Salmiya

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 ...

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...