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Originally Posted by Steve
Guys,
I don’t know if I’m being premature in this comment or not, I certainly hope so, but the news coming out of Yemen on a daily basis now is very depressing. I raise this issue on the forum as I know several members are keen collectors of edged weapons from the southern Arabian Peninsula - one of the last places on this globe where a quality, cultural weapon is still worn daily.
Yemen is now caught in a fight between Government forces and followers of the Ahmars, who lead the main tribal confederation called the Hashids. A civil war - and unfortunately the most bloody fighting is in Sana’a, the capital city. It would be easier if the fighting was in some other forsaken sandy border town, but it’s not. Probably neither side is strong enough to deliver a knock- out blow.
What does this mean for us. Well, the collectors and traders in Sana’a of cultural weapons have shut up shop and buried their goods. I have seen it before where these same people have bricked their goods up in sealed (and disguised) rooms for 5-10 years until some form of Government stability re-occurs. Unfortunately when this happens the goods deteriorate. I’ve seen trunks of jambiyas each with good horn hilts all destroyed by worm over years of isolated storage, blades rusted and leather rotted. And of course , the knowledge that goes along with these weapons will be gradually lost as families disintegrate or move into survival mode. Museums could be looted.
For ourselves, as with all committed collectors, it follows that often these cultural items will need to be looked after outside, and for, their country of origin. Elgin marbles all over again? It’s a responsibility that we all have while we hold these items.
Thanks for listening. My thoughts only.
Steve
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Salaams, It could get a lot worse. Failed state ?... Observe Mogadishu ? Probably the most beautiful city on the Indian Ocean with a rich cultural mixture of Italian Arabian and African archtecture and artefacts... A stunning place now reduced to total collapse and ruins. Yemen can achieve that easily. It is a huge shame.
My advice is that you continue to pull in fine pieces where you can. Perhaps at some point the Yemen Government will make overtures to reform their national museum which will be the first place that gets stripped.. any minute now ! I hope you can get involved in the process to rebuild their collections.