Historical city needs more support to attract investment

In an effort to help increase tourism and boost a poor economy, the Japanese embassy recently offered help to renovate one of Yemen's most historic cities listed as a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). A donation was made in January towards cleaning up the city of Zabid, 100 km south of Hodiedah, overlooking the Red Sea. "The embassy of Japan offered US $65,154 under the programme called 'Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects' run by the embassy," Abdulrahman Thabet, senior assistant at the Japanese embassy, told IRIN in the capital, Sana. He pointed out that the grant would be used to buy three trucks, three motorcycles and telecommunication units to facilitate communication between people working for the department. "We want to take part in efforts to bring a better healthy environment to this historical city. We believe having a cleaner city would encourage more tourists to it, as one of the world heritage sites listed by UNESCO," said Thabet. Zabid was the capital of Yemen from the 13th to the 15th century and played an important role in the Arab and Muslim world for centuries because of its Islamic university. Experts have been concerned at the serious deterioration in the city's heritage with some 40 percent of houses being replaced with modern concrete buildings and the ancient market is deteriorating. It was listed in 1993 as a world heritage site to ensure its preservation. "The Japanese grant is definitely very helpful to us and would contribute to improving the level of cleaning in the city populated with 24,000 inhabitants," Abdulrazaq Maqbuli, director of the Cleaning Office in Zabid, told IRIN. He stressed that the situation of the city before this funding was established in June 2002 was awful. "The city was full of rubbish and dirty. But now we feel we have cleaned up 80 percent of the city," he added. Meanwhile, other donors like the German based GTZ NGO, had also contributed to the cleaning project, which has been neglected by the authorities, because of a lack of funds. "You know, we started using donkeys to carry the rubbish from the city to a rubbish dump far away from the city," Maqbuli said remarking on how useful the project had been. "Such contributions from the donors helped us to some extent. For instance, one of the Japanese grant motorcycles is now being used by the cleaning fees collector in the city. This is good," he said. With only 12 people collecting litter on a permanent basis and 11 temporary and six full-time staff carrying out administrative work, Maqbuli said more help was needed. "It is not enough at all, it is only 450,000 Yemeni riyals [US $2,432] each month. We might face some problems in maintenance of the trucks and other vehicles if the situation remains like this," he stressed. Zabid is a city renowned for its religious and political significance. The architecture of buildings and the environment are testament to its rich cultural history dating back hundreds of years. The city developed as both a centre for theological study and for the weaving and dyeing of fabric for several centuries. It was also the hub of military and political control of the region. A wealth of old manuscripts are held in the city libraries. Zabid lies amid fertile agricultural land on the main coastal route and is inhabited by a relatively well-educated populace. The restoration of traditional buildings with the supply of modern services will mean that some could be converted into hotels. This, together with the development of the handicraft industry and other related services, could enable Zabid to become one of the biggest tourist attractions in Yemen. For these reasons, there have been continuing efforts to preserve the local heritage and maintain a clean environment in the city. Acknowledging this potential, the Japanese embassy had already provided a $46,430 grant in November 2004, for the restoration of one of Zabid’s museums.