivedatnoon Zohrawasprostrate shimmering I motorcycle driver looked about With anxiety Zohra sprawling shanty thatched corrugated fences Few people stirring hemotorcyclisthad meoff infrontofagroup buildings outskirts A front identified Wadi Nawr Water Project Sounded civilized couple iZCould American mohandes engineer there I seeanyAmerleans I didfindanEnglish irrigation named John Pavey A slender light skinned young Pavey saidihehadbeen Loheya Uidn iSaid ofplaceyou awamttovisit unlesS reason going there Dur months Germanmen dropped prOjectatdifferent timesasking aboutthe Lohea The Own apparently Pavey tookthe secR_ndfellowto avillagea Shortdistance He ermanbungs_ around without finding going Lohya returned Hodeidah Pavey driven Loheya hehad Other trafficgoing either Fortiied these_ encouraging words I decided around Zohra something would first impression correct Zohra particularly interes Although overpowering I walked through taking photos group small began following At first their picture But I pointed camera scattered Bizarre So I walked Gradually became abusive calling after I I trouble began chucking rocks This worst hazard foreigner faces Yemeni village Children receive strict upbringing Yemenx society Until reach puberty If isolated community where strangers rarity encountered I tried chastise I could But shouts references hakuma government I though might respect Wadl project produced results All I could reverse course project Dodging rocks I walked course encoun tered middlaged woman appeared sympathise plght After I passed heard scolding Soon stoped following I nearing groupof young standing verandah story brick building called Come English A bZack muStachel suspicious aaked tasrir permit photos Zoa repZie He worked government Well where papier I hoped maneu leave But instead paper house would While I waited I chatted other young about weather They quite friendly Their zealous comrade retarned laminated identifying belonging government organization We office DrRping defense produced Yemen Center Research Studies This identified researcher asked Yemenis assist It desired effect My interrogator other fellows At project goodbye Pavey flagged heading Hodeidah One wheel drive Toyota whiskers faded asked country When I Antri pleased He Amrika agriculture thewhol world gesture countryside around something along lines Not Galil onlyalittlerin Iobserved sympathetically agreed heartily I asked about Loheya kayy_is I remarked Aya medima kwayyis replied The stopping village short distance Zohra Luckily another Toym passed heading The driver raced catch A Sudane engineerworkingfor theYemenigovernment driver their Hodeidah I accepted comfortable I reward trials tribulations earlier Hodeidah North Yemen three largest cities other being Sana Taiz As country major economic Zt achieved stature during century When Danish explorer Carsten Niebuhr visited commonly black sharshaf favored urban Arab women hihlands It Of status Yemen described Loheya important ports He mentioned Hodeidah casually For Helfritz Hodeidah early 1930s horrible place At whole S drinking water carried miles fromthe mountains backs donkeys laria gradually killing local population The Russians Hodeidah bUildi modern there completing facilities Hode today service_ medium sized ships special wharf storage tanks pipeline tankers Great But Hodeidah native could Architectural styles century utilitarian traditional Yemeni The Same concrete block apartment complexes finds world found If structure built before decrepit dirty ready No Yemeni rival Hodeidah terms trash filth In Sana street sweepers correct damage bycitizens deposit their garbage streets In Hodeidah trash piles Hodeidah where transacts commercial affairs One night Hodeidah enough there decent hotels south Zabid Russian destinations marked A rabic Russian Zabid everything Hodeidah lacks history interesting architecture character Zabid founded A D Yemen Ziadi dynasty A complex mosque schools located gradually developed Asha Univer famous center Sunni scholarship Student could study there special quarters The educational funded Or religious Nhen Egypt famous Azhar University opened A D professors Zabid It believedthat named Ahmed Abu Usa system Zabid Jabr The university declined century during years first Turkish occupation Yemen Today Asha mesque remains Zabid notable facades houses brick covered gypsum decorated elaborate geometric patterns Only paved Zabid Russian It stops plaza dominated Nasser Palace medieval building vernmen edieval walls Zabid complex_ today From plaza twisting narrow lanes directions The ethnic diversity rather startling One finds Only Tihama blacks their brightly colored skirt Tihama Arab abilis tribesmen wearing anbiya daggers black women casual dresses bright Patterns other women whether black Arab about their black sharshas I noticm anymo industrial ercial activi Zabid The seems content camping ruins endour The houses slowly dissolvingin stifling humidity I walked couple kilometers countryside The agriculture seemed quite prosperous I pumps green fields behind banked terraces The crops included cotton cherry tomatoes Coming across group standing outside village I chatted briefly They their village called Hagi Shamira A escorted around village while I pictures He beebasket functioned small grocery store I bought Pepsi KWC Hagi Shamira village kilometers outside Zabid talked store One asked inevitable question about religion inAmerica I United States contained slims Christians He seemed satisfied Altogether I snjoyed around Zabid But accomodations I arrlved Zabid service before People hotel located stand This baladi fonduk country hotel lower classSYemi travellers It consisted filled mattresses No bathroom facilities I previoUsly stayed similar iplace highlands slept But because Tihama mosquitoes I little sleep It total I South Yemeni television We watching North Yemeni soccer match This ended ellowed women singing religious songs A turned channel Yemen TV which picked The South Yemenis showing short clips perhaps preview coming attractions Indian Egyptian European American movies there Barbara Streisand A Star Is Born All lively secular You would never these shots scantily women North Yemeni TV News programs similar Yemens Endless shots officials bureamorats busily working people The difference women found place Yemenis generally bothered Christian although pestered answer question 9hamad roughly Is there ohamed But disapprove ofathm AmaninthenorthernTihamaaskedmefiAllah America He pleased I He therv God Soviet Union South Yemeni governmental organizations From Zabid I service junction Russian Hodeidah American built Taiz Sana A peaceful meeting superpowers might Within minutes carrying middle class Yemenis Taiz Aniz Amin pickled Zocha given language Zocha coffee During centurie Yemen major coffee exports The first English Dutch trading houses opened there As coffee ecame popular Europe trade By percent Dutch imports But centuries Indonesian South American coffee trade By World War I swift decline harbor silted great villas mosques On Hagi Shamira The disintegrated bringing harvested Zabid In recent years Yemeni government improvements Iocha harbor which continues service small freighters The I visited small ships Greek South Korean unloading wharf Aniz Amin afternoon holiday Both young their western shirts slacks spoke rudimentary English We lunch together walked wharf A terrific faces blasting To protect around sideways reached wharf Aniz suggested I picture South Korean Against better judgement careless sometimes I pointed camera Immediately Yemeni soldier standing bridge waved called Aniz talked seemed handle situation The soldier waved While Aniz Am Sor I walked around taking pictures It reminded Zabid Above Below Aniz Amin right grand buildings falling slowly worse Fearer people Zabid Zabid least center prosperous agricultural surrounded sandy wasteland depends entirely small Around I Aniz Amin again about business Taiz The offers received outrageous person starting walking hoping somebody would We lucky Two truck Taiz Fading randeur Tihama Above house Z Below mosque After second Tihama I Taiz Sana Chinese Hodeidah Sana hihvy A western looking Arab couple young woman Hodeidah The wearing Whie shirt standing Yemenis their futahs The woman dress She light skinned first wondered westerner But spoke Arabic other At Sana checkpoint bereted soldier KWC aboard He glance Arab marched straight young couple He examined their passports several minutes I heard references Falestine Later Ame rican Institute Sana I learned Yassir Ar conference Palestinian writers journalists Since PLO evacuation Beaut Arafat maintained miary headquarters Sana Security conference reportedly truckloads Yemeni soidlers parked outsidethe hotel The soldier concernabout theyoung couple sensethen Butnoitforthef Iwondered phenomenon Arabs distrustiug other anyone Sincerely After S Tihama Z service Ta zteSana We passed threughfat least pelice military checkpoints record experience The soldiers interest Nobody asked passpert Butatoneef echecpeints twoYemenabili taken frisked The soldiers around leokg weapons Received Hanover