Unearthing the wonders of Yemen.
CHRIS KUTSCHERA reports from Paris on a new exhibition, scheduled to open this month, which is expected to provoke a new wave of fascination into a land of ancient cultures and civilisations.It all began with a loosely defined concept: Bilqis, the legendary Queen of Saba, who for centuries has fascinated scholars and travellers, researchers and the public at large.
Officials at the Paris-based Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA), or Arab World Institute, when mulling over the prospect of staging an exhibition on Yemen, naturally thought that such an event should focus on the Queen of Saba, mentioned in the Koran under her Arab name of Bilqis, and known by the Ethiopians as Makeda.
The idea was a wonderful one but executing it would prove impossible, the problem being that little remains of a Queen famous for her encounter with King Solomon around 950 B.C., in fact even her existence is not certain.
So, finally, the idea of taking the theme of the legendary Queen was abandoned and it was decided to organise an exhibition which would draw its inspiration from Yemen's archaeological past, displaying for the first time in Europe the treasures of the collections kept in Yemen's museums and in the USA (with a number of pieces on loan from German and British museums).
"What we want," explains Hanna Banna Chidiac, the energetic Lebanese born curator of the exhibition, "is to show the uniqueness of Yemen, a mountainous country, quite different from the other Arab states. How could a sophisticated civilisation develop in such an unexpected place? In Mesopotamia there was plenty of land and water, but here in Yemen man had to master nature. What we want to show is the whole journey of Yemeni Man, from the dawn of prehistory to the zenith of the South Arabian kingdoms."
The exhibition starts with a short audio-visual introduction explaining the geological formation of the Arab peninsula. Then, in the first section, the visitor sees how Man travelled from Africa to Sinai, and from there on to Yemen, settling with his herds around the lakes that existed in prehistoric times.
The discovery of ancient weapons "shows the continuity of the Yemenis' lifestyle", says Hanna Banna Chidiac: "Already, they were at the same time good farmers and great warriors: But the Jambia (traditional Yemeni dagger) has taken over from the sword".
The second section of the Paris exhibition, "Dawn of History", shows the beginnings of irrigation in the region (a film) and evidence of use of the written word, (pieces of broken ceramics from the site of Sabir, with a few letters). "Although there is little to show, it is an important turning point in the history of Yemen", explains Hanna Banna Chidiac.
Obviously, the more spectacular following sections will fascinate most visitors, who will be amazed by the beauty of the art of the caravan kingdoms and the highlands of Southern Arabia: the alabaster statues, stone stelas, bronze statues, oil lamps and stone incense burners on show.
The IMA exhibition could not have been realised without Yemen's huge contribution. Out of more than 500 pieces on display, 377 came from Yemen, from museums in Saana and Aden, as well as from smaller and unknown museums. The presence of some of these statues or coins is something of a miracle since during the civil war in 1994, all the museums in what used to be South Yemen were looted, and many masterpieces disappeared along with typewriters, telephones, even the doors and windows. "It was not an organised robbery of archaeological treasures", explains a French archaeologist, "just wild, indiscriminate looting."
With the assistance of UNESCO, Yemen was able to discreetly buy back most of the archaeological pieces - except for a few items which were shipped abroad with the complicity of local customs officials. In Mukalla, the looters stole many personal objects including carpets, tapestries, paintings and the chinaware which once decorated the Sultan's apartments. While these objects had little real value, "their loss is a tragedy", says Remy Audouin, one of a team of French archaeologists working in Yemen, "because the palace of Mukalla was the only one which had remained intact after the fall of the sultans. It was a unique testimony about their daily life." Part of the looters haul was the the last official letter from the British to the Sultan of Mukalla and Shihr, announcing that their protection was over, nicely framed by the revolutionaries who seized power in 1967.
Visitors can also see some 60 objects found by the American Wendell Phillips and kept at the Smithsonian Institute; 40 come from museums in Munich and Berlin, and 12 are from England. The Arab World Institute has spent a fortune transporting all these objects to Paris, with the help of a grant from the French oil company Total, which is active in Yemen.
Altogether, the IMA spent about 12 million Francs (over $2 million) to arrange this exhibition which, it is hoped, will also be shown in England, Germany and the USA.
The exhibition is the first on such a scale to be staged in Europe and includes contributions by most of the specialists involved in archeological excavations in Yemen in recent years.
RELATED ARTICLE: A quick look at South Arabian history
Save for a few brief campaigns like the Wendell Phillips expedition in 1950, the study of archaeological remains in Arabia is quite recent. The trend did not really start before the 1970's, with the excavations in North Yemen after the end of the civil war (1969), in Saudi Arabia at Qaryat al Faw (1972) and at Shabwa in South Yemen (1974). These excavations brought to light a large number of unsuspected finds - temples, palaces, statues and inscriptions of a surprising beauty, proving that contrary to common opinion, the history of the Arabs in the peninsula did not start with Prophet Mohammed's departure from Mecca to Medina in 622 (Hejira). There were, indeed, brilliant civilisations which played an important role during the previous millennium, of which much still remains unknown, their traces covered by earth and sand.
In his study Ancient Arabia, from Karib'il to Mohammed, New facts about the history of the Arabs, (published in French by Edisud) Christian Robin, one of France's leading archaeologists, presents the two schools of thought about the history of South Arabia.
According to the "short" chronology, advocated in the 1970s by leading French archaeologist Jacqueline Pirenne, who based her theory on a comparison between the Greek and the Sabean writing, the first inscriptions go back to the 5th century B.C. But Hermann van Wissmann bases a longer chronology on a study of Assyrian texts, which mention "It'amara the Sabean" and "Karibilu King of Saba" in texts dating from between 716 and 689 B.C. The problem is that so far nothing proves that the Sabean King Karib'il Watar and the Karibilu, of the Assyrian text, are one and the same person.
The "Caravan Kingdoms" (8th B.C to 1st B.C.) were founded by tribes who lived on the edge of the desert, at the foot of the mountains, and who thrived on the incense trade. Each valley ("wadi") gave its name to a different state: Hadhramaut (wadi Hadhramaut), Awsan (wadi Markha), Qataban (wadi Bayhan), Saba (wadi Dhana), Jawf (Saba and Main). At the beginning of the 7th B.C. the Sabean King Karib'il Watar unified the major part of what is today Yemen: he was called "al Mukarrib", the federator. His reign inaugurated a period of Sabean hegemony which lasted several centuries, followed by a period of Qataban hegemony, and a brief Hadhrami period, at the turn of the Christian era.
The "Highland Kingdoms" lasted from the 1st century until the 6th century A.D. In the north, Sabean tribes established their kingdoms around Saana.
In the south, a new tribal confederation, called dhu- Raydan or Himyar, founded its capital at Zafar. Their history is very complex too, since these tribes which separated themselves from Qataban, spoke Sabean, and called themselves "Kings of Saba and dhu-Raydan". During the 1st and 2nd century the main kingdoms were Saba, Himyar, Qataban and Hadhramaut. The 2nd century is marked by the disparition of Qataban, around 175 A.D. It is a major event in the history of South Arabia, since this kingdom goes back to the beginnings of the South Arabian civilisation, and had always played a major role. The 3rd century sees the invasion of the Abyssinians who occupy the western flank of the Yemeni mountains. But at the end of the 3rd century Himyar asserts its power, annexing Saba, conquering Hadhramaut and expelling the Abyssinians. The Himyar Kingdom lasted until 525.
Up to the end of the 4th century the Kings of Himyar were pagans; around 380 they leaned towards the Jewish faith, until the Abyssinians came back, at the beginning of the 6th century, and established a protectorate which lasted 50 years. King Abraha, an Abyssinian, is famous for building the cathedral of Saana and for repairing the Mareb dam; his name is mentioned in the Koran.
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| Title Annotation: | includes related article on South Arabian history; Institut du Monde Arabe exhibition of Yemeni artifacts |
|---|---|
| Author: | Kutschera, Chris |
| Publication: | The Middle East |
| Date: | Oct 1, 1997 |
| Words: | 1511 |
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