Damt: a Yemeni oasis [Archives:2002/25/Culture]
BY SAAD TAHER
FOR YEMEN TIMES
About a four hour drive south of Sanaa lies Damt, a town in the Dhalea governorate. It is well known for its natural hot springs which are visited by 80 thousand people every year.
Damt got its name from Damt son of Gina, son of Mirdam Al-Hamyari the first man to settle there.
Here, an old man said, were the Thamouds, prophet Salehs nation whom God mentions in the Quran as those who killed the sacred camel and were punished by earthquakes. Fifty years ago, the town was comprised of only a few farmers. Damt was regularly visited by foreigners accompanied by Jews on donkeys. They used to come on bare feet. We never knew why!
Now Yemenis come to the hot springs for their therapeutic treatment. Damt lies on the Sanaa -Aden highway, which makes it a convenient stop for travelers. With time people began to settle in Damt and build up a service industry for all the visitors.
Now, Damt has modern baths, tourist hotels and restaurants. Damt grew quite quickly and developed into a fully serviced municipality. In the beginning Damt was officially under the Ibb governorate but later it was annexed by Dhalea.
There are seven baths now, the old man continued. They consist of al-Asadi, al-Awadi, al-Dardoosh, al-Duleimi, al-Diwan, the Atif and a bath for rheumatism and scabies. There was also al-Imam bath which was the Imams private bath.
Al-Haradha the volcano.
To the south of the town stands al-Haradha, a 90 meter high mountain. Ascending al-Haradha are 117 iron steps installed to make the climb easier. As you enter al-Haradha you will find a deep pit surrounded by a three meter wide path enclosed by a natural two meter high wall. One who stands on top of this wall may feel as if he were a bird as he looks down on the town and its doll like inhabitants. It isnt a place for the faint hearted. The pit is fenced in with an iron fence, installed after a few incidents of people slipping. On the pathway to the right is a deserted kiosk, previously used to serve refreshments. Al-Haradha has hot mineral water which contains Calcium Bicarbonate, Magnesium Solvate, Sulpher and dissolved carbon dioxide.
Beside al-Haradha there are another eight similar formations only much smaller in comparison. They are named: Rubaia, Shooli, Duleimi, Ajma and Red plant haradha. some pour hot water into Wadi Bana.
The legends of al-Haradha
Al-Haradha has been the birth place of many legends.
Once, an unnamed king from an unknown time, had a very beautiful daughter. She was so beautiful he wished to marry her. So he asked a priest,
If one plants a tree, to whom does the fruit belong?
Definitely, to him, answered the priest.
Then, I have the right to marry my daughter, retorted the King.
Yes, of course, answered the priest fearfully.
On the night of the wedding the hot springs erupted and destroyed the kingdom, and his daughter turned into a statue. Her statue was later destroyed by a following generation because it was the symbol of a sinful people.
Another legend says, that on the summit of al-Haradha was the palace of a prostitute queen who committed adultery daily. God got angry with her and the volcano burst destroying her and her palace.
Presently in full contrast, the Palestine Tourist Hotel has an open pool of 4×3 meters where boys enjoy swimming in natural hot water. Statues of dinosaurs and elephants have been erected to make the noisy splash scene lovelier, and families can relax in the comfort of their own flats.
——
[archive-e:25-v:2002-y:2002-d:2002-06-17-p:./2002/iss25/culture.htm]
