Salmiya

In an 11 minute documentary Iranian scientists presented what may be considered the world’s first flip-book. The five, 5200-year-old, drawings of a goat on a goblet could be set into rotation and then give the impression of a short moving picture: the wild goat ( Capra aegagrus ) jumping up to eat the leaves of a bush. The goblet was discovered in a grave at the city of Shahr-e-Sookhte (the Burnt City), at the banks of the river Helmand along the Zahedan-Zabol road, in the southeast province of Sistan. The settlement is part of the Jiroft civilization.The site is considered an archeological treasure trove. The goblet is also featured on this Iran’s Press TV site’s article .

Sana’a at night is especially charming. With their illuminated stained-glass windows the multi-storey tower buildings really look like lanterns. Since early afternoon, most men (and probably women in their more hidden parties, tafrita , as well) had chewed their daily portion of qat , the leaves of the shrub Catha edulis , providing them with its mild alkaloid stimulant. It is part of the social activity of all Yemenis and fully accepted and legal. I saw even a traffic policeman in the center of crowded streets with a good portion of qat in his cheek. When life returns in the evening, Yemenis are not really stoned but, of course, in an excellent mood. Anyway, it seems to be a problem in a pretty poor country when most of the fertile areas are used for qat production. There are huge plantations with the green bushes everywhere and men sell and buy the daily portion either in one of several larger qat markets in Sana’a, or outside of the city. Mohammed apologized early in ...

The most significant Holiday in Christianity, the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Glorious Resurrection after 3 days in his grave, i.e. Easter, is celebrated (in the Western Church) on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring. This year, spring (or Nowruz in Farsi, the Iranian New Year) starts today, the vernal equinox. And since the full moon is seen tomorrow, Easter will be on March 23 (while the Good Friday is tomorrow). So, Happy Nowruz! for all my Iranian friends, and Happy Easter! for the others.

These days, the so far 3rd war (not the second!) in the Gulf region marks its 5th anniversary. The operation was called Shock & Awe and I was watching the bombing of Baghdad live on my TV in a flat in Kuwait. Incredible, Baghdad and its avenues at the Tigris river were brightly illuminated when the first bombs blasted! It looked more like a Hollywood movie. How could that be broadcast to the World? While we were sitting here in a totally dark, blacked-out Kuwait! I really can tell, I was shocked and awed. We had spent the last days before the outbreak of war with shopping of the special kind, hoarding meat, tuna fish and vegetables in cans, getting large amounts of rice and noodles, buying candles. Our former Faculty Dean had briefed the brave of us, who were about to stay, in one of the then rare Faculty meetings: There might be curfews in Kuwait. The Americans troops will be in Baghdad within 72 hours. University will be closed for a week or so. Life will go on. But the...

On my first day I woke up early. The muezzin was calling very noisily for the morning prayers. It was not even 5 o’clock. The very rhythmic, very decided, and clear call came from a tall minaret just opposite of my hotel . Different from what I was used to in Kuwait, where uninspired muezzins most probably from Bangladesh had been hired (Kuwaitis are even for that little task, calling for morning prayers, not well-motivated). The following days in Arabia Felix it happened that I would wait for ‘my call’ (I didn’t follow) every morning. No way to get a breakfast that early. So, I decided to have an early walk through the old city of Sana’a. Most of the multi-storey houses (five, six or even more floors) were definitely old. Sana’a rightly belongs to UNESCO’s World Heritage. Some newer buildings were also tower houses. The limestone of many houses was carefully carved especially around the small windows with colorful stained glass. The lanes in the old city are lined by mud walls with b...

What a name for a hotel in the old city of Sana’a! Funduq al-‘Arabiya as-Sai’da , literally Arabia Felix! And it was dead-easy to get there. I'd sent an email to the address I found in the Lonely Planet travel guide of the Arabian Peninsula and received a response after only 3 hours. I was most welcome. The hotel was run by an Egyptian and somebody would be at the airport for picking me up. “Don’t forget passport pictures for the visa!” A crazy trip. End of February expats are well-advised better leaving Kuwait. Let them celebrate their National and Liberation Days alone. Yemen was the last travel destination on my long list while living in the Middle East. Some tourists had been kidnapped and even killed in the past few years. But Yemenis have a good reputation in Arabia. Very honest, traditional, friendly. I arrived in the evening and queued with other Kuwaitis and few, mostly American, tourists at the visa counter. No problems to get the stamps. After I had picked up my luggag...