Photos help document history Yemen’s story told in museum [Archives:2003/01/Culture]

BY ISMAEEL AL-GABERI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Every nation feels proud about its great men of ideas, science, literature and arts, and those who helped countries and civilizations, those who gave their lives to help human civilization continue.
In Yemen’s case, one place such people are honoured is in its military museum.
Its military museum is Ad-Dalah School, built at the end of 19th century by the Othman state. Imam Yehya Hamid-udin later turned it into a prison known as Ad-Dalah prison when he was the Imam of Yemen in 1918.
From 1940 to 1943 the building was made to be the headquarters of the Iraqi military mission which was training Al Mutawakil army. After 1943 the building became a guest house and continued to 1948 when it housed the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security.
A visit to the military museum has educational and cultural importance to members of the armed forces, the security, to the public or to tourists and other visitors.
The administration of the military museum is constantly working on upgrading its staff to properly present their diverse activities and to meet demands of visitors.
Many of the museum’s staff attend studies at Egyptian Universities and the University of Sana’a, and their dedicated colleges, emerging from the role of museums being a forum of civilization and center for historical research, where visitors are provided with valuable historical information about the struggle of Yemen and its militant people against colonialism and despotic rulers within limited minutes compared with days and months at school and universities.
The military museum contains the following exhibits:
1 – Musnad inscriptions on stone and bronze man an animal marble statues and post made of bronze, marble and ancient civilizations since Maini, Himyarite, Qatabani, and Ausani eras.
2 – Manuscripts on skin and paper dating back to the early Islamic era in addition to exhibits of old Yemeni made weapons such as swords, daggers, and spears. There are also exhibits of arms and sliver coins and brass and earthen pots drawings most of which are Yemeni made.
3 – Primitive fire arms exhibits according to progress sequence till presently.
4 – Beginning of the formation of the Islamic army known worldwide as the barefooted army. Also development made to this army under pressure of the Yehya and other demand to promote this army of which leaders who erupted 1948 revolution.
5 – Pictures and documents of the opposition men and the freedom movements who were destined to be imprisoned and killed for the sake of Yemen.
6 – Pictures of leaders of 1948 revolution and those who killed Imam Yehya Hameed-uddin, documents of the revolution and means of torturing, such as shackles and chains heavy in weight to more than ten kilograms.
7 – Pictures of leaders of 1955 movement and inhuman method of execution along with documents related to that movement.
8 – Pictures of leaders of some tribal movements in 1959, as well as of those commandos who attempted the killing of Imam Ahmed in As-Sakhan and Hodeidah hospital in 1961 hoping to free Yemen from his viciousness.
9 – Pictures of 12th September1962 revolution men and the martyrs who gave their lives to let Yemen live free and safe. Here a plan is also exhibited dedicating the movement of the revolutionaries towards their targets.
10 – Enlarged pictures expressing fusion of the Yemen army with the Arab Egyptian army in defending the Yemeni revolution against infiltration and attacks of western mercenaries and reactionaries. Other pictures are there for leaders and martyrs of fraternal Egyptian army along with specimens of weapons used by revolutionaries during that period.
11 – Pictures if 14th October 1963 revolution men and some of the colonialist practices against militants and citizens of the former southern governorates.
12 – Pictures of the ousted Al-Badr forces while being trained by mercenaries near caves along with weapons captured by the defenders of Sana’a and the revolution during the seventy days siege along with plans and enlarge map showing sites of the siege battle, places of the mercenaries around Sana’a and places of the revolution and the republic.
13 – Stage of the armed forces promotion and preparedness attained when being provided with demands.
Enabling them to protect the republic, by air, sea and land.
14 – Pictures, documents and other publication of unity.
15 – Valuable gifts which president Ali Abduallah Saleh received from presidents and kings of fraternal and friendly states, and gifts received by military leaders from commanders of fraternal and friendly countries.

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