Mountains of garbage pile up on the ground and graffiti covers the walls of the Sira fortress in Aden, the great port city of southern Yemen, where war has no mercy on its rich historical heritage.
Remains of the glorious past of this coastal region south of the Arabian Sea, churches, museums and temples are threatened by a conflict that has swept the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula for more than seven years.
Erected in the 11th century on the summit of a mountainous island, overlooking the port, Sira served to ward off invaders in this strategic region near the Bab el Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean.
The deputy director of the Aden Office of Antiquities, Osman Abdelrahman, does not hide it: the historic places of the city suffer “systematic neglect and destruction”.
The allocated budget of just over $200 per month barely covers “stationery expenses,” he tells AFP. “Even though we get aid, they only cover a tiny part of what is needed,” he explains.
“Sometimes, I regret that I studied archaeology and entered this field,” says the person responsible, “frustrated and desperate.”
Since the Houthi rebels took over the capital Sana'a in 2014, Yemen has been devastated by war and its aftermath, with hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect deaths, millions displaced and large-scale famine.
- "Irreversible" -
The conflict between the rebels, backed by Iran, and government forces, supported by Saudi Arabia, has plunged the country into one of the worst humanitarian tragedies in the world.
The insurgents control large segments of the country, essentially in the north, where Sanaa is located. Pursued by the rebels, the government temporarily settled in Aden.
The city's military museum, whose building dated back to 1918, was bombed and looted during a failed Houthis offensive on Aden in 2015.
The Saudi-led coalition acknowledged in September 2021 that it also bombed part of the building, noting that it was a “legitimate military objective”.
More places in Aden were bombed, vandalized or attacked. Others were simply abandoned, with no means to support them.
The cisterns of Tawila, water reserves carved into the rock of the mountains and dating back several centuries, used to be one of the most visited monuments in the city. Now they are covered, surrounded by anarchic constructions.
“The absence of a vision of the State regarding the protection of the country's heritage and cultural identity has had a negative impact,” Asmahan al Alas, professor of history at the University of Aden, tells AFP.
For this specialist, Yemen's heritage should contribute to the future “development” of the country, which once attracted foreign visitors.
“Negligence and ignorance have led to an irreversible level of loss,” the historian tells AFP, lamenting that “the seizure of power is considered more important than everything else.”
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