The Culture of Yemen Each society throughout the world has developed its own unique culture within itself. Culture is defined as an integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that is both a result of and integral to the human capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations (Merriam). Factors such as historical events and geographic location contribute to the development of a culture. Cultures in Middle Eastern countries are diverse full of history and traditions. In this research paper, we will discuss the characteristics that shape the culture make up of the country Yemen. Yemen is an Arab country that is based on Islamic beliefs. In Yemen, the Muslim population is for the most part evenly divided between Sunni and Shi’a. In southern Yemen, the population is predominantly Sunni to where as the northern part of the country the Shi’a. Within Islam there are different religious beliefs that socially divide Muslim groups. Each religious group follow basic Islamic beliefs however, interpret the historical pass of leadership within the religion differently. This difference has placed strain amongst the two groups for hundreds of centuries (Shi’a vs Sunni).
In ancient times, the area around Yemen was known by the name of Arabia Felix which meant happy or prosperous (Nyrop). The area was well known for the trade of indigenous goods such as spices, silks, precious stones and a variety of goods. The country was divided into tribal communities. During the 7th century, the prophet Mohammad began to preach leading to the majority of the populace to embrace the Islamic faith. Between the 7th and 19th Centuries, control over Yemen bounced back and forth between descendants of the prophet Mohammad and the Ottoman Empire better known as Turkey. During the 18th century, the British became a big influence on the southern part of Yemen. In 1839, the city of Aden was captured by the British and developed into a port that supported trade between Britain and India. Although the British were present in the southern part of Yemen, struggle over the control over the country remained between Islamic religious leaders and what remained of the Ottoman Empire.
In 1918, the Ottoman Empire collapsed leaving control of Yemen to a tribal leader by the name of Yahya Muhammad Hamidaddin (Muellar). He became the king of the Kingdom of Yemen and stayed in power up until the early 1960’s. In 1962, the Egyptian led United Arab Republic took control of the capital city of Sana’a in Yemen. The group organized a resistance from the north called the Yemen Arab Republic. Civil war against the southern part of Yemen the Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen lasted several years. Unification of both sides did not occur until May 22, 1990 when the Republic of Yemen was formed. The Constitution of Yemen was implemented in May 1991 establishing Yemen as the first democratic country in the Arabian Peninsula. Political struggles continued within Yemen despite the implementation of free elections. From 1991 to present day the Yemen government is under the control of the General People’s Congress. Through a parliament election, Ali Abdullah Saleh became the first elected president of the Republic of Yemen. He remained in power until February 27, 2012. He was well known for being a strong supporter of the regimes in Iraq and Iran.
While refueling in the port Aden, the United States (U.S.) Navy destroyer USS Cole was attacked by a suicide bomber October 12th, 2000. The attack prompted an investigation by U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The investigation team revealed the attack was carried out by a militant group from Sudan who were affiliated with the terrorist organization Al Qaeda. After the attacks on the U.S. September 11th, 2001, the government of Yemen started gaining support from the U.S. of protecting its border from insurgent groups that sought to bring havoc to western society.

Yemen borders the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east. It has a total area of 527,970 sq km about twice the size of Wyoming (Middle East). It has a desert climate that is hot and humid along the coast and extremely hot and dry in the eastern desert. As with many other Middle Eastern countries, Yemen experiences sand and wind storms in the summer. The coastal terrain is narrow backed by flat topped hills and rugged mountains. Inland terrain is primarily high desert. Yemen has very limited natural fresh water resources and inadequate storage of potable water. The majority of the fertile soil for agriculture resides in the western part of the country. The country is highly dependant on its agriculture for subsidence. Crops of significance are millet, wheat, barley, grapes, coffee, vegetables, and fruits. Natural resources include petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, coal, gold, nickel, lead, and copper (Middle East).

Yemen is considered to be one of the poorest countries in the world. Historically, their economy has been highly dependant on their sale of natural resources to foreign countries. In addition, foreign aid from various countries who value Yemen’s geographical location helped stimulate the economy. Oil is their main means of revenue however, oil reserves in the country are estimated to run out by the year 2017 (Yemen ‘Faces Crisis as Oil Ends’). Continual political issues and the lack of government stability have been the main reason for poor economic status. Foreign investors view Yemen as a liability and prefer to do business elsewhere.

The infrastructure of the country is extremely underdeveloped. Majority of the roads in Yemen are not paved. Railways are non existent. Of six ports Yemen, the port Aden is the largest and most efficient. There are five major airports. The country has one company supplying power. Power shortages resulting in blackouts are common. It is estimated that 60% of households are without electricity. Generators are widely used for business operations. Communications via telephone, mobile phone, and internet are expensive and unreliable.

The country is able to survive predominantly because of the rich agriculture of the country. There is a significant amount of fertile land in the Western highlands, which produces a lot of wheat and various fruit bearing trees. There are also large farms where lamb and chicken is harvested for consumption of the population.

emeni culture is a combination of socially conservative Islamic ideals with local Arab character and deep tribal traditions. Though many social attributes found in Yemen are universal in the Arab world (emphases on family, religion, honor, and gender roles), Yemenis hold fast to these values in a way that visitors rarely see replicated in other parts of the Arab world, creating a unique cultural outlook. Yemenis are very proud of their cultural traditions and eager to share them with foreign guests. As guests in this country, students witness extreme generosity from their Yemeni hosts and are often taken aback by their hospitality. Still, other students experience the alienation of being a lonely foreigner amidst a seemingly curious and intimidating society.

Yemen is one of the oldest countries, which have a distinct cultural tradition of its own. Yemen society and culture reflect the lifestyle of Yemen people and their traditional aspects. The culture and tradition of the

country has been mainly guided by Arabian principles and laws. Yemen society and culture is slightly different and more liberal than the conventional Arabian countries.

The language and culture of Yemen is predominantly guided by the Arabian laws and customs. There are many tribal and religious distinctions in the Yemeni society, which is based on location. For instance, the people of Tihamah coastal areas are of mixed African and Arabian descent, while some others are of Arabian origin. The Zaidi tribal group comprises of Shi'ite Muslims mainly, who live in the northern mountainous region and have different culture and political view. On the other hand, the southern lowland regions are mostly inhabited by the Shafi community of Sunni Muslims, who again have a different culture than that of Shi'ite Muslims.

Yemeni culture is very rich and has an ethnic appeal. Waddah al-Yaman is the national poet of Yemen who is one of the most refined Immayyad poets and has a distinctive style of his own, which is very amusing. Yemeni music has a rich cultural past and is extremely varied. Yemeni cinema also has an everlasting impact on the Arabian cultural scenario.

Yemeni society and culture has played a major role in the shaping up of Arabian music and art and it still continues to dominate the Arabian cultural scenario.

The culture is a very large part of Yemen and most of it stems from the Islamic religion. The holy days are very sacred and worshipped throughout the country. Art is a very large art of the culture and gold jewelry has become very popular. The Quran verses are also seen throughout various cases and jewelry, making them popular souvenirs and seen on locals as well. In some of the tribal areas, culture can dramatically vary.
When traveling to Yemen, Arabic is the official language, however it exists in three forms across the country. Classic Arabic is the written language. There is also MSA (Modern Standard Arabic) which is a form of Classic Arabic, commonly used in the press and in literature as well as the spoken language throughout the forms of media. Finally, there is everyday Arabic, which is on the streets. Some Arabic speakers are unable to communicate with those who speak a different form.
In the Far East, there are still some people who speak Mehri, which is a language from the ancient kingdoms. In some of the other areas throughout Yemen, it is also possible to find other native tongues, however most also speak Arabic.
Most Yemeni students are learning English in school, so it is possible to find the youth of Yemen to communicate with in English. There are also various native tongues spoken because of the Yemenis who originally hail from South Asia or Africa.
Yemen has several natural resources that it exports to various other countries. Oil is one of the most valuable resources and wasn’t actually discovered in the country until the 1980s. There is a pipeline that transports the crude oil to wells in Hodeida, a port city on the Red Sea. There is also limestone and marble throughout Yemen as well as coal, copper, lead, gold, zinc and rock salt mining.
Yemen has large areas of fertile soil, in which crops grow particularly well. These include figs, bananas, mangos, almonds, walnuts, pears, pomegranates and various spices. It is also has a major fishing industry, including sardines and mackerel.
Despite the natural resources and agriculture of the country, it is still one of the poorest and underdeveloped countries in the Arabian Peninsula. It has an unemployment rate of about 65%. A high percentage of the population is not yet considered adults, which contributes to the unemployment rate being so high.
Yemen is not able to compare to the other Middle Eastern countries in terms of its economy because it has very small oil reserves. What it does have, it depends heavily upon. It is estimated that the oil reserves will be depleted by 2017, which could bring on the economic collapse of the country.
Since the conclusion of the Persian war, the currency has become very weak, though in 1995, the country was able to launch a financial reform known as the EFARP with the support of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank. This has had a significant impact on the economy and has helped in some of the poverty-ridden sectors of the country.
Some of the other programs by the Yemeni government are focusing on the non-oil sector, reducing unemployment and overall increasing the financial stability of the country. The country continues to receive financial assistance from other countries, however it struggles because of the imbalance within its own population due to the number of workers and political struggles endured by the country.
The country is able to survive predominantly because of the rich agriculture of the country. There is a significant amount of fertile land in the Western highlands, which produces a lot of wheat and various fruit bearing trees. There are also large farms where lamb and chicken is harvested for consumption of the population.

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