YemenYemenArabia Felix

the Half Has Never Been toldby

Ali Al AgriAli Al AgriPenn State

2006

Map - Flag

Sana’a (Sam City)

• The old, fortified city has been inhabited for more than 2500 years and contains a wealth of intact architectural gems.

• Capital of Yemen (1,747,627 people)

• Lies in the heart of Yemeni highlands on a plateau at an altitude of 2200m.

Queen of Sheba

• Famous story of the visit of Balquis, the Queen of Shiba, to Prophet Solomon (peace to be upon him) about 950 BC.

• Mareb Dam “ mentioned in the Holy Quran”

• Origin of Arabs “Pure Arabs” who originated from the progeny of Ya‘rub bin Yashjub bin Qahtan so were also called Qahtanian Arabs.

Arabia Felix

• Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable population, a feature recognized by the ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy (87 -150 AD), who described Yemen as Eudaimon Arabia (better known in its Latin translation, Arabia Felix) meaning "fortunate Arabia" or Happy Arabia.

Mocha

• Mocha is famous for being the major marketplace for coffee from the 15th century until the 17th century. Even after other sources of coffee were found, Mocha beans continued to be prized for their strong, chocolate flavor—and remain so even today.

• From this coffee the English language gained the word mocha.

Frankincense

General Facts

• Full Name Republic of YemenRepublic of Yemen

• Capital City Sana'aSana'a

• Area 555,000 sq km/344 861 sq miles555,000 sq km/344 861 sq miles

• Population 25,000,000 25,000,000

• Languages Arabic (official)Arabic (official)

• Religion Muslim Muslim

• Currency Yemeni Riyal (YR)Yemeni Riyal (YR)

Democracy

• Yemen is a one party dominant state with the General People's Congress in power.

• Other main parties– Yemeni Congregation for Reform – Yemen Socialist Party – Nasserite Unionist People's Organisation – Arab Socialist Rebirth Party

Democracy

Summary of the 20 September 2006 Yemen Summary of the 20 September 2006 Yemen presidential election resultspresidential election results

Candidates - Nominating parties Votes %

Ali Abdullah Saleh - General People's Congress

4,149,673 77.17

Faisal Bin Shamlan - Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) opposition coalition

1,173,075 21.82

Others 54,490 1.01

Total valid votes (turnout 65.2%) 5,377,238 100.00

Invalid votes 648,580

Total votes cast 6,025,818

Registered voters 9,248,456

Source: Yemen Times

Elections

Democracy

Summary of the 23 September 1999 Yemen presidential Summary of the 23 September 1999 Yemen presidential election resultselection results

Candidates - Nominating parties Votes %

Ali Abdullah Saleh - General People's Congress 96.3

Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi 3.7

Total (turnout %) 100.0

Source: SABA News

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

• Sana’a

• Zabid

• Shibam Hadhramaut

Sa’da

• Capital of Yemen during Zaidi Imamate (893)

• My home city• Mud houses• Grapes,

Pomegranate, Apples, Oranges, cucumber, coffee

• Silver artifacts

Traditions

• Traditional clothes

• Dancing

• wedding

Socotra

• The biggest of about 120 islands• Located in the Indian Ocean.• 3600 sq KMs/2236 sq miles• About 60,000 people

Arabia Felix

Enjoy watching some pictures of the

Happy Land, but remember:

The Half Has Never Been Told

Thank You!Thank You!

Ali Al AgriAli Al Agri