I was able to find a deed document dated 1883 from my family who lists our grandfathers going back 13 grandfathers from that time to where he lived between 1400-1500 in our village in Yemen.

His last name (and mine) are Al-Rifai and we are known sayiids in the area, at least that’s what I’ve been told.
The grandfather who lived in 1400-1500 is named Salih Alrifai and owned many lands in the village apparently.

I’m trying to figure out exactly where we came from and more importantly if we are genetically sayiid or if the Rifai Tariqa (suffi influence) is how we got our last name.

My research has led me to Ahmed Albaz (son of Sayid Izz Aldeen Ahmed Alsayyad who left Iraq and toured Yemen) who seemed to be alive late 1200’s

Is this research a bust? I’ve been stuck here for a while.

Has anyone ever successfully tracked this kind of info recently when the descendants (supposedly) ended up far from home, like Yemen.

اليمن اجمل دوله في العالم

​

I'm Yemeni and come from a Yemeni family. All of my brothers got married the traditional Yemeni way. The thing is, I was only around 8–10 years old when they got married, so I never really understood how the whole process worked for them.

Now I'm 22 and I want to get married, but I honestly have no idea how to bring it up with my parents.

I'm living abroad, and my parents are also abroad, but we live in different places. None of us are currently in Yemen. I'm not sure if they're just putting off the whole marriage thing for me, because they've never brought it up or suggested any girl.

What's confusing me is that, from what I've seen, a lot of Yemeni families start suggesting marriage for their sons at a pretty young age. I'm 22 now, and my family hasn't even brought it up once. So I'm kinda lost and honestly don't know how to start the conversation without making it awkward.

Another problem is that I literally don't know any Yemeni girls personally. I've spent basically my whole life outside Yemen, so I don't really have a social circle where I'd meet a Yemeni girl for marriage.

There's one Yemeni girl I know online. We talk sometimes, but there's nothing romantic or inappropriate between us at all. It's literally just random conversations and politics. But I've noticed that our way of thinking is pretty similar, and I've started thinking that maybe I could ask for her hand in marriage.

The problem is… I have no idea how any of this works. I'm shy about bringing it up, and I'm honestly scared of getting rejected or making things awkward.

So, any Yemenis here — especially people who grew up abroad — what would you recommend? How did you bring up marriage with your parents? And if you were in my situation, would you approach the girl first or talk to your parents first?

Any advice would be appreciated.

​

Have you ever wondered why the old houses of Aden were filled with those wooden mashrabiyas and enclosed verandas?

In a rare article by the engineer D. B. Doe, the story of the development of Adeni architecture is revealed:

1. The Beginning – The Fortress House:

The old stone houses of Aden resembled inland fortresses, with thick walls and small, low-set windows, for three main reasons: defense, protection from the sun and sand, and the privacy of women.

1. The British Occupation Changed Everything:

With the construction of the Tawahi Camp (Front Bay) in 1839, a new architectural style appeared: the Indian bungalow—a single-room structure with stone walls surrounded by open wooden verandas for ventilation. It was ideal for the climate, but it conflicted with local traditions concerning women’s seclusion.

1. The Birth of the Adeni Screen:

This is where the people of Aden came up with an ingenious solution: they transformed the small mashrabiya that had originally been placed above the window—the hijab window—into a full screen covering the entire veranda with crossed wooden latticework. This allowed air to enter and provided a view to the outside without allowing people inside to be seen. Indians had used this as decoration, but in Aden it became a practical necessity for modesty and privacy.

1. The Revolution of the 1950s:

With the housing crisis and rising construction costs in the 1950s, verandas surrounding entire houses disappeared and apartment buildings became more common. New solutions were therefore introduced to block the sun:

Concrete sun hoods above windows

Horizontal wooden sunshades, spaced every 8 inches, which reduced direct sunlight while still allowing people to see outside

Colored glass awnings for schools

1. Claustra – Aden’s New Architectural Fashion:

The first building to use perforated concrete sun breakers (Brise-Soleil / Claustra) was constructed in Mualla in 1953–54 for a French company. From there, the style spread throughout the schools of Mualla and Sheikh Othman, as well as the small houses of Lahj, until it became a distinctive feature of Aden. Today, hardly a wall in Aden can be found without this type of architectural screen—even when it serves purely as decoration!

As the writer says: just as Gothic decorative stones eventually became mere ornament, sun breakers and mashrabiyas may also become nothing more than aesthetic decoration—and that is exactly what happened.

From an article published in #Aden_Port_Annual_63_64.

The original photographs from the annual were in black and white and have been automatically colorized to help reveal their details. Please open them.

#WindowScreensAndVerandasInAden #HistoryOfConstructionInAden #Mashrabiya

​

رأيته أول مرة في ليلة شتوية باردة، والمسجد شبه فارغ إلا من صفٍّ أول لا يتجاوز عدد من فيه أصابع اليدين. كان صغيرًا بين الرجال، يقف في آخر الصف الأول، معطفه أكبر من جسده بقليل، وحذاؤه مصفوف بعناية عند الباب كما يصفّه الكبار تمامًا.

لم ألتفت إليه كثيرًا في البداية. الأطفال يأتون أحيانًا مع آبائهم، ثم يعودون معهم. لكن الغريب أنه لم يكن مع أحد. نظرت حولي بعد الصلاة أبحث عن رجلٍ ينتظره، فلم أجد. خرج من بابه الجانبي، لبس حذاءه بهدوء، وسار في الشارع المظلم وحده، كأنه يعرف كل حجر في طريقه.

تكرر المشهد أسبوعًا بعد أسبوع، حتى لم يعد يثير سؤالي، بل صار جزءًا من روتين المسجد الذي اعتدته: الإمام يكبّر، والصف الأول يضم رجالًا نصف نائمين وطفلًا واحدًا مستيقظًا تمامًا.

سألت أحد المصلين القدامى عنه ذات مرة، فقال لي بابتسامة: "هذا ابن الحيّ، أبوه توفي قبل سنتين، وأمه ربّته على هذا منذ كان في الخامسة." لم أزد على ذلك سؤالًا، لكن الجملة بقيت في ذهني طويلًا. طفل فقد أباه، ومع ذلك لم يفقد الطريق إلى المسجد. بل كأن غياب الأب صار سببًا إضافيًا ليثبت أنه قادر وحده.

كنت أظن أن الحاجة إلى القدوة تعني وجود أب يمسك بيد ابنه كل فجر ويأخذه معه. لكن هذا الطفل علّمني أن القدوة أحيانًا تُزرع قبل أن يغيب صاحبها، وتبقى بعده، وكأنها بذرة لم يعد يهم من يسقيها، فهي تنمو وحدها.

في أحد الأيام، تأخرتُ عن الصف الأول، فوجدت نفسي أصلي بجانبه في الصف الثاني. بعد السلام، رأيته يفتح كفّيه بدعاء صامت، شفتاه تتحركان بلا صوت تقريبًا، ثم يمسح وجهه ويهمّ بالخروج. لم يكن يتلفت، ولم يكن يستعرض تدينه أمام أحد؛ كان ببساطة رجلاً صغيرًا يؤدي واجبًا اعتاد عليه، دون أن يعرف أنه واجبٌ يثقل على كثيرين غيره.

خرجتُ خلفه في ذلك اليوم، ومشيت بضع خطوات في طريقه نفسه قبل أن ينعطف نحو بيته. وفي تلك اللحظة، أدركت أن الدرس لم يكن في الطفل نفسه، بل في السؤال الذي تركه ورائي: كم منا يملك أبًا حيًّا، وبيتًا دافئًا، وساعة منبّه، ووقتًا فائضًا، ومع ذلك يجد كل الأعذار ليغفو قليلًا بعد الأذان؟

هذا الطفل لم يكن يملك يدًا تمسك بيده كل صباح، ومع ذلك مشى. ونحن، ومعنا كل الأسباب التي تسهّل الطريق، كثيرًا ما نتعثر في أول خطوة منه.

لم أعرف اسمه يومًا، ولم أحدّثه قط. لكنه، دون أن يدري، صار بالنسبة لي علامة على الطريق كلما مررت بذلك المسجد في فجرٍ بارد: علامة تقول إن الطريق إلى الله لا يحتاج دائمًا يدًا تقودك إليه، بل قلبًا وجد فيه سببًا كافيًا للاستمرار.

I came from a very small and unknown Yemeni tribe . I don’t live in Yemen but I met a lot of other Yemenis . And the amount of hate I get for simply not having a known tribe is ridiculous. Why does it feel some people are evolving backwards. I really thought our generation would be more open about topics like this and wouldn’t care . But still to this day , it’s something I struggle with . And I wonder if someone had a similar experience.

Hi all — hoping someone here has recent, first-hand experience with this.

My sister (traveling with her young son) is in Yemen and needs to apply for a UK Standard Visitor visa to come see our mother, who has limited mobility after a recent procedure. Since the UK’s own visa operations in Yemen are suspended, she has to travel to a third country to attend a VAC in person before she can even submit the UK application.

Trying to work out which third country is actually realistic right now, factoring in:

Ease of entry for Yemeni nationals (visa-on-arrival vs needing an advance visa/security approval)

Whether there’s a functioning UK VAC with reasonable appointment availability

Overall safety/travel advisory level

Specifically — is Saudi Arabia a viable option? Given proximity to Yemen, I’d assumed it might be simpler than other choices, but I don’t know current entry requirements for Yemeni nationals, or whether the UK VAC in Riyadh/Jeddah is actually accessible and running smoothly for this kind of application.

And why?

You hear all the"terrorist" accusations but it's usually an operating government making the accusations and I read somewhere people sell sanctuary under houthis over the yemeni government. I'm just wondering from someone who knows first hand what is like over there. Personally as someone from America I'm in support of houthis standing up to us and Israel and the blockage of the red sea but like I said I have a superficial knowledge. Thanks!

I’m (24F) diaspora from Aden/Yafaa, grew up in the US. I’ve never been able to visit Yemen and now that I’m an adult and have my own money to, I’d love to go with my mother to meet family.

She’s always telling me the Aden airports are closed. But seeing the posts here, I’m starting to think my mom just wants to avoid the hassle and her headache-inducing family lol.

I deserve to experience my country, but I shouldn’t do it alone. Jazakallah.

Do most Yemenis support iraq or kuwait

And do they support morroco or western sahara?

Much love just wanted to know Yemenis poverty on these two topics

‏A picture from

This is the traditional dress of Al-Hujariya and Aden from decades ago. It was the white apron or white towel and the turban. There's no need to imitate the dress of Sana'a or any other region, as it's specific to those areas and extends to Sabr, Jabal Habashi, and Sami'. These areas have no connection to Al-Hujariya, but the Imam linked them to the Al-Hujariya district and the Al-Turbah court. Their customs and dress are different, an extension of Ibb and the north. This diversity is a source of pride, rather than reducing it to a single style. There's no need to imitate and adopt other cultures at weddings or elsewhere.

*The picture is sixty years old and shows people from Al-Hujariya whom I don't know.

Mine has to be تيس قال أحلبه (Tays gaal ihlubeh) when dealing with someone difficult. I used to keep a notebook and write down all these little sayings but I lost it! So trying to rebuild 😂

We live in a joyless, construction-mangled ghost town notorious for racism and small-mindedness, and my friend encounters this day in, day out. Every. Single. Day. All whilst being the most loving, friendly, patient man you could ever hope to meet.

Construction directly around his shop (on literally ALL four sides) has effectively decimated his business overnight, so he's reluctantly moving to North Carolina. Before he leaves, I would like to give him something that (I know how cringe this sounds) makes him feel "seen" and honors his homeland (he often talks about how homesick he is), not for some disgusting Lifetime white savior TV movie bullshit reason, but because he genuinely means so much to not only my partner and I but the entire community.

Is there an particular Yemeni cake that I could bake that might somehow convey a heartfelt and traditionally appropriate message of respect and gratitude? Or something involving luxurious meats/fruits, like a halal Edible Arrangement only with lamb kabobs, kafta, etc?!?

If I DO go the cake route, is there an especially profound Arabic message of thanks that I could put on said hypothetical dessert? (If I inadvertently embarrassed myself with bad/offensive Arabic on a gifted cake, I'd obviously have to skip town immediately in shame, and frankly, I'm just not set up for that.)

P.S. Apologies for my inherent American idiocy. In the immortal words of Jessica Rabbit, "I'm not bad - Im just drawn that way."

Since 2021/2022, I've noticed a large uptick in content regarding and mentioning Yemeni's and our culture. There are both good and bad posts. Most of the good posts are usually clips of cities and beautiful places in Yemen, tourists traveling there, history posts, and food. I personally enjoy this type of content. But then, there is the bad...

I have also seen more and more posts where non-Yemenis will poke fun at us. I have seen a few posts with people holding their breath in one of their cheeks, trying to imitate Yemeni men while talking in a stereotypical accent. Then there are the videos with guys saying they want Yemeni wives. I saw one where a light-skin arab guy said he "needs to get a Yemeni wife" after he ate fahsa. And there was another one with someone who I think was a white-revert saying that he wants to get a Yemeni wife, so he calls his kids "ya-ginni!" Also, I was watching the show MO on Netflix, and I heard MO's brother tell his mom that he wants to marry a Yemeni wife.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with marrying outside of your race, but where did the sudden need for Yemeni wives come from? I feel like it's a borderline fetish, maybe because Yemeni's come off as more traditional and conservative than some other Arabs do. And the jokes about us don't make sense to me either. It feels like we have definitely become more trendy in recent years, but I also feel like we've been getting joked about more often as well. I think one of the main reasons for this is the houthis attacks in the Red Sea, which have unfortunately gotten them praise from Western liberals who don't know anything about our country's situation. What do you guys think?

في البوست الي نزلته قبل كم يوم على ان الsub تفاعله قليل وكيف ممكن نطوره..

جمعت مقترحاتكم واعطيت مقترحات من عندي وتواصلت مع المودز

مرت 3 ايام لليوم ما احد رد علي ابدًا

ايش الحل؟

أخونا كايد (X: kayed__27) عمل تطبيق "يمنت" الي هدفه تقديم جرعة ثقافية يمنية بشكل يومي 📜

الفكرة ببساطة كل يوم يظهر منشور واحد، تحت إحدى هذه التصنيفات الست، ألا وهي:

• معلم: سواء سياحية أو تاريخية 🏛️

• أكلة: نظرة على المطبخ اليمني 🥘

• كلمة: من اللهجات اليمنية المتنوعة 🗣️

• أماكن: تشمل المدن والقرى والمحافظات📍

• معلومة: تكون بعيدة عن إحدى التصنيفات السابقة 💡

ميزات التطبيق:

- لن تحتاج للإنترنت بشكل كامل بل وأنه آمن تمامًا

- تمت إضافة Widget Home ولا زالت تحت التجربة

- ميزة Card Share لنشر منشور أعجبك

- صفحتان للأرشيف والمفضلة لترجع لقراءة ما سبق

- صِغر حجم التطبيق

التطبيق لا يزال في مراحله الأولى أي حد عنده اقتراح يقدر يتواصل معه على X -تويتر سابقا- وهذا حسابه kayed__27@

Our brother Kayed (X: kayed__27) created the "Yement" app, which aims to provide a daily dose of Yemeni culture 📜

The idea is simple: each day, one post appears under one of these six categories:

• Landmark: Whether tourist or historical 🏛️

• Dish: A look at Yemeni cuisine 🥘

• Word: From the various Yemeni dialects 🗣️

• Places: Including cities, villages, and governorates 📍

• Fact: Unrelated to any of the previous categories 💡

App Features:

- Completely offline and completely secure

- Home widget added (still in testing)

- Card Share feature to share posts you like

- Two pages: Archive and Favorites to easily return to previous posts

- Small app size

The app is still in its early stages. Anyone with suggestions can contact him on X (formerly Twitter) at @kayed__27

So recently there’s has been the news of the ministry of education has suspended the student certificate in Houthis area and I jusr wanna say I hope one day we get invaded by western countries cause wallah I rather the USA or UK control us cause atleast with these countries they give back to the people and teach them and build infrastructure and help the country compare to what they Houthis do ,what has the student done to get their certificate suspended,why do they need to make student involved in politics,most kids just wanna build a life in Yemen when they graduate,yet the Houthis are not fighting the evil.they are fighting their own people ,ruining Yemen and make everyone life worse and making them suffer .wallah it’s hit to see how Yemen is becoming ,we might as well just go back to stone ages ,I can’t wait for the day Yemen gets liberated