Our thanks to the readers who answered the questions below. Anyone who wishes to add to the answers, or contradict them, is welcome to do so.
Click here for a list of questions which are still awaiting answers.
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Can anyone provide contact details for the Sana'a Institute for the Arabic Language, which I understand was opened recently by Muhammed al-Anisi, who used to be the director at CALES? From: Josh Cates |
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We may be moving to Sana'a at the end of this year and I need some information about English-speaking international schools. Are there any in Sana'a and what are their fees? From: Mustapha Noman |
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Is it possible to cross the Red Sea from Yemen to Eritrea by boat, and if so, from where? What about to Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan? From: Mustapha Noman |
| I desperately need a recipe for salta, Yemen's national food. Please HELP IF YOU CAN!! The Yemen Times has published an article about this popular dish, which includes a recipe: http://www.yementimes.com/00/iss35/culture.htm#2 |
| I am an American citizen (a woman) and very much in love with a man who is from Yemen and is in the United States with me right now. We would like to get married but do not have everyone's blessings. His mom says it's OK but his uncle, who is like the leader of the family, is very upset by this. No one will go against the uncle and give him permission. My fiance does not have any kind of identification and we have been asking them to send us some but they won't. He will be going back to Yemen to renew his visa again - his uncle is sending for him. Do you feel if he goes back they will have an arranged marriage for him there? Does he have to marry that person even if he will be 21 soon? Does age even matter? Does he even have a say in what he wants to do with his life? I am heartbroken because it seems that I will never be accepted. Can anyone help me?
From: Nidhal "Nick" Tayeb From: Muhammad Amrani |
| We are interested to import seafood products from Yemen, especially blue swimming crab. Can anyone provide the address, name, phone numbers, email address, etc, of companies dealing in these items?
From: Muhammad Amrani |
| Where can I get the best deal on air tickets from USA to Yemen?
From: Mazen From: Lzalwazir@aol.com |
| Is it possible to rent for a short period (i.e. 2 or 3 weeks) apartments or houses in Sana'a? If yes, are they all-furnished and what are their facilities (bed linens, towels, fully equipped kitchenette, TV, etc...) and could you please indicate the rates? Could you please provide addresses of agencies for that?
From: Mazen |
| I was planning to attend a four-week course in Arabic language in Sana'a. I had heard and read about the kidnappings in some provinces. It was my understanding that the main target for this kind of practice were mainly group of tourists or high-ranking foreign officers. The hostages were being kept by local tribes which required some social services in exchange. Normally, the hostages were freed unharmed. Until the events of December 1998 where four people lost their lives.
Today I read the news about the Norwegian man shot dead near Sana'a. The people who kidnapped him could not have possibly known that he was an embassy officer (his post was in Zambia). When he was kidnapped, he was not travelling in some of the more dangerous areas of the country, but he was walking in the centre of Sana'a. This means that the basis for his kidnapping was merely the fact that he was a foreigner. If this is the case, I would like to know what is your opinion regarding the kind of trip I was planning to make, which consisted in a one-month daily course in Arabic. Albeit I would be staying in a university compound, I would still have to go out to eat, as well as walk around the city to visit (what is the point of travelling anywhere if you're not allowed to visit the place you're in?). Would this make me a potential target for kidnapping ? Also, I have no previous knowledge of Arabic, which - in case things turn out the wrong way - could represent yet one more disadvantage. I am looking for opinions and advice. From: Mazen From: M. I. Whitehouse |
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Did Sindbad the Sailor really exist? Was he from Iraq or may he also have lived in Yemen? Some people in Yemen told me that they were proud that Sindbad had lived in their mother country. They had even painted his face on the door of their workshop. And then there are many hotels and travel agencies called "Sindbad" in Yemen. From: Saad Salah Khalis |
| My daughter was given a puzzler in school: where is the world's oldest castle found? The answer given was "Gomdan, Yemen". We have searched through the web and so far we have found no reference to it. Is there such a place? Or was it a mistake?
From: Blair Stannard, Ottawa, Canada |
| How do you use qat? What are its effects and how long do they last?
From: anonymous Then have a good lunch, because you’re not going to feel hungry for a very long time. After lunch, you sit down with some friends and copious bottles of mineral water and start chewing. Start with the youngest shoots. If you’re a vegetarian you should tweak them gently to remove any insects. Nip off the shoots one by one, crush them with your teeth and push them into your cheek with your tongue. You will gradually build up a wad in your cheek (it doesn’t matter which side). The ability to establish a large wad and keep it there for several hours is a matter of social prowess. Some Yemenis, whose cheeks have stretched over the years, can handle a wad the size of a tennis ball. The effects? Well, if you imagine a couple of joints followed by six double espressos you’ll be on the right lines. But qat creeps up on you slowly, almost imperceptibly. By now you’ll probably be in the midst of some deep discussion with your friends and you’ll be impressed to find that you’re far more articulate and intelligent than you ever imagined. As the sun sets, you’ll realise why the Yemenis like to put multi-coloured glass in their windows. After dark, the lights will twinkle as they’ve never twinkled before and you’ll want to touch the stars. By the end of the session you will have (a) thought of a solution to any problem you care to mention or (b) decided that it doesn’t matter anyway. By the small hours, won’t feel ready for bed, which is why some Yemenis (though they rarely admit it) take a glass or three of whisky at this point. By lunchtime next morning you’ll be longing for a nap; your mouth will feel sore and the hyperactivity that was in your brain the previous evening may well have worked its way down to your intestines. |
| I am a Swedish citizen and my partner is Canadian. We would like to get married in Yemen (in a civil ceremony). Can anyone provide information?
From: Mustapha Noman From: Shieba Can Trading |
| We hear (in Germany) many things about kidnapping and car-napping. How can we protect ourselves if we go with our own cars in Yemen? Are weapons the right answer or shall we give them what they want (and lose our cars, etc.)? For our trip to Yemen I am also looking for geographical coordinates (for our GPS system) of main points in the country. Who knows how to get these?
From: Mohamed Alhaj |
| In 1978, our construction group built the Hadda Ramada Hotel in Sana'a. It was fabricated using advanced technology identical to that used to construct the Apollo and Gemini spacecraft, all American re-entry heatshields and many of the same principles are used to construct aircraft wings. Sometime later, Sana'a and the adjacent area was subjected to a very strong earthquake. I am in the process of re-starting the company that produced the Hadda hotel and I would appreciate any information you have in regard to the earthquake including the date, magnitude, epicenter, etc. Secondly, I would appreciate any information that might be available in regard to how well the Hadda Hotel endured the earthquake. Did they have to rebuild any significant portion of it?
From: Etemen (etemen@compuserve.com) In any event, the current owner of the hotel, which is now called the Hadda Hotel and is supposed to become part of the Best Western chain in the coming months, says the original building (and subsequent buildings added later) suffered absolutey no damage from the Anis quake. Nor apparently did any other buildings in or around the capital. Let me know if you would like to talk directly to the owner. |
| I plan to go to Yemen for at least a couple of months. Can anyone provide information on money matters? Is it recommendable to take cash for a longer period of stay ? I know that credit cards are not widely accepted.
From: elheran@aol.com |
