Yemen

I lived and worked in Yemen in the early 1990s at a time when the country was not at war so we could travel everywhere. This is Shibam city from the air looking north, taken from the De Haviland Twin Otter on a company flight from Sana'a to the seismic base in Block 32. The pilot dropped down and circled the city so we could get a better look. Shibam, the Manhattan of the Desert, is a magical place from the air or on the ground. It must have been a breathtaking vision of civilisation for any desert traveller crossing the Empty Quarter to look over the high cliffs of Wadi Hadramaut and see this beautiful city rising from the wadi floor. It is a great shame that the country and its friendly people have been so damaged in the last years with no obvious end to their woes in sight.

Airborne over Wadi Hadramaut in eastern Yemen. Because of the dramatic relief (up to 300m) between wadi & jebel we used helicopters on the seismic acquisition crew and all equipment was flown out to the line. This is the view as the aircraft tops the jebel. We had one ex-Vietnam vet pilot who used to delight in giving visiting newcomers a gentle take off from the jebel, fly slowly across the edge of the cliff & then immediately drop vertically down 500ft into the wadi. An exhilarating experience to say the least. Unfortunately he was later in an accident when the engines cut-out at about 100ft when he was long-lining & the helicopter fell to the ground. Amazingly he kept the aircraft upright & survived with minor cuts & bruises but shortly after he decided enough was enough & took retirement.

Our De Haviland Twin Otter takes off from Aden airport (ex-RAF Khormaksar) en route to Sana'a with Crater in the distance. This view is looking south.

The Manhattan of the desert. Shibam in eastern Yemen.

We lived in Yemen 1992-94. The office was in Sana'a in the mountains but the field area was a 3 hour flight to the east in the Hadramaut. Taken from the company de Havilland Twin Otter Wadi Hadramaut is seen in the distance running roughly east-west into which this north-south subsidiary connects.

A traditional Yemeni village near Sana'a. The stone construction of the houses blends perfectly with the rocks of the mountains. The green irrigated areas are mainly vegetables and maybe some qat fields. Jessops screwed up the developing of my slide film by treating it as a colour negative film instead. The colours were hardly life-like and the resolution low. I have spend some time in PhotoShop almost retrieving the colour but can do nothing about the resolution.

Another shot of Shibam, the Manhattan of the Desert. Shibam is a magical place from the air or on the ground. It must have been a breathtaking vision of civilisation for any desert traveller crossing the Empty Quarter to look over the high cliffs of Wadi Hadramaut and see this beautiful city rising from the wadi floor.

Goats and dogs roam the street in the old town of Shibam Kawkaban. The mountain top city is 50km northwest of Sana'a at 3000m (9,800ft) altitude. Back in 1993 Yemen was a beautiful friendly place to live. and travel throughout most of the country was easy - only the Houthi heartland around Sada was tricky. Things have changed terribly for the poor people of Yemen (although in 1994 we were evacuated because of the civil war). HWW to everyone & peace to Yemen.