Yemen

National Flag of Yemen

Work days start on Saturday and end on Wednesday. The five daily prayers are as follows: Fajr [between dawn and sunrise], Dhuhr [about half an hour after mid-day], Asr [mid- afternoon], Maghrib [immediately after sunset] and Isha' [from an hour or so after sunset]. As in most of the Middle East, it is better to make an appointment for a time of day rather than a precise hour. To say “between Maghrib and Isha'” is more common and practical than to specify 6 or 7 o'clock.

It is hard to keep appointment on time in tribal Yemen. The Qat party

Conversation It is the position of the host to set the subject of conversation at the outset. Contribute to the conversation. Intelligent argument is admired and welcome but only when it is courteous and reasoned. Argue as appropriate but never quarrel. The more feedback you provoke, no matter how forceful so long as it is not angry, the more highly you are esteemed.

Gift Giving Gifts should only be given to the most intimate of friends. To receive a present from a lesser acquaintance is so embarrassing as to be offensive. Even worse is expressing admiration for something belonging to another because it makes him feel obliged to make a gift of it.

If one is confident enough and determined to give a gift, it must be the best affordable. A carpet must, for example, be handmade. Never buy gold jewelry or silk garments for men, as both are deemed effeminate in Islam. Platinum is acceptable but, as it can be confused with white gold, silver is safer. Extravagant gifts, such as motorcars, are construed as bribes. Bribery is more common in the Yemen than elsewhere in Arabia.

Traditional perfume is usually the most appreciated. Just as in Europe a man displays his status by his tailoring, so in Arabia he does so by his scent. Perfume should be given to women only by other women or close relatives.

Public Behavior As a warrior people, Yemenis prize courage above everything else; they value it much more highly than the other principal virtues of honesty, hospitality and humour. To call a Yemeni a liar will cause offence. To call him a brave liar may not.

Do not, however, ask a man to show you his jambieh [unsheathe it] because Yemeni chivalry permits it only to be drawn for use. Hospitality is important throughout the Middle East but in the Yemen it is an absolute requirement and must be accepted when offered. Even knocking on a man's door to ask directions requires him to offer you at least something to drink and for you to accept it.

Much has been written lately about westerners being kidnapped in tribal Yemen. The purpose is normally merely to embarrass the central government over some demand or dispute. All released hostages have praised the courtesy and hospitality of their treatment. The only casualties have been the result of crossfire when government forces tried to attack.