Return to Yemen

by DAVID SMILEY

During the civil war in Yemen in the 1960s, Colonel Smiley, LVO MC OBE, served as military a
Imam Al-Badr and senior members of the Yemeni royal family. Before retiring from the Briti
in 1961 he spent three years in Oman as Commander of the Sultan’s Armed Forces. He publ
account of his experiences in Oman and Yemen in his book, ‘Arabian Assignment’ (1975). He
to Yemen, after an absence of thirty-five years, in late February 2003.

When I left Yemen in 1968, I never expected to go there again. Imagine my surprise when in Oct
year I received a note from the Yemeni Ambassador, Dr Mutahar Alsaeedi, asking me to conta
he had a letter for me. It was from his government inviting me to go out to Yemen, an invitation
knew I would find hard to resist.

In due course, over lunch with the Ambassador, I learned that the invitation had come from
distinguished Yemenis: Dr Abdul Karim Al-Iryani, the former Prime Minister, now Presidentia
and Secretary-General of the ruling GPC party; and Dr Hussein Al-Amri, the previous
Ambassador in London and now a member of Yemen’s Majlis al-Shura. However, the reason
invitation only became clear to me later: a number of Yemeni historians were engaged in w
official history of the revolution; they required my help in telling them all I could about the
which raged between the Royalist forces of the Imam and the Republican forces led by Colonel S
heavily supported by the Egyptians. Following the military coup against Imam Al-Badr in Se
1962 and his flight from Sana’a to a cave in the mountains of northern Yemen, I was appointed
as his Military Adviser, and continued in this capacity until 1968 when the Imam finally left the
During this period I paid thirteen visits to Yemen and was therefore in a position to give an ey
account of events from the Imam’s side.

I was very keen to accept the invitation conveyed to me by Dr Mutahar, but a number of peo
against my going. Some thought that I was too old (I am 87) and too disabled (being deaf and la
probably senile! Others stressed the potential security dangers, citing Foreign Office advice agai
to Yemen. However, both my wife and my doctor approved of the idea, provided that I had a co
to help me. A young volunteer was found in Alexander Brittain-Catlin who throughout the trip p
excellent companion and ADC. Meanwhile, the Ambassador and his staff did everything po
facilitate our journey.

On 26 February, Alex and I set off from Heathrow on a Yemenia flight, arriving at Sana’a ai
following morning. There we were met by Colonel Mohsin Khosroof and Derhim Assaidi, a
diplomat, who were both English speakers and were to accompany us on all our visits and exp
From the airport they whisked us to the Taj Sheba Hotel. We were shown into pleasant rooms w
of the mountains from where, in 1966, 1 had looked down on Sana’a which the Royalists w
bombarding.

It was perfect weather, and, after we had enjoyed a good sleep, Colonel Mohsin and Derhim too
tour of the old city. We walked down narrow streets, between tall, tapering buildings of stone a
their windows framed in a tracery of white stucco, into a labyrinth of alleys with stalls selling sp
jambiyyas, shawls, shoes, jewellery ... The desire to capture something of this vibrant, tumultuo
kept our cameras in constant motion.

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The following day, being the Friday weekend, was also spent sightseeing; we drove to Wadi Dha
the Imam’s multi-storeyed summer palace, Dar al-Hajr, spectacularly perched on a rocky outcro
Alex, Mohsin and Derhim climbed to the top, I sat in the car and watched the passers-by. Every
boy had a jambiyya in his belt, but I was surprised to see the number of men who also carried
usually a Kalashnikov - which, apparently, is quite legal. On the way back to the hotel we call
home of Dr Abdul Karim Al-Iryani who gave us a warm welcome and questioned me about m
Yemen. With him I met Dr Abdulla Abdul Wali Nasher, Chairman both of the International
Yemen and of the Yemeni-British Association in Sana’a. Dr Abdul Karim told me that he had ar
meeting for me the next day to discuss the civil war; and I mentioned that I had brought with
London, as a present for him, an album with some of the many photographs which I had taken i
during the 1960s. Next morning I was driven to the Moral Guidance Department of the Ministry

of Defence and taken to the office of Brigadier-General Ali Hassan Al-Shater. With him were fo
officers and Dr Muhammad Qubati, Chairman of the Political and Foreign Relations Committ
GPC, who spoken excellent English and acted as interpreter. I was shown an Arabic translati
book, Arabian Assignment, and warned that the next day I would be expected to attend a rou
conference.

That afternoon we were taken on another tour, driving for a while along the road running east
towards Marib. I was struck by the number of qat plantations; and throughout the whole jou
driver, while steering with his left hand, kept scooping fresh leaves of qat into his mouth with h
had previously tried chewing but did not like it, nor did Alex when he tried. Most foreigners di
of this nation-wide habit, mainly on economic grounds, but it does mean that Yemen, unl
societies in the West and elsewhere, has no serious drug problem.

The following morning’s round table conference at the Department of Moral Guidance was chair
Hussein Al-Amri who introduced me there to Dr Abdullah Barakat and Mahmoud Ibrahim Al-S
was asked to give a resume of my time in Yemen in the 1960s, and then answered questions, m
details in my book. It was a friendly meeting despite the fact that I had been in the servi
Republicans’ enemy; but I emphasized that our real enemy at the time had been Egypt’s quas
military presence.

During my week in Sana’a I had two evenings out, The first was at the home of Dr Abdul Karim A
a most charming host, where I also met the author and Arabist, Tim Mackintosh-Smith, and, on
Dr Abdulla Abdul Wali Nasher the second was at the residence of the British Ambassador, Fran
She kindly arranged a dinner for me, which was truly gallant of her, considering that I had visite
against Foreign Office advice! The other guests included Dr Hussein Al-Amri, Dr Nasher
delightful wife, Ilham, and Professor Yusuf Abdullah the Deputy Minister of Culture. Earlier
Alex and I were taken to the Military Museum whose diverse array of exhibits includes the ca
have been used by the last British High Commissioner in Aden. The Museum is a handsome ex
Ottoman architecture and well maintained, but its interpretation of Yemen’s revolutionary pa
me as more than a little tendentious. We were also taken on a shopping expedition to the suq i
city where Derhim and Mohsin, ever helpful and generous, insisted on buying presents for
including scarves and jewellery of silver and agate, the locally mined semi-precious stone.

During our last afternoon, General Al-Shater and Dr Abdulla Abdul Wali Nasher called at the ho
that they had a present for me from President Saleh who regretted being unable to receive me b
his absence at an Arab Conference. They then produced a wonderful collection of presents for
myself which included a silver jambiyya, boxes of jewellery for my wife, and about six kilos o

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coffee; we felt overwhelmed by this generosity.

Our return flight to London went via Aden, which I had last visited some forty years ago!

Before leaving Sana’a I promised my Yemeni hosts that I would gather together and send them
material as possible - from my own personal records and from public archives - relevan
discussions on the civil war. This absorbing task has included reproducing and annotating th
seven hundred photographs which I took during my visits to Yemen in the 1960s.

I am proud to think that this material, dormant for so many years, may make a useful contributi
historiography of modern Yemen.

I look back on my week in Sana’a with immense gratitude for the kindness and hospitality
received there. It was a moving and invigorating experience. At no time did I have any doubts a
security, and can only confirm the truth of the Yemeni proverb that ‘Sana’a is a must, howev
takes to get there’!

August 2003

The author with Royalist Prime Minister, Prince al-H

Yahya, at his mountain headquarters near Sa'ada, 1963

The author with Dr Abdul Karim al-Iryani (centre), D

Abdul Wali Nasher and Tim Mackintosh-Smith, Sana'a

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 The author and Alexander Brittain-Catlin in the old city