Ancient Yemeni storage method is being replaced [Archives:2008/1119/Reportage]
By: Ismail Al-Ghabri
Since ancient times, Yemenis have known the proverb, “Provision is half of the living.” While storage isn't a complicated art, it makes up part of the carved works by which Yemeni civilizations were characterized in pre-Islamic times.
Ancient Yemenis would dig storage cavities deep within a rocky surface, most often on the mountaintops where they built their homes. They wouldn't dig them in the valleys because those areas experienced massive flooding.
Such storage took the shape of a barrel, with a narrow top and base and a wider middle, and is topped by a stone cover slightly larger than the top opening. However, they were different sizes, with the largest holding more than a thousand kilograms.
Basically, Yemenis used such stores to hold grains such as corn, barley and wheat, plugging any holes with clay in order to keep out air and water, which can cause spoiling or decay.
Most such stores were dug in safe and unobservable areas, which was attributable to Yemenis' fears of wars and incursions, to which most tribes were exposed, as the defeated side's property became the winners' booty.
Such storage was particularly distinguished for preserving grain three or more years due to the high temperatures arising from the ground, which prevents bacteria from living or propagating there. Some Yemenis even mixed salt or coal into the grain to ensure its longevity.
In his book, “Delights of the Eye in Yemeni History,” Judge Ismail Al-Akwa' writes that if a man closes the store's hole for one or two months and then returns and opens it, his skin will be burned off due to the intense heat from it. He further maintains that this high heat is the key reason such grains remain safe and edible.
Through field research conducted in several areas, two types of storage were discovered, the first being small or medium-sized. Residents dug such stores inside their homes or in nearby areas in anticipation of or preparation for future drought or famine.
The second type of stores were large and mostly owned by the state or sheikhs. Massive quantities of grain, which supplied state forces and employees, were stored there and taxed or fined by the state. Some of these authoritative bodies dug several large stores interconnected via canals to ensure that grain was poured into each until they became full.
Such stores can be found in factories previously used for caravan transfers and trading commodities. Ancient civilizations also would dig large stores inside fortified castles and forts to supply defense forces during times of war.
Spanning the nation, most such stores date to the Himyarite state, whose successors subsequently used them for the same purposes.
However, modern Yemenis recently have begun refraining from or abandoning such a custom. Such stores now are being replaced by manufactured products able to achieve the same results. This is also due to the expansion of markets, which allow citizens to abandon their worries regarding any shortage or lack of grains.
Ancient Yemeni civilizations were highly skilled in carving, as evidenced by various decorations carved inside homes and sitting rooms, as well as on stairs and roofs, in addition to their carving small cavities into their walls in which to store money or jewelry.
Additionally, small holes called “al-madaq” were carved into the floor of a specific place, such as a kitchen, to grind grain, with some plugging them to keep salt and spices.
Ancient Yemenis refused to surrender to the mountainous terrain; rather, they utilized all natural resources to provide themselves good and sustainable living standards.
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