The land of the Queen of Sheba

The land of the Queen of Sheba by John

Yemen, located to the south of the Arabian peninsula and inhabited since the most ancient times: travelling in this land is an unforgettable experience, as is getting to know its people, "the men with the kindest hearts", in the words of Muhammad. The land of the qat chewers is divided into 3 parts: the coastal strip on the Red Sea to the west, called Tihama; the central highlands; and the arid desert zones of the north and east. The Tihama has a very hot climate in the summer months, with monsoon rains between July–September and March–April; a temperate climate on the central highlands, at altitudes from 1500 to 3500 m; the eastern and northern desert zones are very hot and dry, unlike the Tihama, which has high humidity.

The island of Socotra, the largest of the Republic of Yemen, has temperatures that never reach extremes but are pleasant and constant, frequently swept by a wind that in the monsoon periods reaches hurricane force. This part of the Arabian peninsula has very ancient origins, developing around the 1st millennium BC; here the incense trade began to flourish, for this land was rich in it, and this fragrance won far-off routes and markets, under the control of the Sabaeans. Later the power of the Sabaeans, begun in the eastern part and then extended to present-day Yemen, declined, giving way to new kingdoms, the most important of which was that of Himyar in the 3rd century AD. It was later invaded by many peoples from Iran, Ethiopia and Egypt, but none ever managed to take the country completely.

The only invasion of significant proportions was the arrival of Islam, to which many Yemenis adhered, later forming other religious groups and distancing themselves from the Sunni current. From the 15th century onwards other foreign powers invaded these lands for dominance of the Red Sea coast, such as the Egyptians and the Portuguese, while from the 19th century the British arrived in this southern land, occupying Aden, which became their protectorate until 1967. In 1962, on the death of the Imam, the Yemen Arab Republic was founded; forces loyal to the Imam, with the help of Great Britain and Saudi Arabia, fought against the republicans backed by Egypt and Russia. In 1967 the British withdrew from Aden and the People's Republic of South Yemen was formed, the only Arab Marxist state, called the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen in 1970.

The Unified Republic of Yemen took shape in 1990 and the constitution was promulgated the following year, but despite this the civil war raged on until the new reunification under President Saleh.