← Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More
Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More
Yemen's Long and Complicated History
00:13:40
Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:01]
A
For thousands of years, Yemen has been one of the most important crossroads in the world. It was home to ancient kingdoms, the legendary land of Sheba, the port that gave Mocha coffee its name, and a strategic gateway between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Its mountains, tribes, empires and divisions have shaped a history as rich as it is complicated. And despite its history, it's also a land that has been exceedingly difficult to unify. Learn more about the history of Yemen on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. This episode is sponsored by Quint's. Summer's here, and if you happen to live in a place with actual seasons as I do, that means wearing entirely different clothes. Wool sweaters are great when the temperatures drop, but they're not the best option when you're outside in the sun. Quince has European linen pants and shirts that are the perfect warm weather upgrade to add to your rotation. Starting at just $34. Their T shirts are soft and easy to wear, and their lightweight cotton sweaters are perfect for cool summer nights. I just got two Quint's T shirts myself and I love them as always. Everything at Quint's is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands, and they can do that by working directly with ethical factories and cutting out the middleman. So you're paying for quality, not brand markup. Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to quince.com daily for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com daily for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com daily this episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. When people hear that Mint Mobile plans are only $15 a month, a lot of people wonder what's the catch? Well, I can tell you that there isn't one. There are no gimmicks and no gotchas. Just unlimited talk, text and data with fast, reliable coverage on the nation's largest 5G network. You can use your same phone with the same phone number and all of your contacts. All you do is pay less money. That's why I recommend Mint Mobile. To get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.comeed that's mintmobile.comeed cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.comeed that's it. There's no catch. $45 upfront payment required, equivalent to $15 a month new customers on first 3 month plan only. Slower speeds above 40gb on unlimited plan, additional taxes, fees and restrictions apply. See Mint Mobile for details. The Yemen of today may not initially appear well suited to a flourishing civilization, yet its unique geography has afforded it distinct advantages throughout history. The Sarawat Mountains, which runs along the coast of the Red Sea, tramps July monsoon winds. The western slopes of the mountains drain into the Wadi Hadhramat Valley, an unusually lush section of the otherwise arid Arabian Peninsula. To thrive in this difficult climate, early Yemeni states had to harness the monsoons and develop agricultural methods suited to intermittent rainfall. Early urban centers built irrigation systems to distribute water after the July rains and also developed terrace farming, which diffused rainfall and reduced soil erosion. The biggest water project was the Great Marib Dam, built by the ancient Sabeans. Built as an earthwork mound in 1750 BC, the Marib Dam was finally completed in the 8th century BC spanning 1900ft or 580 meters, and linking two mountain peaks to form a massive reservoir, the Marib Dam collected July floodwaters, forming a large temporary river to channel the monsoon deluge. The wealth generated by the Merib Dam led the Romans to refer to the region as Felix Arabia or Happy Arabia. To observers from outside the region, Yemen appeared to be a paradise. A 1st century Greek traveler to the region, Strabo, characterized the region's agricultural production by many streams, water, the land and the people enjoy a great abundance of all things. The country is well shaded by trees and produces a wide variety of fruits, end quote. The region's most enduring legacy was frankincense and myrrh, the aromatic resins produced by its trees. Frankincense and myrrh were highly coveted commodities in the region and were literally more valuable than gold by weight. These precious resins were obtained by cutting into tree bark and collecting the hardened SAP as the trees healed. The Roman historian Pliny the Elder described the economic power of the incense trade when he wrote, the Sabeans are the richest of all, for they possess the wealth of the Romans and the Parthians alike, selling the produce of their seas and their forests while they purchase nothing in return. The story of the Queen of Sheba exemplifies Yemen's economic power and the profit from its exports. Sheba was the kingdom of the Sabaean people, which has also been claimed by the nation of Ethiopia. The historical record of Sheba is limited, but we can refer to the Bible, early Islamic writings, and the Torah, which portray her as the wise queen of a southern state overseeing a powerful trading network. The queen famously brought King Solomon a caravan of gifts while Impressing him with her wisdom. Ethiopian accounts also tell of an affair between the queen and Solomon that led to the establishment of a new royal lineage. Yemen's prosperity came to a tragic end in the 6th century. Massive flooding broke the great Marib Dam, washing away a thousand years of stability and in a single disaster. The destruction of the dam ushered in a massive wave of migration across the Arabian Peninsula. The migration brought urban Yemenis into the northern reaches of the peninsula, which was primarily populated by Bedouin nomads and had very few cities. The cultural and linguistic landscape of the entire peninsula was transformed by the migration of Yemeni tribes such as the Aus and the Khasra. As these groups moved northward and integrated with the Bedouins, a unified Arab culture began to emerge. This synthesis was further enriched by the merging of Yemen's literary traditions with Bedouin storytelling, which gave rise to a new form of Arabic prose. This new linguistic unity and the formation of a unified Arab culture only grew stronger after the emergence of Islam. After the rise of the Prophet Muhammad, the Yemeni migrants would play an outsized role in the survival of the early Muslim community. Muhammad's revelation and subsequent teachings created unrest in Mecca, and in 622, year one of the Islamic calendar, he was exiled to the city of Medina. In Medina, Muhammad sought help from the Ansar. The Ansar consisted of Yemeni tribes who had migrated north to Medina and were among the earliest converts to Islam. During the formative years of the religion, protection from tribal communities was essential and Muhammad relied on Yemeni migrants. These groups had been in Medina since the destruction of the Merab Dam, where they fought over farmland and water resources. These conflicts had turned deadly and seeking a way out, they turned to the Prophet Muhammad for mediation. Muhammad mediated their dispute and these two groups became his staunchest allies. They powered his quest to bring Islam to the Arabian Peninsula, including Yemen, which became one of the earliest regions to join the Islamic community. The traditional ancient trade along the incense road slowed after the rise of Christianity and Islam. But despite this slowdown, the the trade of a new commodity reversed the fortunes of Yemen and stands as one of its signature legacies. Coffee. Coffee likely originated in Ethiopia's coastal forests, spreading across the region and reaching yemen during the 15th century. Arabica coffee grows well in Yemen as it thrives at high elevations and in alluvial soil. The sun drying process of Yemeni Arabica produces a complex fruit forward coffee that soon became a sensation in the region. Coffee emerged as a coveted cash crop. Mocha is named after a port in Yemen and refers to the coffee variety, not its flavor. In the 16th century, Yemen's prosperity wouldn't last much longer as the country fell under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans were eager to control the Red Sea not only for the coffee trade, but also the pepper trade. The Portuguese were beginning to establish control in the region and the Ottomans could not allow that to go unchecked. Controlling the Bab el Mandeb Strait between Arabia and Africa was vital for controlling the sea trade coming from East Africa in the Indian Ocean. However, maintaining control in Yemen exacted a staggering price. The Ottomans and their elite Jassanery units struggled to subdue independent Yemenis. One Ottoman official described the cost of trying to subdue Yemen when he said Ottoman troops melted like salt in dissolved water. In Yemen, many of the people practiced Zaydism, a branch of Shia Islam that is distinct from that of their Persian counterparts. These Yemeni Zaydists never accepted the legitimacy of the Ottoman caliphate. Fierce urban resistance weakened the Ottoman hold on the region and by 1635 the empire had no choice but to retreat, leaving Yemen in the hands of Zaydi imams. The Ottomans returned to the region 200 years later as part of the Tanzimat reforms to promote renewal and modernization. During this period, the Ottoman Empire found itself in a shared occupation of Yemen in the southern part of the country. They were compelled to coexist with the British, whose primary objective was securing control over the Gulf of Aden. To the British and the Ottomans. Yemen's value lay in its potential to control the region, linking Mediterranean Sea trade routes to the Indian Ocean. North Yemen gained independence from the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I as the Ottoman state dissolved, while while South Yemen remained under British control until 1967. The importance of Yemen to the British only increased after the war as the Bab El Mandeb Strait now controlled access to the vital Suez Canal. Yemen became a Cold War flashpoint as the region's nationalist uprisings drew the attention of both the Soviet Union and the United States. In the south, British occupation ended with the establishment of the Arab world's only Marxist Lenin estate, the People's Republic of South Yemen. It was controlled by the Soviet aligned Yemeni Socialist Party. Soviet interest in Yemen was similar to that of every other empire that had come before them. Access to key ports and control of its strategic geography. North Yemen was embroiled in its own struggle with Egypt and Saudi Arabia competing over control of the state during the North Yemen civil war from 1962 to 1970. Egypt was interested in expanding its influence down the Red Sea and blocking the expansion of conservative Arab monarchies supported by Saudi Arabia. However, Egyptian involvement never yielded the results that President Gamal Abdel Nasser anticipated and there was no quick victory. The Egyptians contributed nearly 70,000 troops to the struggle, which only resulted in a protracted civil war. The North Yemen civil war eventually led to the creation of a fragile republican government, but it was now clear that Yemen was a country that regional powers would try to influence for their own ends. With the collapse of communism, north and South Yemen unified in 1990 and created the modern Republic of Yemen. However, this did not bring unity or solve Yemen's problems as the nation remained deeply fractured and troubled. Yemen has emerged as one of the greatest global crisis zones since 2014. Originally a domestic civil struggle, the situation has escalated into a broad regional confrontation. The current landscape features Iran supported Houthi forces maintaining authority in the north, while the Saudi backed Yemeni government retains jurisdiction in the south. Reflecting centuries of deep seated historical animosity, the conflict has led to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Iran and Saudi backed forces have blockaded ports to prevent the other from asserting control. In the process, they've derailed food distribution efforts. The destruction of vital water infrastructure and the failure of the monsoons has deepened the crisis over the last several years. According to the United nations, more than half of Yemen is experiencing severe food insecurity and the situation is deteriorating rapidly with malnutrition a reality for more than 2.5 million children. For two thirds of the population, the health crisis may be more acute than the food crisis. The United nations estimates that approximately half of the nation's hospitals are currently non functional, having been either demolished or inoperable due to critical deficits in personnel and essential infrastructure. The collapse of water systems has resulted in cholera running rampant and the water supply is suffering from problems of both scarcity and pollution. According to the World Health Organization, vaccine distribution has stopped, leading to the resurgence of long defeated diseases like polio. Despite being a single country on the map, Yemen remains a divided nation. It's a land where the north and south are separated not just by geography, but by different governments, different allies and decades of conflict. Yemen's history is the story of a land that always mattered. Far beyond its borders, it was home to ancient kingdoms, controlled vital trade routes, shaped the history of coffee, and stood at the crossroads of Africa, Arabia and Asia. But it's also been a place where geography, tribal politics, religion and foreign intervention have made unity difficult and conflict a persistent part of life for centuries. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel, the Associate producers are Austin Otkin and Cameron Kiefer. Research and writing for this episode was provided by Joel Hermanson. My big thanks go to everyone who supports the show over on Patreon. Your support helps make this podcast possible, and I also want to remind everyone about the community groups on Facebook and Discord, as this is where everything happens outside of the podcast. As always, if you leave a review on any of the major podcast apps, you too can have it running the show.