Historical Zabid..a cling to culture despite the years of war

I delivered (Zubaid) the right of me

He called you Baghdad of Yemen.

O sister of Sana'a

I grew up on all adversities

the sun is a winter fruit

and you are the fruit of time

The daughter of Al-Ash`ari and Al-Husayb

And the oasis of the good remembrance

If you don't have love

Why then do we love?

It is not surprising that the late Iraqi poet Alaa Al-Maadidi, while singing these verses in love, wonders in Zabid, Yemen, especially after he spent many years as a teacher and head of the Arabic Studies Department at the College of Education there, and as a critic who attends its various almost daily cultural and literary activities, in this city that Yemenis describe as "The City of Science and Scholars" and the Tihama metropolis, Yemen.

Zabid is rooted in its originality in the depth of history, throughout the succession of states and kings, since Muhammad bin Ziyad, founder of the Zayyad state, mapped it in 204 AH as the first Islamic city in Yemen. It is called the "Al-Husayb" area, in reference to Al-Husayb Abdul Shams bin Wael bin Al-Ghouth, and to Saba bin Ya'rub bin Yarub bin Qahtan, according to some sources.

Zabid.. the brown of the sea and the mountain

Zabid is located 95 km southeast of the city of Hodeidah, on the international line to Taiz, and is about 233 km south of the capital, Sana’a. Ghalifa and Al-Faza, and the long stretch of palm trees adjacent to the international coastal road linking the cities of Hodeidah and Aden.

Although Zabid’s historical legacy and location are of such importance and uniqueness, the curiosity of questioning the reality of the city today preoccupies many, especially after about 8 years of war that cast a shadow over everything in Yemen.

Zabid Library.. Radiation that resists the years of war

The beginning was from the gate of the Zabid Public Library, which has long been a destination for researchers and lovers of books and reading, and the director of the library, Hisham Abdullah Row, confirms - in statements to Al Jazeera Net - that Zabid, in wartime, is the steadfast city in the face of those who try to gnaw its solid base based on moderation and moderation. And it was and will remain a center of scientific and cultural radiation throughout the ages.

Waro points out that the library is still open to its visitors from the city, Tihama, and Yemen as a whole, despite the war and the lack of support from the library for 8 years. saying.

And Roo adds that the library issues a semi-annual cultural and scientific magazine called "Zubaid", which is concerned with studies, research and the latest creative experiences, noting their quest for its continuity after it stopped after its fourth publication, pointing to the library's adoption of many annual events such as competitions for memorizing the Holy Qur'an, and the Zabid poet competition. Young poets, in addition to the Zabid International Book Fair, which was held with the participation of 40 local and Arab publishing houses, and official and popular attendance.

He called the director of the library to pay attention to it as it is an effective achievement, in addition to the fact that it is characterized by diversifying the methods of knowledge and culture, and it combines the paper and electronic books, and it represents a training and development center in other fields, such as management, human development, computer and languages.

Al-Ash’ari Mosque.. Pioneering since the beginning of Islam

Despite the number of its many mosques, which are close to 200, according to some local statistics, most of them date back to ancient times.

The great Zabid and Ash’ari collectors are very famous in Medina, to which the great companion Abu Musa al-Ash’ari is attributed, after he came among the Ash’ari delegation to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, in the early days of Islam.

And he said about them at the time, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “The people of Yemen have come to you, the most tender and soft-hearted. Faith is Yemeni and wisdom is Yemeni,” according to several sources.

And that was before Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari was later attributed the founding of this mosque in the eighth year of the Hijrah, to be the third mosque in Yemen after the Great Mosque in Sana’a and the Al-Jund Mosque in Taiz, to remain one of the prominent witnesses and landmarks that acquire a religious and historical status in the hearts of Yemenis, and the sons of Tihama and Zabid in particular.

This was accompanied by restoration work at successive periods, whether during the reign of the Sultans of Bani Rasul or the Tahirid state and others. This included an expansion of the mosque, which currently includes several annexes, the most important of which is the Ash’ari school on the western side, in addition to two libraries that contain anecdotes of manuscripts and a women’s cabin.

Was Zabid removed from the list of human heritage?

UNESCO had issued several warnings about historical Zabid, including what was at the 36th conference of the World Heritage Committee of the organization held in Saint Petersburg in June 2012, before the United Nations organization - concerned with the fields of culture, education and human sciences - gave Yemen a last opportunity to take serious steps and actual measures This prevented Zabid from being removed from the list, which at the time sparked several Yemeni appeals and campaigns from activists and Yemeni institutions to avoid facing this threat and to remove the city from the UNESCO list of human heritage cities.

However, the current Yemeni ambassador to UNESCO, Muhammad Jumaih, assures Al Jazeera Net that "Zubaid is on the List of Heritage in Danger does not mean its inevitable exit from the World Heritage List, as much as it sheds light on it and other sites at risk, in order to move to do something."

Jumaih added that "the world heritage sites in Yemen are Old Sana'a, Zabid, Shibam, Hadramawt, in addition to Socotra as a natural heritage, and that the sites have been on the List of Heritage in Danger since before the war, due to many factors, including neglect and natural factors and others."

Muhammad Jumaih, Yemeni ambassador to UNESCO (communication sites)

And the Yemeni ambassador to UNESCO points out that "during the past two years, UNESCO has played a role in restoring some houses," noting that today, Wednesday, "another project is being launched in Brussels to protect and restore some World Heritage sites in Yemen, including Zabid, as part of a project that is provided as support." From the European Union,” and it is hoped - according to Jumaih - that there will be a global call to preserve Yemen’s antiquities, and an international conference will be held to that end under the auspices of UNESCO.