Surprising Yemen
Surprising Yemen Who knew that the “Houthi” parts were so green and lush? Matt Bracken Zoom in on Google Earth, or search Google images, and you will be amazed by the extensive terrace farming across Western Yemen. All these hand-made rock walls, built to trap the rainfall on level terrace fields, took many generations to build. The people who live here feel a connection to the land and to the ancestors who constructed them is immeasurable. Not only are the "Houthis" (aka Ansar Allah) mountain people, they are farmers with a deep commitment to their land and their way of life. Don’t get me wrong, terrace farming is driven by geology and rainfall patterns, and was developed from China to Peru over millennia. My point is that these terraces form a visible and vital connection between the living farmers who maintain and work them today, and the ancients who first built them. This makes their connection to these lands uniquely powerful. Please see the photos and links that foll...