Sunday, May 24, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Need to feel
Visit the arrivals at an airport and see the beauty of re-union...
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Sunday, May 17, 2009
أدب الشراب - لبشارة الخوري: الأخطل الصغير
أدب الشراب
فتن الجمال وثورة الأقداح
صبغت أساطير الهوى بجراحي
ولد الهوى والخمر ليلة مولدي
وسيحملان معي على ألواحي
يا ذابح العنقود خضب كفه
بدمائه بوركت من سفاح
أنا لست أرضى للندامى أن أرى
كسل الهوى وتشاؤب الأقداح
أدب الشراب إذا المدامة عربدت
في كأسها أن لا تكون الصاحي
هل لي إلى تلك المناهل رجعة
فلقد سئمت الماء غير قراح
رجعى يعود بي الزمان كأمسه
صهباء صارخة وليل ضاح
أشتف روحهما وأعطي مثلها
روحاً وأسلم ليلتي لصاحبي
روح كما انحطم الغدير على الصفا
شعباً ، مشعبة إلى أرواح
للحب أكثرها وبعض كثيرها
لرقى الجمال وبعضهما للراح
***
أنا لا أشيع بالدموع صبابتي
لكن ألف جناحها بجناحي
غذيتها بدم الشباب وطيبه
وهرقت في لهواتها أفراحي
إلفان في صيف الهوى وخريفه
عزا على غير الزمان الماحي
***
دعني وما زرع الزمان بمفرقي
ما كنت أدفنفي الثلوج صداحي
من كان من دنياه ينفض راحه
فأنا على دنياي أقبض راحي
إني أفدي كل شمس أصيلة ،
حذر المغيب ، بألف شمس صباح
Friday, May 15, 2009
أوريغامي - ثنيات يابانية
أنطوي وأنثني إلى أرباع وأسداس وأثمان، لين أنحني وأختبي وأصبح ورقة لونها قرمزي، مادري هدا لون الورقة وﻻدمي
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
جس الطبيب خافقي
جس الطبيب خافقي
وقال لي :
هل هاهنا الألم ؟
قلت له : نعم
فشق بالمشرط جيب معطفي
وأخرج القلم !
هز الطبيب رأسه ... وابتسم
وقال لي :
ليس سوى قلم !!!
فقلت : لا يا سيدي
هذا يدُ ... وفم !
رصاصة ... ودم !
وتهمة سافرة ... تمشي بلا قدم
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
طال السفر والمنتظر لم صبره - للأمير خالد الفيصل
طال السفر
والمنتظر مل صبره
والشوق يا محبوب في ناظري شاب
رد النظر
خليت بالكف جمره
سعيرها في داخل القلب شباب
عز الخبر
والمهتوي ضاق صدره
يا من يرد العلم عن هاك الأحباب
طيفه عبر
ما أرسل مع الطيف عذره
هو خاطره من لوعتي ما بعد طاب
هو ما ذكر
أن الجفا فيه كسره
للخافق اللي من هوى صاحبه ذاب
يا ما سهر
طرفي على حبس عبره
اردها والوجد للدمع جذاب
دمعٍ حدر
جاله على المنع جسره
عظيم وجدي للدمع شرع الباب
يوم وشهر
عزاه والعمر مره
والناس واجد لكن الولف غلاب
الأمير خالد الفيصل
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والمنتظر مل صبره
والشوق يا محبوب في ناظري شاب
رد النظر
خليت بالكف جمره
سعيرها في داخل القلب شباب
عز الخبر
والمهتوي ضاق صدره
يا من يرد العلم عن هاك الأحباب
طيفه عبر
ما أرسل مع الطيف عذره
هو خاطره من لوعتي ما بعد طاب
هو ما ذكر
أن الجفا فيه كسره
للخافق اللي من هوى صاحبه ذاب
يا ما سهر
طرفي على حبس عبره
اردها والوجد للدمع جذاب
دمعٍ حدر
جاله على المنع جسره
عظيم وجدي للدمع شرع الباب
يوم وشهر
عزاه والعمر مره
والناس واجد لكن الولف غلاب
الأمير خالد الفيصل
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Sunday, May 10, 2009
لم لا عربيات في سوق النخاسة
نداء الى السيد وليد الأبراهيم صاحب الـ ( م ب سي) لمنع بث هذه الحلقة من برنامج نواعم لأنها تسيء للمرأة العراقية اذاعت قناة ال ام بي سي التلفزيونية اعلانا عن حلقة هذا الأسبوع يوم الأحد من برنامج كلام نواعم ، وموضوع الحلقة ( عراقيات في سوق النخاسة ) . وهذا ليس كلام نواعم أنما كلام ( شتائم ) فليس العراقيات وحدهن في سوق النخاسة . وليس البغاء تختص به العراقيات وحدهن انما هو موجود في جميع البلدان العربية واكثر من العراق بكثير ولانريد ان نذكر الحقائق لكنا نعتقد ان موضوع هذه الحلقة يسيء للمراة العراقية دون غيرها لذا نطالب من مسؤول المحطة الأستاذ وليد الأبراهيم منع بث هذه الحلقة لأن موضوعها باعتقادنا يكرس تفكيرا سيئا بالمرأة العراقية ويشوه سمعتها . واذا كن بعض العراقيات وقعن بايدي النخاسين ومارسن البغاء فليفتح التلفزيون ملف البغاء وتجارة الجنس في جميع البلدان العربية و ودول العالم الاخرى فسيرى انها ظاهرة تنشر في معظم هذه البلدان اضعاف اضعاف ما تتعرض له المرأة العراقية التي راحت وسائل اعلام عربية تظهرها بمظهر ( الرقاصة ) و( المومس ) من دون نساء العالم الذين يمارسن تجارة الجنس تحت ستار الصمت الأعلامي في بلدانهن . وليس في هذا البرنامج ( النواعم ) في حلقته الجديدة من جديد يذكر الا في سهم سيصيب قلب وشرف كل عراقي وكل عربي . الأخوات في هذه الحلقة لن يتحدثن عن موضوع المومسات العربيات في كل مكان وما أكثرهن ، ولأن التطرق الى أية جنسية بذاتها من بين دول عديدة قد يجر الويل على المقدمات ومخرجهن وربما على مالكي المحطة ، فلم يجدن الا العراقيات شريحة يتحدثن عنها فاخترن للبرنامج عنوان ( عراقيات في سوق النخاسة ) لأن العراق أصبح مستباحا لكل من هب ودب ولكل ناقص ذمة وضمير وطالب ثأر .. إن اصابعي لترتجف ومعها جسدي كله وانا اكتب هذه الكلمات مناديا ومستصرخا كل ضمير في العالم وكل شريف وشريفة في وطننا العربي وكل مسؤول في الحكومات العربية وكل المدافعات عن حقوق المرأة لوقف عرض هذه الحلقة المبتذلة في عنوانها . وأن ترحم الـ المرأة العراقية التي تتضرج بدمها الآن تحت وابل قنابل الأحتلال الامريكى والمتفجرات والمفخخات والتي فقدت ابنائها ومعيلها . واذا كانت ظروف محنة الأحتلال و وماخلفه من دمار وغدر الأهل والأشقاء بحجج العنصرية و الطائفية البغيضة قد جعلتها مخلوقا مرميا على قارعة الطريق . فهذا لايمنح وسائل الأعلام مثل ام بى سى لـها الحق في أن تجعلها مادة لموضوع البغاء والنخاسة لمجرد الاثارة دون أدراك للعاقب النفسية والثقافية لهذه الحلقة الخاصة بالعراقيات . إن وجود المومسات امر لا ينكر في كل زمان وكل مكان وان وجودهن في الوطن العربي امر لاشك فيه لكن لماذا يخصص الحديث عن العراقيات بالذات ، العراقيات اللائي عانين ما عانين وتحملن ما تحملن واساء البعض منهن ولست مما يمنح العذر للمسيئة منهن . لكنني لاأمنح العذر للفضائية االأعلامية وهي تسيء للعراقيات بالطريقة التي يتبناها برنامج كلام نواعم . لكنني اتساءل عن دول اخرى تصدر الدعارة وثانية تستقبلها وتهلل لها ويتردد الحديث في كل دولة عربية عن تلك الجنسية وامتيازاتها وتلك وشدة اغرائها لكن امام كل ذلك لا يتجرأ اي اعلامي مهما كانت قوته على الحديث عن الجنسية الفلانية او الفلانية او غيرها ولا تستطيع مقدمات البرنامج او معده ومخرجه التطرق لابناء جنسيتهم فهذا بالطبع ( عيب و ما يصحش ) فيتم اختيار العراقية ضحية لهذا الأستعراض التلفزيوني للبغاء وكأن البغاء لم يعدة موجودا عند غير العراق ..إن ما بوسعي ان اقوله أننا اذا ظافرنا الجهود فربما منعنا عرض هذه الحلقة متذكرين انها ليست المرة الأولى التي تمنع فيها ال MBC من عرض عمل ، فقد سبق ان نجحت جهود وتاثيرات وتدخلات من مسؤولين كبار في منع عرض مسلسل ( للخطايا ثمن ) لأن حوارا واحدا فيه اثار حفيظة البعض في وقته فكبف بحلقة جلها تسيء الى العراقيات والعربيات وكل المسلمات .لذلك نناشد كل المواقع العراقية ووسائل الأعلام العراقية الآن ان توجه رسائلها لمسؤولي المحطة قبل اذاعة هذه الحلقة اليوم الأحد .
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Saturday, May 09, 2009
أمل
أملٌ تسحبه كأنما على طرفه يُجر ذنبٌ إقترفته دونما أعي مكفأة على وجه الطريق
ما أعطيتني اياه!
أملٌ
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ما أعطيتني اياه!
أملٌ
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شوق
من كثر شوقي والليل والدخان
خفت ارفع السماعة واتصل فيك
في يدي نبض نور واحرف و ارقام
عييت تطلب الاحسايس وتناديك
دفا صوتك ورعشة كفوف وأوهام
والدمع يغيبني ويخليك
لاح الوله وترفض عروقي أنهار
غاب البلل منها في أراضيك
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خفت ارفع السماعة واتصل فيك
في يدي نبض نور واحرف و ارقام
عييت تطلب الاحسايس وتناديك
دفا صوتك ورعشة كفوف وأوهام
والدمع يغيبني ويخليك
لاح الوله وترفض عروقي أنهار
غاب البلل منها في أراضيك
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Monday, May 04, 2009
RTA to allow parking fees to be paid via SMS service
Disclaimer:
This is an e-mail from DCAA. Its contents are confidential to the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this e-mail in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than its intended recipient, nor may it be copied in any way. If received in error, please email a reply to the sender and then delete it from your system. Although this e-mail has been scanned for viruses, DCAA cannot ultimately accept any responsibility for viruses and it is your responsibility to scan attachments (if any).
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Sana'a Day 1 (11 Feb 2009)
Dear all,
Sunny Sana'a smiles at u. The weather is gr8, we have stepped back in time! The bldgs ancient, people poor but so sweet. Our hotel is quaint, the room cute with candles around the walls. our window overlooks a tiny alley with telecom shops! The guys on the street said "hiiii"! It is a trip of days long gone by.
The smell of the place is so unique, there's fuel combustion mixed with the smell of fried food and wood ovens burning, the scent of a city is a strong part of its personality.
The sounds are just as distinct, one small window open and the whole street was in the room, mopeds whizzing past, motorbikes with broken exhausts filling the small space, cars in the distance, horns beeping every short while, the distant monotonous rhythmic drum beat from a stereo transforming the place into an open air concert and the untiring endless garble of children playing and talking as well as the youth on the street chatting and men gossiping. This was all in a room at Taj Talha
On our way we saw "the purple onion" cafeteria!
At al fakhir restaurant, our mouths are dancing with the fiery flavours of fa7ssa, selta, sa7awe8, 3eqdat la7am, 7aneet, cooked in ancient claypots from 100s of years ago and doused with the cool yoghurty flavour of shafoot and na8ee3 el zebeeb served in shimmering copper goblets with the yummy pull of the chewy khobz mulawa7
The intermission were two very short spelled power outages!
And the crowning glory of the honey drenched bent al sa7an culminated the meal washed down with gahwa gishr, shahi and shahi 7aleeb!
On our way back we passed by a resto called 3al hawa shawa!
Sunny Sana'a smiles at u. The weather is gr8, we have stepped back in time! The bldgs ancient, people poor but so sweet. Our hotel is quaint, the room cute with candles around the walls. our window overlooks a tiny alley with telecom shops! The guys on the street said "hiiii"! It is a trip of days long gone by.
The smell of the place is so unique, there's fuel combustion mixed with the smell of fried food and wood ovens burning, the scent of a city is a strong part of its personality.
The sounds are just as distinct, one small window open and the whole street was in the room, mopeds whizzing past, motorbikes with broken exhausts filling the small space, cars in the distance, horns beeping every short while, the distant monotonous rhythmic drum beat from a stereo transforming the place into an open air concert and the untiring endless garble of children playing and talking as well as the youth on the street chatting and men gossiping. This was all in a room at Taj Talha
On our way we saw "the purple onion" cafeteria!
At al fakhir restaurant, our mouths are dancing with the fiery flavours of fa7ssa, selta, sa7awe8, 3eqdat la7am, 7aneet, cooked in ancient claypots from 100s of years ago and doused with the cool yoghurty flavour of shafoot and na8ee3 el zebeeb served in shimmering copper goblets with the yummy pull of the chewy khobz mulawa7
The intermission were two very short spelled power outages!
And the crowning glory of the honey drenched bent al sa7an culminated the meal washed down with gahwa gishr, shahi and shahi 7aleeb!
On our way back we passed by a resto called 3al hawa shawa!
Sana'a Day 2 (Thursday 12 Feb 2009)
After coming back from dinner we strained up six high flights to the mafrajah. Mafrajah being a balcony like area with a birds eye view of old Sana'a. Out breath out of strength, the view took away the last remnants of both! How can I describe going back in time. Soft orange glow of the street lights added to its mystery, I have only visited this place before in a dream I had many years ago.
Many blocks of varying heights with a multitude of windows filled the landscape, Huda called it a fairytale picture book in 3D.
I can go on for as long as we stood there and stared, but u still had to be there.
Tiredness from the trip and stairs saw us sleep like in a dream of a thousand years, that and the crisp coolness of the adorable room helped us stay longer in our cosy beds. Today we shall walk inshAllah.
We head twds the souk, old Sana'a and bab al yemeN, we walk into a live rendition of the yemeni part of global village, many scents, aromas and pungent odours invade the senses, it is an overcast day with dust and a cold breeze... The bookshops and the bead & silver sellers beckon - we walk thru the carpenters sector where all sorts of doors and windows are carved and each with a story to tell. Further on we meet our french friend who stays at the same hotel, Corrine directs us to the spice market, the heady smell of grains spelt, spice and flour spin their aromatic threads around us. What is really interesting is that women pass us and bless us... The men do too but that's expected. I saw an old beggar women whom we followed into a shop, the colours of her garbs were many different shades of pink brown & orange, that with a golden tulle mesh skirt and her scarf, she was beautiful in her poverty, as ugly as it is. Her blessings and prayers followed us around the souk & to our room.
We turned right & saw a fantastic alleyway full of materials shops... The one facing us had many different pieces with intricate embroidery, we sat at the shop chatting with Muthahhar & Ahmed. We spoke of Qat, daughters of officials, the origins of Arabs, the short attire of Adenites and again besides hamdani being best, the long Qat stalks from dar al hajjar are supreme! Apparently it is a skill to be able to 'store' Qat or give it a home in your cheeks ...(He gave me some to try, thatks a whole different story-i felt I was a cow or sheep) Some guys do both cheeks making them look like popeye but the avoid doing that in public as it may give them the evil eye!
We were tired, the air dry, and we hadn't anything to eat or drink for hours, we decided to head back for a cup of tea and some bread. On our way we saw gallery 1, it was lovely, Mohammed is a student of French at Sana'a Uni, a handsome face typical of mst yemeni men, a fine nose delicate features and hazel eyes, occassionally dulled by the effect of Qat, so we pick a couple of things to bargain for, as we sat there in walks a little boy of around 7, quiet, and solitary, when asked his name he only responded 3allawi. That was all he said for the rest of the time we were together. Then Fahad came in! He is 10 or 11, he asked in proper English "where r u from?" So I asked, where r u from and he replied "Eb"
We wanted to buy bread so Mohd said we must try the kodom, a whole wheat chewy do not unlike the egyptian bread served with foole.
It was hot right out of its furnace, we bid farewell to 3allawi first then after the hot dough we saluted Fahad.
Walking back we took a wrong turn which turned right! And saw three of the cutest fluffiest kittens scurrying into a crevice in the wall, even their kittens r shy!
As we reach our hotel we decide to discover the terrace of Daoud tourist hotel. The terrace of which we spent many moments in time observing it goings and comings through the broken wire mesh of our 1m squared window. We order 2 teas from dark skinned Adenite Sameer, who due to his city lifestyle in Aden seemed, in robust alpha male Sana'a, quite effeminate.
We came back to 'our place' as that's how it feels, the people in the neighbourhood, the hotel staff, even the streetwalkers, the all seem very familiar. We wash up, pray and head out with hermit-like abdul aziz to al fakhir for dinner.... We r starved! Well sort of.
Happy sat in abdulaziz's car we see the live bustling streets of Sana'a dance it's serpentine twirl of the Janbiya as we're carried thru them, cars intertwine with trucks and micro buses laden with San3anis of all different attires.
Abdulaziz spots a wedding celebration in a vacant lot formerly used by palestinian refugees. This lot looks similar to the ones in beirut and perhaps even cairo.
And they danced, rather meandered and twirled and shook their daggers (janbiyas) and wove thru, and twirled.. It was magnetic, the continuos drumbeats on metal and hide rising to a quick beat and then relaxing into a constant, and the daggers shake. They were in a world all of their own... What is so absolutely mesmerizing is when the groom joined and as a salutation they all joined and the line grew longer, boys as young as 6 or 7 to men in just as many decades.
They, in this male dominated world would remind each other to step out of the way so I could film and photograph. They, the same men would never stare at two black abaya clad arab women in a car watching their rituals, not here at the celebration nor anywhere did we feel uncomfortable due to overt staring or ogling as it did not happen.
Their quiet, dignified respect for us commanded the same be reciprocated.
Our stomachs served as a reminder of their emptiness and craving of the yet again delicious Yemeni fares, we dove into samak mekhbaza (fish in a clay oven - tannour) the unbelievable fa7ssa, oh and we had the most delicious clear vegetable soup in lamb broth from their sister Lebanese restaurant al waleema. Madame muna, talal and all the gr8 boys were delighted with us! Yesterday Radhwan spoilt us, this evening murshed amd bassam pampered us and murshed told us the name of the singer of "golli ya gazallee" as being hussein mo7eb.
Satiated stuffed and smiling we carried the 7aneed and the other fish for abdulaziz to share with us. He couldn't eat b4 as he was 'keeping' Qat. Boy does Qat rule most of their daily lives if not all! I mean it tastes like grass, u gotta chew and store in your cheeks, do not swallow, you need to keep drinking water as it may affect your kidneys, and must only have it after a meal. Abdulaziz had his in his mouth for at least 4 hours! The few leaves that I had barely made any impression on me whether by taste, feel or the non-existent pimple-like portrusion in my cheek. It's overrated I think but perhaps I didn't do it the right way, I mean the stuff rules a nation! As a citizen of yemen, in most countries outside of yemen u go to your embassy or consulate and they wiil give you your ration. It must do something!
We chatted till late at the reception with khaled who has taken care of us like sisters as have all the others from abdulwahed to ahmed. We spoke of life God, agathe, spirituality, God and our next trip in the morning to dar al 7ajar.
It was a chilly night especially as our room is qiblee and so we wore socks, doubled the blankets and put on our cardigans to bed.
Many blocks of varying heights with a multitude of windows filled the landscape, Huda called it a fairytale picture book in 3D.
I can go on for as long as we stood there and stared, but u still had to be there.
Tiredness from the trip and stairs saw us sleep like in a dream of a thousand years, that and the crisp coolness of the adorable room helped us stay longer in our cosy beds. Today we shall walk inshAllah.
We head twds the souk, old Sana'a and bab al yemeN, we walk into a live rendition of the yemeni part of global village, many scents, aromas and pungent odours invade the senses, it is an overcast day with dust and a cold breeze... The bookshops and the bead & silver sellers beckon - we walk thru the carpenters sector where all sorts of doors and windows are carved and each with a story to tell. Further on we meet our french friend who stays at the same hotel, Corrine directs us to the spice market, the heady smell of grains spelt, spice and flour spin their aromatic threads around us. What is really interesting is that women pass us and bless us... The men do too but that's expected. I saw an old beggar women whom we followed into a shop, the colours of her garbs were many different shades of pink brown & orange, that with a golden tulle mesh skirt and her scarf, she was beautiful in her poverty, as ugly as it is. Her blessings and prayers followed us around the souk & to our room.
We turned right & saw a fantastic alleyway full of materials shops... The one facing us had many different pieces with intricate embroidery, we sat at the shop chatting with Muthahhar & Ahmed. We spoke of Qat, daughters of officials, the origins of Arabs, the short attire of Adenites and again besides hamdani being best, the long Qat stalks from dar al hajjar are supreme! Apparently it is a skill to be able to 'store' Qat or give it a home in your cheeks ...(He gave me some to try, thatks a whole different story-i felt I was a cow or sheep) Some guys do both cheeks making them look like popeye but the avoid doing that in public as it may give them the evil eye!
We were tired, the air dry, and we hadn't anything to eat or drink for hours, we decided to head back for a cup of tea and some bread. On our way we saw gallery 1, it was lovely, Mohammed is a student of French at Sana'a Uni, a handsome face typical of mst yemeni men, a fine nose delicate features and hazel eyes, occassionally dulled by the effect of Qat, so we pick a couple of things to bargain for, as we sat there in walks a little boy of around 7, quiet, and solitary, when asked his name he only responded 3allawi. That was all he said for the rest of the time we were together. Then Fahad came in! He is 10 or 11, he asked in proper English "where r u from?" So I asked, where r u from and he replied "Eb"
We wanted to buy bread so Mohd said we must try the kodom, a whole wheat chewy do not unlike the egyptian bread served with foole.
It was hot right out of its furnace, we bid farewell to 3allawi first then after the hot dough we saluted Fahad.
Walking back we took a wrong turn which turned right! And saw three of the cutest fluffiest kittens scurrying into a crevice in the wall, even their kittens r shy!
As we reach our hotel we decide to discover the terrace of Daoud tourist hotel. The terrace of which we spent many moments in time observing it goings and comings through the broken wire mesh of our 1m squared window. We order 2 teas from dark skinned Adenite Sameer, who due to his city lifestyle in Aden seemed, in robust alpha male Sana'a, quite effeminate.
We came back to 'our place' as that's how it feels, the people in the neighbourhood, the hotel staff, even the streetwalkers, the all seem very familiar. We wash up, pray and head out with hermit-like abdul aziz to al fakhir for dinner.... We r starved! Well sort of.
Happy sat in abdulaziz's car we see the live bustling streets of Sana'a dance it's serpentine twirl of the Janbiya as we're carried thru them, cars intertwine with trucks and micro buses laden with San3anis of all different attires.
Abdulaziz spots a wedding celebration in a vacant lot formerly used by palestinian refugees. This lot looks similar to the ones in beirut and perhaps even cairo.
And they danced, rather meandered and twirled and shook their daggers (janbiyas) and wove thru, and twirled.. It was magnetic, the continuos drumbeats on metal and hide rising to a quick beat and then relaxing into a constant, and the daggers shake. They were in a world all of their own... What is so absolutely mesmerizing is when the groom joined and as a salutation they all joined and the line grew longer, boys as young as 6 or 7 to men in just as many decades.
They, in this male dominated world would remind each other to step out of the way so I could film and photograph. They, the same men would never stare at two black abaya clad arab women in a car watching their rituals, not here at the celebration nor anywhere did we feel uncomfortable due to overt staring or ogling as it did not happen.
Their quiet, dignified respect for us commanded the same be reciprocated.
Our stomachs served as a reminder of their emptiness and craving of the yet again delicious Yemeni fares, we dove into samak mekhbaza (fish in a clay oven - tannour) the unbelievable fa7ssa, oh and we had the most delicious clear vegetable soup in lamb broth from their sister Lebanese restaurant al waleema. Madame muna, talal and all the gr8 boys were delighted with us! Yesterday Radhwan spoilt us, this evening murshed amd bassam pampered us and murshed told us the name of the singer of "golli ya gazallee" as being hussein mo7eb.
Satiated stuffed and smiling we carried the 7aneed and the other fish for abdulaziz to share with us. He couldn't eat b4 as he was 'keeping' Qat. Boy does Qat rule most of their daily lives if not all! I mean it tastes like grass, u gotta chew and store in your cheeks, do not swallow, you need to keep drinking water as it may affect your kidneys, and must only have it after a meal. Abdulaziz had his in his mouth for at least 4 hours! The few leaves that I had barely made any impression on me whether by taste, feel or the non-existent pimple-like portrusion in my cheek. It's overrated I think but perhaps I didn't do it the right way, I mean the stuff rules a nation! As a citizen of yemen, in most countries outside of yemen u go to your embassy or consulate and they wiil give you your ration. It must do something!
We chatted till late at the reception with khaled who has taken care of us like sisters as have all the others from abdulwahed to ahmed. We spoke of life God, agathe, spirituality, God and our next trip in the morning to dar al 7ajar.
It was a chilly night especially as our room is qiblee and so we wore socks, doubled the blankets and put on our cardigans to bed.
Sana'a Day 3 (Friday 13 Feb 2009)
Today we saw Sharayar of 1001 nights, of fairy tales and legends, today we saw the prince carrying his sword in all its glory sheathed in Gold. The groom was in celebration in dar al hajjar at wadi al thahr. His handsome face would have done many a tale proud, again that finely sculpted nose of nobility, hazel eyes, adorned with a skull cap embroidened with gold, dressed in a beautifully brilliant white thob, I wonder, if his Sheherazade new of his beauty, or was she far and beyond expectations that we can only read about them and imagine them?
We also me harry potter of yemen, a cute 15 year old with round glasses named sattaam. He cares for a silver shop at wadi al thahr.
هل تعرفون حبيبتي بلقيس؟
As we drove I saw a slogan that truly touched me. It was romantic... Reminding me of wilfred owens poem 'dulce et decorum est pro patria mori' a poem describing the uglyness of war and how we feed our sons the noble saying that 'it's sweet & fitting to die for one's country.'
وطنٌ ا نحميه، لا نستحق العيش فيه
We drove along a dusty red road down towards the palace of "the prince of faithfuls, al mutawakul 3ala Allah" imam Yahya Hamiduddin. It was a dusty sandy day unlike any other days witnessed in sana'a. The road was red as the eart changed, it was a glorious terracotta of colour, the kind u can rarely copy or emulate, a brick colour of an eart rich in minerals painting the landscape.
As we arrived at the popular tourist spot w saw people of all walks and races, yemenis, arabs, westerners, black, white, yellow, brown and all shades of the almighty's creation in between.
The building was, in all truth, a glorious architectural creation of natural stone, its erection commenced, so they say, before islam. The tree at its entrance was more than 800 years old! The multi-leveled, multi-tiered structure is a wonder in itself as it stands atop the hillside over looking the rest of wadi al thahr.
At the 'lobby' level mafrajah where we sat and had juice to cool our sandy parched throats, whilst abdulaziz went for Friday prayers, is where we encountered the handsome groom and his friend and brother.
We also me harry potter of yemen, a cute 15 year old with round glasses named sattaam. He cares for a silver shop at wadi al thahr.
هل تعرفون حبيبتي بلقيس؟
As we drove I saw a slogan that truly touched me. It was romantic... Reminding me of wilfred owens poem 'dulce et decorum est pro patria mori' a poem describing the uglyness of war and how we feed our sons the noble saying that 'it's sweet & fitting to die for one's country.'
وطنٌ ا نحميه، لا نستحق العيش فيه
We drove along a dusty red road down towards the palace of "the prince of faithfuls, al mutawakul 3ala Allah" imam Yahya Hamiduddin. It was a dusty sandy day unlike any other days witnessed in sana'a. The road was red as the eart changed, it was a glorious terracotta of colour, the kind u can rarely copy or emulate, a brick colour of an eart rich in minerals painting the landscape.
As we arrived at the popular tourist spot w saw people of all walks and races, yemenis, arabs, westerners, black, white, yellow, brown and all shades of the almighty's creation in between.
The building was, in all truth, a glorious architectural creation of natural stone, its erection commenced, so they say, before islam. The tree at its entrance was more than 800 years old! The multi-leveled, multi-tiered structure is a wonder in itself as it stands atop the hillside over looking the rest of wadi al thahr.
At the 'lobby' level mafrajah where we sat and had juice to cool our sandy parched throats, whilst abdulaziz went for Friday prayers, is where we encountered the handsome groom and his friend and brother.
Sana'a Yemen - Day 4 (Sat. 14th February 2009)
had a mild case of food poisoning... Perhaps its from the water in the Gahwa gishr?
Am not well at all... Thank God Huda's ok. What I'd love to know is what did I eat that made me feel ugh! Perhaps it was lunch? But it's at the same resto... Was it the tea? I dunno.
Am not well at all... Thank God Huda's ok. What I'd love to know is what did I eat that made me feel ugh! Perhaps it was lunch? But it's at the same resto... Was it the tea? I dunno.
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