2020-12-31-accounts - Friends Of Hadhramaut

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NUMBER 24

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2021

Please inform us if your postal/email address has changed

FOH COVID-19 APPEAL AUGUST 2020

TOTAL SUM RAISED £19,325.88

A deserted street in al-Shihr during the Coronavirus lockdown

The very first case of Covid-19 in Yemen was confirmed on April 10[th] 2020 in the al-Tayser Hospital in the coastal town of al-Shihr in the south-eastern Governorate of Hadhramaut. Authorities scrambled to contain the spread in this historic port where the 60-year old man worked and which was immediately sealed off. A 12-hour nightly curfew was imposed. The lockdown caused great panic in the city and some hospitals received patients suffering from psychological problems. An awareness campaign was launched to educate people about how to prevent the spread of the disease. Cars with loudspeakers roamed around the city telling people about the importance of social distancing, washing hands and other precautions. The neighbouring regions of Mahra and Shabwa closed their borders with Hadhramaut. On April 29[th] , the first 2 deaths from Covid-19 were reported in al-Mansurah, Aden. Oxfam said it was a and the Internationa nightmare scenario . The whole of Yemen is suffering the world's worst humanitarian crisis and millions are reliant on food aid. Hadhramaut was bracing for yet another battle. Even keeping safe with clean water and soap is a luxury. UN Humanitarian Coordinator Lise Grande said the effect of the virus in six years of war, people across the country have some of the lowest levels of immunity and highest levels of a

The Hadhramaut Governor Major-General Faraj al-Bahsani urged residents to comply with the measures and stay indoors as much as possible. Testing facilities are almost non-existent, although WHO has stated it will help in providing medical supplies, testing kits, ventilators and training to Yemen s health services.

Hadhramaut braced itself for yet another battle; even keeping protected with clean water and soap was a luxury for the majority of approximately 3 million people. The Governor of Hadhramaut urged all residents to comply with the measures and to stay indoors as much as possible. WHO stated it would help in providing medical supplies, testing kits, ventilators and equipment found its way to Hadhramaut. Our man on the ground Salah al-Qu aiti was approached by the local authority in al-Qatn to assist Al-Hayah hospital in Baroj, Wadi Hadhramaut with a list of urgent requirements, supplied by the director Dr. Adel bin Suweid. This previously unused military hospital was opened and prepared by the Ministry of Public Health (al-Wadi & al-Sahra) to receive and isolate Covid-19 patients from outlying areas and towns; equipped with a radiography department, laboratory, pharmacy and ICU units and employing 124 staff which included a large number of health professionals. We at FOH urge you to come forward and donate so we can help sustain families who have been affected by this pandemic and have lost loved ones.

Can a Friend help us find an international donor or organisation that would be willing to purchase the items listed below for al-Hayah Hospital.

Siemens/Philips CT Scan 32 Slices : approx. £175,000 .
Doppler Ultrasound : approx. £28,000 .
Cobas 411 Diagnostic Machine : approx. £38,000 .

The following items were purchased locally by Salah for the hospital:

Numerous Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Units .

15 Oxygen Cylinders.

2 Nebulisers.

2 Syringe Pumps @ £800 each.
2 Infusion Pumps @ £872 each.

3 Disinfectant Sprayer Machines.

Water, juices, biscuits, food items, bleach and various disinfectants were provided for patients, staff and workers.

We would like to thank Dr. Muhammad Salah al-Qu aiti, for his assistance with our appeal: 00967-711229629

Message from Director of al-Hayah Hospital

supplied hospital needs, protective gear and food to al-Hayah Hospital for Covid19 cases in the town of al-Qatn on 17[th] August 2020. The Vice Chairman clarified that this support came in response to an urgent appeal launched by the hospital last month for equipment and the need to support patients and medical staff on the front lines during their shifts and isolation periods within the hospital. The support included 40-litre oxygen tanks with heads, pumps, pulsometers, thermometers, a number of urgent medical supplies and personal protective gear . The appeal also included beverages and food items. Dr. Adel bin Suwaid (General Manager) praised the support and help of FOH Great Britain in different fields and projects throughout the last years at the town and governorate level. It is a notable effort and has the full support and appreciation of the authorities and society; thanking the charity and all its

https://www.facebook.com/111914917254518/posts/135908184855191/

FOH Trustee Fflur Raw-Rees, whose heart is in the Hadhramaut , set up a Total Giving page, entirely on her own initiative, which raised the very successful sum of £2,000 towards our Covid-19 appeal.

Fflur Raw-Rees as a young girl in Kheila, Wadi Laisar, a tributary of Wadi Duan (2000)

CORONA DIARY MISCELLANY

MAY 25[th] : Officials have reported 42 deaths but the real numbers are hard to establish due to the are refusing to go to work for lack of ourished population has

Médicins Sans Frontières , which runs the only dedicated Coronavirus facility in the South, says that they are overwhelmed. UN calls for a ceasefire during the pandemic have largely been ignored.

MAY 26[th] : Yesterday Mukalla had over 20 deaths reported and regrettably there were no contingency plans by the authorities nor facilities for checking on the inhabitants. The people do not adhere to the simplest of the rules. There is no social distancing. The streets and shops are always crowded. The population has no way to understand the seriousness of the pandemic. The authorities need to educate the people as well as provide protective equipment and all the necessary requirements for clinics and hospitals.

JUNE 1[st] : nd June, Dr. Basil Around 80% of the population do not have direct access to food, clean water, shelter and health care services. The humanitarian situation has exacerbated because of the uncertain political conditions. Power outages are frequent because of attacks targeting infrastructure.

JUNE 18[th] : Calls for drastic action as Coronavirus infections reach one million. Experts say official accounts are concealing the true impact of the pandemic, as many self-medicate in order to avoid crowded and understaffed medical facilities. Other reasons that explain why people are delaying seeking treatment include fear of stigma, concerns about safety and the perceived risks of seeking care. Health officials said that despite the high mortality rate among Coronavirus patients, many people still disputed the existence of the virus in the country. Unfortunately, daily deaths that filled graveyards could not convince people about the importance of social distancing. Many citizens are simply not taking the warnings seriously.

JUNE 21[st] : Seiyun Airport started receiving passengers repatriated from Amman and Cairo amid heavy safety procedures as did Riyan airport, Mukalla from the UAE. Others stranded in Oman travelled overland to Mahra and Hadhramaut.

JULY 25[th] : Due to severe flooding in Shibam, the oldest metropolis in the world to use vertical construction, many families, already faced with lack of clean drinking water and medication, were forced out of their homes, seeking refuge with neighbours and relatives. Shibam has been deprived of any form of maintenance since the beginning of the war. Ordinary Hadhramis wonder if they are faced with the choice of dying from Covid-19 or from starvation. Remittances, the main source of income for decades, have dropped by 70%.

NOVEMBER 8[th] : Health authorities have closed a major quarantine centre in Mukalla due to the sharp decline in cases. The national committee has however ordered health facilities across Yemen to prepare for a second wave of the virus as winter approaches. Sadly, people across the country have largely abandoned health coronavirus guidelines and continue to attend large gatherings such as weddings, Friday prayers and funerals.

NOVEMBER 20[th] : UN Yemen is now in imminent danger of the worst fam lost.

DECEMBER 2[nd] : WHO announced that it was cutting support to thousands of health workers and health facilities across the country, which has threatened to further aggravate the country's humanitarian crisis. Dozens of health workers at UN-funded facilities have been laid off, forcing many patients to travel hundreds of miles to get treatment.

JANUARY 1[st] 2021: Local and international health bodies are trying to fight a cholera outbreak in Hadhramaut by launching an emergency vaccination campaign.

COVID-19 APPEAL THANKS FOR SPREADING THE WORD

Pia Kanaan, Khadijah al-Attas, Dr. Ian Walker, Dr. Hanne Schoenig, Dania Zahid, Yumna Zain, Jose-Marie Bel, Alexa Sascha-Lewin, Bradley Rister, Fflur Raw-Rees, Maija Calvert, Mumtaz & Sabahat Khan, Fatima al-

We apologise for the quality of these photographs taken by ordinary phone cameras.

COMPLETED PROJECTS

Sports, Youth and Culture Club, al-Qatn, Wadi Hadhramaut

Painting and Marking Volleyball/Handball Ground

The 3 rooms below will be used by the for holding meetings, exhibitions, tournaments, competitions and for hosting visiting teams from outside al-Qatn.

5 toilets have been completed with full sewerage.

A purpose-built cafeteria is now ready for use, where a television will be installed with suitable seating to allow members to watch international matches and hold festivals, exhibitions and displays.

Madrassah al-Iradah for the Hearing and Speech Impaired, al-Qatn

Please watch this video showing the construction of the shelter: http://hadhramaut.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/VID-20191215-WA0010.mp4

al-Qatn Hospital, Wadi Hadhramaut

Mosquito netting was installed in all the windows of the Midwifery Department and 14 maternity mattresses were covered with washable protective material.

Atfaal al-Tawahud, The Centre for Care and Rehabilitation of Autistic Children, al-Shihr

This autism centre was provided with games, learning cards, puzzles and educational equipment.

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Al-Tumooh al-Nahedh, The Society for Rising Endeavour and Aspiration, al-Shihr

This special needs centre was provided with games, learning cards, puzzles and educational equipment. Some mothers were provided with locally made comfortable chairs for use at home.

School Supplies

50 pupils from poor families have been helped with uniforms, shoes and stationery throughout Wadi Hadhramaut and the coastal areas.

Al-Zahra School for Girls, al-Qatn

FOH paid for printing text books for this school.

Food and Dry Goods

80 poor families in al-Qatn, 40 in Mukalla, 20 in al-Shihr, 10 in Ghail Bawazir and 2 families (with 15 members each) in Tubala have been helped with food supplies including flour, rice, sugar, milk, tuna cans, tomatoes, pasta and oil especially during Ramadan. The family of our late master-builder Karamah Obeid was also helped.

Medical Aid

Medical aid was distributed to more than 200 poor families in Wadi Hadhramaut and along the coastal areas in the form of medicines and financial aid towards surgeries for children and the elderly. 4 wheelchairs were donated to the physically impaired.

PENDING PROJECTS

Sports, Youth and Culture Club, al-Qatn, Wadi Hadhramaut

We are hoping to construct a fully equipped gymnasium for body building, fitness and exercise to encourage youth towards a healthy lifestyle.

FONDATION BERFRED DONATION

We remain utterly speechless and immensely grateful for the munificent donation of £15,400 from the Berfred Foundation in Geneva in December 2019, followed by a further magnanimous sum of £16,555 in September 2020. Although the actual donor wishes to remain anonymous, we were able to thank him, albeit inadequately, through the good offices of the Foundation. FOH gh the kind recommendation of Dr. Miranda Morris who alerted him to our past and curre You and your team do admirable wo I know you will put it to good use for the relief of the people of Hadhramaut . FOH feel extremely humbled to be deemed worthy recipients of such bountiful donations and the people of Hadhramaut owe the donor an enormous debt of gratitude.

With the acquiescence of the donor, it is hoped that an ICU facility at Ibn Sina Hospital, alMukalla be equipped to save lives of patients with severe life-threatening illnesses and injuries and for post-operative care. Many patients would be cared for and given treatment if this facility was funded and installed with the purchase of the following items:

1 Anaesthesia Machine £8,000; 5 Mobile Surgical Suction Units @ £170 each; 1 Electro-surgical Unit £1,500; 6 Patient Monitors @ £900 each; 1 Operating Table £3,000; 1 Ventilator Modal £18,000.

BEQUEST FROM JOHN ROWLAND SYDENHAM FURNIVALL ADY

John Ady (FOH 1.12.98) was a committed, generous and ardent supporter of FOH throughout his 21-year association. I first met him in 1978 in Jeddah where he was very much involved in running the Saudi Arabian Natural History Society, of which he was a leading beacon. He always greeted us with that charming courtesy which was his hallmark. His understated, modest manner, always accompanied by his ineffable, shy smile will be sorely missed.

John was a loyal and avid reader of our newsletter and although unable to attend fundraising events due to poor health, we would always enjoy an annual chat over the telephone. He referred would always ask the most pertinent questions relating to our work, donating year in year out and setting up a standing order a few years before his death on 15th October 2019.

When I last spoke to John in September 2019, he sounded frail and tired and mentioned casually that he had remembered FOH in his will. I promised that I would visit him in Cambridge in 2020, where he lived in retirement and from where he had graduated but alas, it was not to be. He had no close family and left his entire estate to charity. Imagine my sheer surprise and speechless gratitude when I received a letter from his solicitor in December 2020, announcing his marvelous legacy of £18,000 to FOH. This is the largest bequest ever received in the history of the charity. We have no words to thank him posthumously on behalf of the people of Hadhramaut. We hope to find a suitable, commemorative project that may be completed in his name. We feel utterly humbled and indebted

to his dear memory for having indeed remembered us in his will with the utmost awe-inspiring magnanimity. Thank you John from the bottom of our hearts. May your soul rest in peace and may your ultimate reward be in heaven. RIP

David Grainger (FOH 19.1.98) adds: John was a fine, decent and lovely man. I admired his knowledge of Saudi Arabia and his interest in all things pertaining to the natural world. He was one of a band of "drivers" (including Ann and myself) who enabled the internationally acclaimed self-taught botanist Sheila Collenette to produce the definitive Wildflowers of Saudi Arabia . He gets a special mention in the Acknowledgements. John was a landscape architect by profession and for ten years served as a lecturer in the Department of Landscape Architecture and in the School of Environmental Design at King Abdul-Aziz University in Jeddah. He then moved to Riyadh where he worked for the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development.

S. al-Q.

LEGACIES AND WILLS

Those thinking about leaving a legacy to FOH can check our bona fides by consulting the website of the Charity Commission of England & Wales: www.charitycommission.gov.uk . We have been registered with the Commissioners under Charity Number 1062560 since May 1997.

If you are planning your will (or making additions to an existing one) we cannot over emphasise how grateful we, and the poorest people of Hadhramaut would be for a bequest from you. If there is a particular project you are interested in supporting, or specific terms and conditions you would like to make, please contact the treasurer at our registered address, or ask your solicitor to do so.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS

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Raya Abu Galal Kim M. Broderick Zeenut Ziad
Samaan Rahman Richard Saville James Rice
Skyler Dacosta Mary Donald Sir Harold Walker
Dr. David Bryer Peter J Egan-Williams Richard Branczik
Dr. Hannes Kniffka Anna Haug Dr. Harub M al-Kharusi
Sarah Searight Asma al-Hamiz B. Vladimir Gorshkov
Barbara Fulford Bridget Cowper-Coles Robert Korn
David & Ann Grainger Dina & Julius v. Randow Andrea & Katharina Hess
Julia Miles Mary Donald Hisham Hafiz
Shireen Karrim John & Patricia Ducker Muhammed bin Dohry
Mick Walton Owain & Helen Raw-Rees
Suad al-Juffali Helga & Wolfgang Gaerte Clara Rachel Eybalin
Pius Fischer Christine Gaskell Shafik Rahman
Karl Erik Larsen Sverre Driveklepp Nina Kneppen
Rupert & Linda Wise Stephan & Renate Keller Patricia Loudon
Corinne Hillman Karima Mustafa Gary Mundy
Eva Eriksen Sylvia Berghof Vanya Pantovic
Torbjorn Askevold Elizabeth Ingrams Hanne Schönig
Jiffreya Mahamoor Haya S M al-Azzah Philippa Vaughan
Lord Green of Deddington Margot Reinke Andrew Dawson
Pia Kanaan Paul Hughes-Smith Hamza Mould
Julian Asher Peter & Sandy Ingrams Sarah Aziz
Mumtaz & Samia Khan Simine Alam George Loveday
Rukhsana Rashid Ummul Choudhury Peter & Tempe Mansfield
Sarah Toukan Dr. Iain Walker James Budd
Marianna Siebolds Najla Azzam Christine Maclaren
Peter & Eileen Crichton Muzna al- Andrea Hess
Robert Korn Fatima Casewit Virginia Gray Henry
Julia Sanders Jill Hammans Noor Misbahuddin
Ulla Calvert Andrew Dawson Jim Maxwell
Dr. Spencer Mawby Ravinder Sandhu Zaki Farooq
Stewart J Hawkins Bernard Hawkins Alexander Cumas
Dorothy Cockrell Caroline Dawnay Gail & Roger Partridge
Yvette Cumas Lena Sousa James Molinar
Anthony Boyce Greg Leonard Asfia Siddiqui
Christopher Baker Caroline Montagu Dr. Ulrike Freitag
Katharine Makonie Susan Mears Caroline Montagu
Peter Ratzer Daphne Sanders Alexis de Vivenot
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AlisonShan Price	Peter Danby-Smith	Dr. Qamruddin
Abdullah, Zaida & Yumna Zain	Esah & Loren & Ashraf Razzaque	Alexa Sascha-Lewin & Bradley Rister
Robert Shipman	Seifeldin Usher	Robert Worth
Christopher & Primrose Arnander	Felipe & Leslie Fernandez- Armesto

We would like to offer our profuse thanks to two families in Saudi Arabia who wish to remain anonymous; Brigid & Philip Jacob (Dublin); Beverly & George Valentine (Toronto); Marianna Siebolds (Germany); Peter & Sandy Ingrams (Kent); Tempe & Robert Mansfield (Surrey); Peter & Eileen Crichton (Leicestershire ); Samaan Rahman (Singapore); Shafik Rahman (Yorkshire); Noor Misbahuddin (Essex); Stewart J Hawkins (France); Caroline Dawnay (London); Owain & Helen Raw-Rees (Ealing); Zaki Farooq (Surrey) and the Zain family (Surrey) for their truly generous donations.

Our heartfelt thanks to these Friends who continue to support us through standing orders: Lady Bute, Lord Green of Deddington, J. Lush, E. Whitaker, C. Arnander, T. Petouris, S. H. AlJuffali, Q Rappoport, P & S Ingrams and BA Fyfield-Shayler . We hope other Friends will consider setting up standing orders to help our cause. Comment from a generous donor: Lovely to hear the funds are increasing and will no doubt have an impact, however small.

BRITISH-YEMENI SOCIETY COVID-19 MEETING JUNE 2020

Summary based on notes taken by the treasurer:

A crisis on top of a . Over 1 million have already contracted Covid-19. The whole country has 52 ICU oxygen intensive care unit machines. Cases as extreme as Malaria/Dengue fever are rejected for fear of carriers of Corona. Increase in -19 patients are treated the same way HIV patients were treated in the early 80s. Very few people hold bank accounts so rely on remittances to feed their families. Currency fluctuation terrible. Heavy demand for medical equipment. No foreign currency to support exchange rate for YR. No sources of income for families. No salaries paid. Ramadan paused matters slightly/temporarily due to charitable nature of the month. Issues with humanitarian aid. UN agencies closing programmes and ending funding. WFP need to add self-hygiene products to their rations (there are no sanitisers nor hand-soaps). The extra disaster of Covid-19 seems to have captured the attention of people previously unaware of plight. Health and politics are not unrelated. People have been starving for nearly 6 years.

FOH participants: S & M al-Qu aiti, J Taylor, N Brehony, R Wilson, P Hughes-Smith, A Allfree, J Mason, S Searight, D Bryer, T Petouris, J Firebrace, A Hirtzel, A Espinosa, C Gordon, D Sanders, J Franklin, J Sanders, M Morris.

CAMBRIDGE UNIV. YEMEN SOCIETY (CUYS) COVID-19 MEETING JULY 2020

Summary based on notes taken by the treasurer:

How can we talk about the exact number of deaths from Covid-19 when we can only speculate? Nobody knows how big the problem is. Political instability, lack of accountability and absence of transparency hinder any humanitarian and supportive initiative coming from outside the country.

the people in need rather than speaking about politics and alliances? To do humanitarian work effectively, we need to understand the political dynamics round the areas we are supporting. We must support international Yemeni charities who understand the culture, language and the political dialogue. How about sending money directly to charity workers to buy aid? This is exactly what FOH has been doing over the years!

FOH participants: F Stone, M Bahamdoun, J Sanders, J Courtenay, R Saville, S al-

CUYS CULTURAL HERITAGE MEETING AUGUST 2020

FOH participants: R Wilson, M & S al-Qu aiti, R Trounson, J Taylor, J Franklin, J Firebrace, J Sanders, B Carey, M G Hambley, M Morris.

NEWS OF THE CHAIRMAN

Saleh al-Qu aiti, currently based in Jeddah, was pleased to receive Richard Oppenheim, the newly appointed British Ambassador to Yemen in January 2021. He would be happy to meet anyone passing through: salehbinghalib@hotmail.com

NEWS OF THE VICE-CHAIRMAN

There are simply no words to express our gratitude to Salah al-Qu aiti who has worked tirelessly for 24 years on our behalf on an entirely voluntary basis as our man on the ground; meticulously overseeing our projects; scrupulously managing your donations with every Yemeni Riyal accounted for; leaping into the fray fearlessly during the Corona crisis while selecting, purchasing and delivering items to hospitals, clinics and homes; visiting countless families with medical aid, food items and school supplies; settling bills and travelling long distances for the charity; all this in his usual matter of fact, conscientious, understated manner, operating always with a minimum of fuss.

He visited amer family in May at their mud-brick house built by FOH in 2002-03 (See newsletter #8) in Adaan near Qaudha, Wadi Hadhramaut. The house appeared to be in good condition since its construction 18 years ago where he found the recently widowed mother and her 4 blind daughters Sabah, Safiyya, Afrah and Lubnan in good health. He gave them provisions for Ramadan and asked them to contact him for any medicinal or other needs.

Angeles Espinosa, a Dubai-based El Pais journalist contacted Salah regarding the Covid-19 Carolyn Perry Editor IASA Bulletin, contacted Salah in early 2021 regarding information relating to the Mukalla Museum.

Salah has groomed his two eldest sons to work on behalf of the charity, inculcating in them the same spirit of service to the community which he himself has practiced so nobly. Ali al-Qu aiti helped his father a great deal with the Ramadan distribution of provisions and many other tasks. Salah was instrumental in helping Ali set up al-Mueen Laboratories inaugurated in May and a

brand new pharmacy in September 2020 in al-Qatn. His eldest son Dr. Muhammed al-Qu aiti arranged medical check-ups and house to house calls and discounts for sick people during the pandemic e for the eradication of disease in the areas of al- Editor: Any words of appreciation for these young Hadhrami boys would be much appreciated and passed on.

NEWS OF THE ADVISER

Brian was pleased to be able to attend the Charity Commissioners visit in September 2019. He travelled to Italy in the same month, meeting several Amici in Venice, Padua and Vicenza. He is sorry he can no longer be contacted by phone or by email, but welcomes communications by post: 5 Quant Park Tavistock PL19 OJQ. He would be more than happy to meet up with any FOH visiting the area.

NEWS OF THE TREASURER

Sultana was delighted to meet up with veteran FOH in Riyadh in February, Aisha (Virginia) Gray Henry-Blakemore (Kentucky) and Mary Donald (Philadelphia). Her article on FOH was published in the Jemen-Report thanks to Marie-Christine Heinze and W. Gaerte excellent translation. She participated in a panel at the Lahore Literary Festival in February 2021.

Scotland and to Joanna Ellis from South Arabia (1951-1967). Joanna had bequeathed these precious letters to the Treasurer before her death in 2018. Sultana represented FOH at the online AGM of the DJG in August and at the Annual Public Meeting of the Charity Commission for England and Wales in October, hosted by Baroness Stowell.

In September 1998, veteran FOH Abdullah Zain from Croydon rang the bell of the registered office thinking he may find someone to help him locate the area whence his Hadhrami forebears migrated . There he met Sultan Ghalib al-Qu aiti and eventually Salah al-Qu aiti who took him to Ghurfa, his ancestral homeland in Wadi Hadhramaut. He and his family were overjoyed to meet their relations and their commitment and loyalty to FOH have been astonishing ever since.

Exactly 22 years later, a fortunate stroke of serendipity led Zaki Farooq from Kew Bridge to our Facebook page in similar hopes of discovering his own somewhat nebulous Hadhrami roots, and now he too has become a loyal supporter and hopes to learn where his ancestors hail from.

This must be one of the more moving anecdotes in our 23-year history, where Hadhramis in the UK diaspora have rediscovered the familial origins of their forefathers thanks to a UK registered charity which has nothing to do with Ancestry.com!

NEWS FROM NORWEGIAN BRANCH AND NEW LOCAL COORDINATORS

a very difficult time around the world. May we all come together as citizens of one planet to help in March 2020 as they were planning a trip all the way from California to Oslo, along with 80 other participants from all over the world. A week later, our hosts in Oslo, Sverre Driveklepp and Nina Kneppen along with the trustees decided to cancel due to the prevailing pandemic.

Sverre adds: Having been introduced to FOH in 2018 by Pius Fischer and attending the event in Bonn, we became very aware of the efforts and passion shown by FOH to the people in Hadhramaut. At Cressing Barns last year, we were invited to become the hosts of the 2020 event as well as Local Coordinators which we accepted with great honour and pride. Nina and I are enthusiastic globetrotters. We have not visited Hadhramaut yet but are eager to do so. Nina works in the local community looking after both the young and elderly. I have worked in the IT consulting industry for 35 years as CEO of 3 companies.

Pius Fischer writes from Montenegro: We have no words to thank Sverre and Nina for all the time and trouble they took to organise our unique 2020 event which was to include an opera, a city-tour, a visit to one of the earliest Viking settlements and a dinner at the Grand Hotel, venue of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. We are offered an equally spectacular weekend in May 2022 which we hope many of you will attend .

We are elated to have Sverre and Nina on board as our new Local Coordinators; thank you for your hard work and enthusiasm: sverre.driveklepp@gmail.com

NEWS FROM USA BRANCH AND NEW LOCAL COORDINATOR

We are delighted to welcome John Mulholland (FOH 23.12.97) from Alpharetta, Georgia as our first ever Local Coordinator in the USA. One of the very early FOH, he has graciously accepted to steer this important branch into a more cohesive group, given the vast geographical area our membership covers: Georgia, Maryland, California, Virginia, Texas, New York City, New York State, Massachusetts, Arizona, Kentucky, Utah, Illinois, Washington DC and Washington State.

John is originally from San Francisco and lived in the Arab world for over 2 decades. He obtained his degree in Arabic Studies from Georgetown University and speaks fluent Italian, Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese. He is a past President of the American Businessmen of Jeddah, where he moved to in 1968, and a previous Board Chairman of the National Council on US-Arab Relations. He served as tural Centre, the Alif Institute. He has authored many articles on the Middle East and has spent a great deal of time fostering Arab/US relations through lectures and visits. In Jeddah, John came to know a large group of South Arabian exiles, including many Hadhramis. For the past 20 years he has worked in Latin America where FOH has yet to make inroads. He is married to a Florentine, Gabriella Pellegrini and they have 4 children: jmulholland45@aol.com

NEWS FROM NETHERLANDS BRANCH AND NEW LOCAL COORDINATOR

We are thrilled that Alex Ingrams (FOH 13.3.04) has agreed to serve as our first ever Local Coordinator in the Netherlands, where we have 5 FOH, the very first being the late Helene van der Meulen, widow of the renowned author Daniel van der Meulen. Alex is a cousin of our former patron Leila Ingrams. His parents, Peter and Sandy Ingrams, his aunt Rosalind Ingrams and his cousin Elizabeth Ingrams are all loyal supporters of the charity. Alex is married to Marian and has recently become a proud father to Rosanne.

Alex adds: I am delighted to become the LC for FOH, having visited Hadhramaut on several occasions with my cousin Leila, including a memorable visit to Wadi Hahramaut in 2003 when I enjoyed the hospitality of Salah al-Qu aiti at his home in al-Qatn and saw many FOH projects on the ground. These visits left a deep impression on me. I later taught English in Aden and volunteered for the relief organization Progressio in 2005. I was a student of Middle Eastern Studies at Cambridge University and am currently Assistant Professor of Politics and Public Policy at Leiden University, residing in Utrecht: alex.ingrams@gmail.com

NEWS FROM ITALIAN BRANCH AND NEW LOCAL COORDINATOR

Our warmest congratulations to Mick Walton (FOH 7.10.19) for taking over as LC of this branch from Alessandro Sacchetti in August 2020. We are very grateful to Alessandro for all his efforts on behalf of the Amici and for having set up the branch with the help of Brian Fyfield-Shayler. We look forward to Mick leading the Amici into the next decades.

Message from Salah alent which I have already distributed. The 2 goalkeepers at the club are delighted with the football

Mick adds: Born in Sheffield and educated at High Storrs Grammar School and Christ Church College, Canterbury, I moved to Italy in 1975 to teach English as a foreign language. Since then, I have taught in multi-national businesses, in universities and schools in Italy and Slovenia. I served as a local councillor in Pordenone, where I am now settled and co-founded the Socialmente Utile Football Club and the Pordenone International Cricket Club . I have carried out research into the life and work of Sir Richard Burton, organised a series of international conferences about him and written a book Sir Richard Burton and His Circle .

Thank you Mick for donating your fee for writing an introduction to A Rough Knight for the Queen (Meteor House) to FOH. Mick is inviting FOH to Torquay on 23[rd] October 2021 for a symposium on Sir Richard Burton, who was born there in 1821: mickwalton@libero.it

NEWS FROM GERMAN BRANCH

We are saddened to report the death of Frau Helga Gaerte on April 11[th] 2020. We extend our deep sympathy to her daughter Beatrice (FOH), her grandson Konstantin (FOH) and to our Local Coordinator Wolfgang Gaerte. On her 103[rd] birthday, exactly one month before her demise, she very generously and thoughtfully donated her Ehrengabe from the Oberbürgermeister in

Dusseldorf for the fourth year running to FOH, actually doubling the amount; a remarkable testament to her loyalty. She was following world news until the very end including the ongoing situation in Yemen.

The treasurer would like to thank Wolfgang Gaerte for translating and embellishing her article on FOH and Frau Heinze for including it in the annual journal of the Deutsche-Jemenitische Gesellschaft(DJG), Jemen-Report :

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=174817cbde&attid=0.1.1&permmsgid=msgf:1688307186470340833&th=176e1270e94dc8e1&view=att&disp=inline. Sultana joined the LC, Ruth Hildebrandt and Dr. Hanne Schönig in the Zoom AGM of the DJG in August and noted the growing cooperation between the two societies. The DJG will celebrate its 50[th] Anniversary in Nuremberg on 7-8 May 2021: w.gaerte@yahoo.com

NEWS FROM FRENCH BRANCH

Our Local Coordinator Maija Calvert continues to support J-M Bel who promotes FOH at all levels throughout France. J-M Bel gave a lecture on Theodore Monod in Lourmarin in September, attended by FOH Dr. Willi Steul: maijacalvert@gmail.com

J-M Bel with Willi Steul

NEWS FROM SINGAPORE BRANCH

In December 2019, Anisah Aidid, who works at the Singapore Art Museum, and whose parents like her are FOH, accompanied a group of 40 Hadhrami ladies to Seiyun. She was impressed how peaceful Hadhramaut was in spite of the prevailing situation and was very pleased to visit the land of her forefathers including Aideed in Tarim where she hails from. The tiring and difficult part of her journey was the 18-hour bus drive from Seiyun to Salalah on very bad roads. The Arab Network in Singapore (President: Khadijah al-Attas; Vice-President FOH Farah Bahajaj: fabjajrp@gmail.com) which includes several FOH including Muhammed Bin Dohry launched a Covid-19 appeal for Hadhramaut in June which generated a lot of support, the result of which was air-freighting protective essentials and medicines to Mukalla, Seiyun and Tareem via Oman. Here is an interesting video about the Hadhrami community in Singapore: https://youtu.be/pTiUjh6kowI

NEWS FROM CANADIAN BRANCH

On July 11[th] , Sandy Cumas had planned a BBQ followed by a friendly baseball game at the Centennial Park in Montreal as the annual FOH fund-raiser which sadly had to be postponed. His sincere efforts in promoting FOH at all levels are much appreciated. We thank renowned epidemiologist Dr. James Allan for the selfless work he put in on the front lines in treating Corona patients at his hospital in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec: firetexion@gmail.com

WANTED

We are looking for a Local Coordinator for Australia.

BILL HEBER-PERCY

Our deepest sympathy to Robin and Peter on the death of their father Bill Heber-Percy OBE (FOH 5.5.97) in Powys on August 2[nd] 2020. Bill was a founder member of the British-Yemeni Society in 1992. He served with distinction in Aden and the Western Aden Protectorate as a political officer with the Colonial Office. We are delighted that his daughter Robin has taken up his membership.

personal modesty. We had both served in the Welsh Guards and been members of two of John stalwart and

the new Federal Government. He knew the Aden Protectorate particularly well as a political officer of long standing. As the Protectorates were short of Arabic-speaking officers and due to the impending departure of the British from the area, I volunteered my services to him and was

Patricia Aithie remembers: It was after the inauguration of the BYS in 1993 that Charles and I first met Bill for lunch in Cardiff Bay. We were on our way to visit members of the local Yemeni community to see if they would help with an event featuring a visiting music group. Everyone made an extra effort, instinctively sensing Bills commitment to promoting all things Yemeni. He encouraged a Welshopened in the Norwegian Church by Rhodri Morgan, the First Minister of Wales. He was always convivial and courteous, a great listener, an astute motivator, and optimistic by nature. When he heard raising funds to send aid to Yemen, he immediately drove down ve, with a bundle of clothes for the relief effort. Bill formative years of his career in South Arabia. He occasionally used Arabic, loved pithy sayings, limericks and jokes and had an impish sense of humour, especially when it involved something mischievous. Following a visit to Soqotra in 2005 he raised funds to help improve the medical facilities on the island and brought a doctor to Liverpool University for further training. His endearing smile and infectious enthusiasm will be sadly missed.

Bill inspecting fishing nets at a village in Soqotra, 2005 (Credit Charles Aithie)

CONDOLENCES

In memory of Oliver Miles (See Newsletter #23) we would like to add a tribute from Sir Harold Diplomatic Service Arab

Our deepest sympathy to Dr Ingrid Galal and her family on the death of her mother Frau Heckel in Duisburg aged 95 in April 2019

Our deepest sympathy to the family of Trinidadian-born Jocelyn Cecilia Orchard (FOH 22.1.99), a loyal supporter of FOH, who died in Birmingham in August 2019. She was a specialist in the archaeology of the Ancient Near East and a unique figure in her field. In the 1960s, she assisted in the Department of Antiquities in Aden and it was while working with the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, that she met Jeffrey Orchard (d. 2016), then the Assistant Director. In 1980, they began their annual surveys of the Hajar Oasis Towns in Oman. Jocelyn was particularly intrigued, following from her keen interest in the archaeology of Yemen, by the possibility of structures buried in wadi sediments and in a greater understanding of the use of aflaj (groundwater-fed sub-surface to surface irrigation systems). All her efforts in her last days were focused on the successful creation and endowment of The Cecilia Orchard Research Trust

Our deepest sympathy to Rukhsana Rashid on the death of her husband Siddiq Ali Khan in Islamabad on 2[nd] November 2019 and to their son Mehryar Ali Khan

Our deepest sympathy to the family of Colonel Peter F. Walter MBE (FOH 8.5.15) who died in Alderney, the Channel Islands in 2019. His how much he enjoyed reading your

Col. Walter at the Great Wall of China

Our deepest sympathy to Nina Kneppen (LC Norway) on the death of her father Roar Kristoffersen who died on his 77th birthday on 13[th] November 2019 in Oslo

Our deepest sympathy to the family of Lady Maureen Wilton , wife of the late Sir John Wilton, former Deputy High Commissioner in Aden and HMA to Saudi Arabia (1966-67) who passed away in November 2019 in Chichester. Although not a subscribed FOH, her husband was very helpful in garnering support for the Sultanic Library in Mukalla

Our deepest sympathy to Virginia Wright and her family on the death of her beloved husband Patrick, Lord Wright of Richmond (FOH 3.11.00) on 6[th] March 2020. He served as HM Ambassador to Luxembourg, Syria, Saudi Arabia and was Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign Office for the last five years of his career in the Diplomatic Service. Our late Patron Joanna Ellis befriended the Wrights when they were all working at the British Embassy in Beirut ded her funeral in 2018 in Betchworth, being her oldest

friends in the congregation. Joanna loved staying with them at their home near Richmond Park. Friends may be interested in memoir Behind Diplomatic Lines: Relations with Ministers (2018)

Our deepest sympathy to Zeenut Ziad on the death of her brother Sahibzada Ajaz Anis in Karachi on 21[st] March 2020

Our deepest sympathy to Humayra Khan and her family on the death of her husband Fuad Nahdi in London on 21[st] March 2020 (26 Rajab 1441H). Fuad was an extremely kind, compassionate and generous human being and will be remembered for his sharp intellect, innate good heart and wonderful sense of humour. After he founded Q News in 1992 for British Muslims, he gave FOH free advertising space in his newspaper for months on end throughout our early days when we wanted to reach out to the British Muslim community. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude

Our deepest sympathy to Angeles Espinosa on the death of her father Gabino Espinosa Benito who died in Burgos on 31[st] March 2020

Our deepest sympathy to Roger and Gail Partridge on the death in April in London of their friend Hugh Saffery who accompanied us to the Hadhramaut in 2005

Our deepest sympathy to Jiffreya and her family on the death of her husband Husair Mahamoor on 11[th] April 2020 in Croydon and gratitude for their continued support of FOH

Our deepest sympathy to Wolfgang (LC Germany) and Beatrice Gaerte on the death of their beloved mother Frau Helga Gaerte peacefully at home in Dusseldorf on 11[th] April aged 103. Please see News from German Branch

Our deepest sympathy to Yahya Stone in Chicago on the death of his mother Ursula Stone (nee Koch) on 11th April, 2020 aged 92 and to Mahmud Rasch in Germany. She was one of the first female lawyers to qualify in England, establishing a legal firm in Richmond, Surrey which still bears her name

Our deepest sympathy to Muhammad Bin-Dohry on the death of his elder brother Salim Mbarak Bin-Dohry on 19[th] May 2020 in Mukalla. Salim Bin-Dohry had worked with the Eastern Bank, Mukalla since 1962, then the National Commercial Bank and was appointed General Manager of the Central Bank of Yemen (Hadhramaut) until his retirement. He later set up the first branch of the International Bank of Yemen (Mukalla)

Our deepest sympathy to Salman Binladin, his wife Aisha and her mother Lyutha al-Mughairy on the death of his father-in-law Miles Stoby (Assistant UN Secretary-General) on 19[th ] May 2020 in Muscat

Our deepest sympathy to Syed Hassan al-Attas, Imam of the Ba Alawi mosque in Singapore, on the death of his kinsmen Syed Ali Al Mashoor bin Muhammed bin Salim bin Hafeedh in Tarim on 26[th] May 2020 and Syed Alawi bin Abu Bakr al-Haddad in Makkah on 21[st] August 2020

Our deepest sympathy to Ron and the family of Valma Streatfield (FOH 29.9.97) who died at home in Sulhamstead on June 10[th] 2020 aged 88. Valma was the best music teacher of her generation. We are delighted that her daughter Katrina who lives in Perth has taken up her membership

Our deepest sympathy to Salah al-Qu aiti and family on the death of his father-in-law Faisal alHadhrami in al-Qatn in July 2020

Our deepest sympathy to Group Captain John Horrell and family on the death of his beloved wife Barbara (FOH 26.2.97) on July 5[th] just short of her 94[th] birthday in Wiltshire. Recalling his acquaintance with her stretching over 5 decades, Sultan Ghalib al-Qu aiti adds: She was one of the kindest, morally upright, understanding, sympathetic, soft-spoken, generous and hospitable ladies one could ever meet

Our deepest sympathy to the family of James Nash who died in August 2020 and to our three patrons who knew him well. Although not a subscribed FOH, he was a regular attendee at our events and a supporter of our cause

Our deepest sympathy to Jean-Marc Rouquette and Laurence on the death of her mother Colette Bonillo in August 2020 in Montpellier

Our deepest sympathy to Begum Rafath Jehan Hai on the death of her husband Brigadier Khutub Abdul Hai (FOH 12.9.18) in Delhi on 26[th] November 2020 and her aunt Begum Sabiha Hussain in London in April 2020 aged 96

Our deepest sympathy to our webmaster Huraiby al-Huraiby and family on the death of his brother Abdullah Faisal el-Huraiby (FOH 3.2.05) who died in London on 12[th] January 2021

Our deepest condolences to Martin White on the death of his wife for 64 years Patricia White (FOH 18.5.98) on 21st January 2021 in Farnham at the age of 92

Our deepest condolences to Samia El-Moslimany on the death of her mother Ann Paxton ElMoslimany in Seattle on 25[th] January 2021. Several FOH were able to attend her virtual funeral and burial. She started the first Islamic School in Seattle

Our deepest sympathy to Nariman Abbas on the death of her son Fady Adel Hilal in Cairo on 26[th] January 2021 and to his wife and family

Our deepest condolences to Sabiha Omar on the death of her cousin Jamshid Omar in Karachi on 27[th] January 2021

THANKS

The annual newsletter gives us an opportunity to personally thank those Friends and others who have helped FOH in so many different ways. We apologise to those whose names may have been inadvertently left out

Dr. Muhammad Salah al-Qu aiti for helping FOH launch our Covid-19 appeal and for treating patients for free at his home in al-Qatn during the pandemic

Ulla Calvert for donating scented lavender bags for sale at our events

Julia Miles for donating what she would have spent on Xmas cards and postage (2019) to FOH

Rukhsana Rashid & Muzna al- for editing and producing this newsletter

Barbara Schumacher (DJG) on her liaising between the German-Yemeni Society and FOH

Marie-Christine Heinze on sending FOH a copy of the Jemen-Report , the magazine of the German-Yemeni Society (DJG), and for including an article on FOH by Sultana al-Qu aiti

Wolfgang Gaerte for great assistance to the treasurer with an article she wrote for the JemenReport (DJG) and for liaising with Marie-Christine Heinze

Atiqa Ali (USA), Rukhsana Rashid (Pakistan), Raziff al-Juneid (Singapore), Fatima & Saleh alCaroline Montagu, & Abdul Latif Salazar (UK) for posting newsletters & fliers

Muhammad Awadh BaHumeid for all his help in assisting the Vice-Chairman in al-Shihr Directorate

Geoff Calvert OBE for auditing our Annual Accounts, advising the trustees on the Charity Commissioners meeting and invaluable guidance

Huraiby al-Huraiby , our webmaster, who continues to update our website assiduously

Patricia Aithie on gifting a painting to FOH

Caroline Sandwich , trustee of the Saudi British Society, for kindly bringing our Covid appeal to publicising it amongst SBS members

Sverre Driveklepp for translating our subscription flier into Norwegian

David & Ann Grainger & Prof. VA Gorshkov Cantacuzene for sending electronic Christmas donations to FOH

Kim Michelle-Broderick for adding our Oslo event to her website

Pius Fischer for introducing Sverre Driveklepp and Nina Kneppen to FOH

Johan Hugo account A Winter in Arabia to FOH

Alessandro Sacchetti for having set up Amici dell Hadhramaut in 2007 as its first Local Coordinator Italy

Dr. Anne K. Bang (Bergen University) for agreeing to be our key-note speaker in Oslo in 2020, given her important scholarship on the influence of Hadhramaut in East Africa in terms of migration but especially in the field of intellectual and religious leadership. Her presentation was to be on the Riyada mosque in Lamu, modeled on its namesake in Seiyun illustrating the result of long-standing and still ongoing connections with the Hadhramaut

Dr. Ulrike Freitag for putting FOH in touch with Dr. A K Bang

Eva Bekkelund-Eriksen for offering to take us on a tour to the historic Viking area of Hole

Gail Partridge for donating her fee for conducting a funeral to our Covid Appeal

Fatima al-Qu aiti for running the registered office during the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst her own job took up so much of her time, and for dealing with phone calls, mail, banking and general administration

Maija Calvert for managing and updating our Facebook page which has just over 100 followers

Yahya Stone for donating 3 framed painted Kufic calligrams and helping LC USA

CONGRATULATIONS

Francis Witts on the publication in May 2020 of Volume 10, a 1500-page index of The Complete Diary of a Cotswold Parson, the culmination of 45 years work

Clara Semple on her lecture to the Anglo-Omani Society on The Story of a Much-Travelled Coin in January 2020

Ambassador Ron Neumann on continuing as President of the American Academy of Diplomacy

Princess Maha Muhammad al-Faisal on organising an exhibition celebrating the centenary of in London (December 2019)

Dr. Ulrike Freitag on the publication of her recent book A History of Jeddah: The Gate to Mecca in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century (CUP March 2020)

Gerhard Heck on the reprint of his travel books Arabische Halbinsel, Oman and Dubai

Mark & Carol Blackett-Ord on the birth of their granddaughter Sophie to Elinor in July 2019 and on the birth of twins to Katherine in February 2020

Sir William & Lady Patey on the birth of their granddaughter Imogen Mary in August 2020 he Saudi-British Society

Renaud Detalle on his recent appointment to from where he hopes to visit the Hadhramaut and catch up with Salah al-Quaiti whom he last met in 1996

Alia Komsany on the completion of her DPhil in Medical Sciences from Oxford University and her membership of the Saudi Rowing Federation and the New York Athletic Rowing Club

Ali Salah al-Qu aiti on his nomination as Chairman of a supervisory Committee on the Prevalence of Elevated Liver Enzymes at Hadhramaut University, al-Mukalla in 2019 and on opening alLaboratory next to al-Qatn hospital in April and a pharmacy in September 2020

Yahya Stone on his move from Kuala Lumpur to Chicago where his son Zakarias is attending the University of Illinois

Dr. Razia Sultanova on her lecture Feminine Soundscapes from Muslims in Central Asia to the Cambridge Muslim College in February

Christine Dayananda on the birth of her fourth grandchild in Colombo

Hamid Ismailov on his appointment as Director of the Central Asian Service, Radio Free Europe in Prague

Prof. VA Gorshkov Cantacuzene on being the first Friend to buy a FOH badge

Dr. Jeremy Jones on his talk in April to the Anglo-Omani Society The Good Neighbour: A Commemorative Lecture on the Life of Sultan Qaboos

Samia Rehan Khan on the birth of her granddaughter Haniya Syra in Boston in April

Dr. James Allan on his marriage to Elisabeth Ricci in October 2019

Dr. Lulwa Mukharesh for working on the frontline against Covid-19 at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and her sister Dr. Lana Mukharesh at the in Washington DC

Dr. Thanos Petouris on chairing the workshop Perspectives on Civil Society in South Yemen in November 2019 at the Arab British Chamber of Commerce Aden and the Western Aden Protectorates

Pascal Maréchaux on digitising his entire Photothèque and safeguarding his collection of images on Yemen for posterity

Lorna Branczik for prodigious output making PPE items for NHS and other key workers

Emma Clark who designed the Islamic gardens at the Cambridge Central Mosque, on her presentation in May 2020: https://youtu.be/DcQrcvG6P7k

RAF on his 90th birthday in May 2020

James Firebrace on his appointment as Chair of the British ~~Y~~ emeni Society in May 2020 and on his letter to The Times (3.6.20) highlighting the need to combat Covid-19 in Yemen

Dr. Noel Brehony on his talk to the Royal Society for Asian Affairs on Yemen in May 2020

Michael Sayer on the recent publication of his magisterial Nobles and Nobilities of Europe: a History of Structures, Law and Institutions (Bloomsbury Academic)

Dr. D A Agius (Exeter University) on his talk Cultures of the Red Sea to KAUST, Jeddah in June 2020

Caroline Islam on the marriage of her son Mishal in Jeddah in June 2020

Alex Ingrams on the birth of his daughter Rosanne in May 2020 and on his appointment as a lecturer at Leiden University

Dr. Spencer Mawby from the History Department, Nottingham University on his new book The End of Empire in Uganda: Decolonization and Institutional Conflict (Bloomsbury Academic)

granddaughters Tiffany (a doctor at Glasgow Hospital) and Kirsty (a nurse at -19

Shahnaz Chinoy Taplin on her husband new verse translation of Oresteia , published in 2018 and an appreciative review in the Times Literary Supplement (March 2019)

Bernard Hawkins on the marriage of his daughter Rachel to Jai in Australia in July 2020

Roger Felber on the publication of his book No Obligation to Brexit (Grosvenor House 2019)

Alison Shan Price MBE FRGS on her forthcoming Masters at Swansea University on British Female Arabists and their Contribution in the Middle East 1914-45 in which she is include Doreen Ingrams,

Clara Rachel Eybalin Casseus on her new publication jointly with Makerere University, Uganda and Alexandria University, Egypt Memory, Conflicts, Disasters and the Geopolitics of the Displaced (July 2020)

Nazar & Karima Mustafa on the birth of their granddaughter Sophie in March 2020 and on th birthday in October 2020

Dina von Randow on her new teaching appointment at the Frankfurt School for Finance and Management

Francois Burgat on the publication of his recent book C slam politique Une trajectoire de -2016)

Dr. Hatoon al-Fasi on her appointment as an honorary fellow with the Department of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Manchester and on her lecture Arab Women in Legends and Popular Literature in October 2020

Henrietta Egerton & Haseef on the birth of their baby daughter in October 2020 in Cambridge

Dr. Robert Elgood on the publication of his recent book The Maharaja of Jodhpur's Guns

Jenifer Courtenay Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration

Dr. Shaheen Khattak on being mentioned in Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History Volume 17. Britain, the Netherlands and Scandinavia (1800-1914)

Carolyn Perry on her recent appointment as Editor of the Bulletin of the International Association for the Study of Arabia

Haney & Amirah Saadah on the birth of their baby daughter Sophie in London in January 2021

Sultan Ghalib al-Quaiti on the publication of his book Fair Play or Poisoned Chalice: A (Darf 2021) Dr Vitaly Naumkin from the Russian Academy of Sciences on his talk Russia and the Arab Uprisings to the Middle East Centre at St.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

The 91-year old former Sultan of Zanzibar, Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah was granted his request to retire to Oman in September. His step-aunt, the Sayyida Amal bint Khalifa bin Harub alSaid (FOH 23.9.97, D 4.3.01), was the daughter of Sultan Sir Khalifa bin Harub, ruler of Zanzibar (1911-1960)

Arabia Felix is a new non-profit organisation operating from Lucerne, Switzerland

Dr. Harub Muhammed al-Kharusi from Oman joined FOH this year. His father, the late Syed Muhammad al-Kharusi served in the Hadhramaut for 21 years as Assistant Adviser Northern Deserts

Jose-Marie Bel organised an exhibition Socotra Mon Amour in conjunction with the Embassy of Yemen in Paris in 2020: www.espacereinedesaba.com

Thomas Padmanabhan Sketchbook from Yemen , September 1993: I was mesmerised by the Hadhramaut. From here we stumbled literally from one magical place to the next. Sketching throughout the trip, I felt a strange paradox which has stayed with me ever since. I finally came to understand that the reason why I would like to support the work done by FOH is deeply personal. When I was traveling in Hadhramaut as a young man, I experienced a never ending outpouring of Arab hospitality that, at the time, I thought I would never be able to repay. Literally every night, my travel companion and I were invited into the home of strangers. We had long conversations over dinner, often with the children helping as interpreters. While I will never be able to repay their hospitality, supporting FOH gives me the opportunity to return something in these difficult times https://drawingmatter.org/architect/padmanabhan-thomas/

Alexis de Vivenot recently completed his MPhil. at Cambridge University. He had hitched a ride to Socotra from Mukalla on a cement carrying cargo ship crewed entirely by Gujerati sailors from Jamnagar and has sent us his photographs of Hadhramaut: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1R0lI9ITDK6vgkEGWohlehbFgqIDVrjc0?usp=sharing Dr. Jean Lambert organised a conference in July 2019 in Dar al-Opera, Cairo with the Ministry of Culture, Yemen on the Dan Sung Poetry of Hadhramaut and hopes to continue this international cooperation

Alison Shan Price One World Actors Centre in Kuwait and for each performance, a donation is given to children in need

Jean-Francois Breton published La guerre en Arabie antique (Geuthener, Paris 2019) including historical and archaeological articles on Shabwa and ancient Hadhramaut. He organised the Rencontres Sabèennes in June 2018 in Paris

Asma Ibrahim on setting up the Cambridge University Yemen Society and inviting Dr. N . Brehony & M. Bin-Dohry to speak at a seminar on Hadhramaut: Home to Shibam The Manhattan of the Desert

Oliver Miles RIP had written a chapter on his time in Socotra in a new book titled Departure from Aden and South Arabia: Without Glory but Without Disaster, edited by Dr. Noel Brehony and Clive Jones (Gerlach Press) with contributions from John Ducker , John Harding and Thanos Petouris . we hope to have details of fairly soon

sister Ruth Hildebrandt was appointed treasurer of the German-Yemeni Society in August 2020

Claire Hardy-Guilbert has alerted us to an Arabic version of éologie: https://books.openedition.org/cefas/746 an Djedda Patrimoine Mondial, Archives Francaises Commentées

Mick Walton has written the Introduction to A Rough Knight for the Queen by Philip José Farmer, a biography of Sir Richard Francis Burton (edited by Paul Spiteri, Meteor House); he is organising the 4[th] Burton conference in Torquay on 23[rd] October 2021: mickwalton@libero.it

Virginia Gray Henry-Blakemore , Director, Fons Vitae Publishing and Distribution on writing and producing Book Sets : https://bit.ly/2SC8uBD

James Firebrace, Paul Hughes-Smith & Karen Dabrowska asked Nawal al-Maghafi questions about Yemen at a CAABU Zoom meeting in May. Doreen Ingrams, our first patron, was a founder member of The Council for Arab-British Understanding

Cliff Lord s forthcoming book on the military forces of the Gulf States and South Arabia (Vol.4) will be published in 2021 in the Helion series of The Middle East at War books: "I often think of my time in Aden and especially Mukalla here in the Manawatu, New Zealand"

The Friends of Socotra held their virtual AGM in Brno, Czech Republic in September 2020 Tom Stacey has recorded 14 of his long-short stories (already published over the last few decades) as audiobooks: https://tomstacey.com/about/

Karen Dabrowska has been appointed Secretary of Friends of South Yemen (FOSY) set up in July 2020

Kim Michelle Broderick of the French Nonprofit One World Actors Productions Animals Rescue (www.oneworldactorsanimalrescues.org), a collective of passionate volunteers committed to furthering animal welfare across the globe, is the only animal welfare group in all of Yemen. She is delighted to be in touch with our new FOH Susan Mears who breeds Arabian horses in Warwickshire

Carolyn Perry has posted a notice regarding the Mukalla Museum Project (the former palace of to document its collections in the IASA Bulletin

Robert Worth Contributing Writer, The New York Times Magazine, is working on his forthcoming book about Aden in the 1960-70s, the final years of the British presence and the first decade of the Marxist regime

Peter Danby-Smith's collection of 100 books on T E Lawrence assembled over 60 years were sold by Bernard Quaritch Ltd in 2015. The treasurer noted this whilst attending a symposium on W D Hogarth hosted by Magdalen College Oxford in January 2021

Marion Serjeant & Ron Leslie have moved from Cambridgeshire to Nova Scotia in 2020

Chris Baker has retired as Librarian at The Energy Institute, London

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

We welcome comments, suggestions and contributions and reserve the right to edit any material submitted to: hadhramaut@btinternet.com

The password for reading newsletters on our website: frankincense

14 new Friends joined in 2020 from Oman, Kuwait, Norway, France, Pakistan, UK and USA.

FOH Current Membership

----- Start of picture text -----
Country Number Country Number
United Kingdom 301 The Netherlands 4
United States of America 36 Spain 3
France 32 Australia 3
Germany 31 Belgium 3
Saudi Arabia 28 Montenegro 3
Canada 28 Russia 3
Italy 24 Barbados 2
Singapore 13 Denmark 1
Pakistan 11 Iran 1
United Arab Emirates 9 Oman 1
India 8 Jordan 1
Switzerland 5 Qatar 1
Norway 5 Sudan 1
Austria 4 Kuwait 1
Egypt 4
----- End of picture text -----

Readers Comments on Newsletter 23

The Channel Islands, Alderney:

I hope that FOH continues with its good work for many years to come Scotland:

Your team does admirable work in a desperate situation You are doing wonderful work .what good use and a difference you are making with donations

Wales:

London:

amazing what FOH does The newsletter is excellent and interesting

altruistic community Huge admiration for your work in Hadhramaut

Cambridgeshire:

Having looked at your work, I have been very impressed by FOH What a wonderfully interesting newsletter

Essex:

Congratulations! Deep respect for your energies in this ongoing charitable endeavour. Thank you so much for taking us to such magical places in 2007 and giving us lifelong memories.

Oxfordshire:

read of the help you have been a player in all this

Hampshire:

Warwickshire:

The unfolding tragedy in Yemen is so heart-

Sunderland:

It is humbling to read of the projects that are still in operation in spite of the terrible situation. We give thanks to Salah for all his hard work under the most difficult conditions.

Yorkshire:

Devon:

Very best congratulations to all concerned in getting out such a superb newsletter. Excellent content, fabulous crystal-clear photos and all produced with great economy
Gloucestershire:
Very well done for such a super newsletter
The work you all do in Hadhramaut is truly extraordinary

Laatzen:

What an incredible work

Dusseldorf:

den neuesten Newsletter, zu dessen schier frappierenden Umsang und Inhalt ich Sie nochmals sehr gratuliere

Salzatal-Pfützthal:

Das Land hat uns so viel gegeben, da sind unsere Spenden nur Kleinigkeiten Bavaria:

successful year

Berlin:

We are very glad that Salah is responsible for the monies disbursed, making sure it goes to the right places and meets the true needs of the Hadhrami people So very impressed by the work you continue to do in Hadhramaut Madrid: Thank you for keeping me posted on FOH activities. I truly enjoyed going through the newsletter Almeria: Enjoyed latest newsletter greatly with so much information about the great work FOH continues to do. The people of Hadhramaut need all the help they can get

Nimes:

Congratulations on your continuing efforts in the Hadhramaut

Colombo:

It is so impressive to see the different venues you have around the world

Washington DC:

What an amazing and complete report of the good work FOH does. Congratulations! Best wishes for another successful year for FOH Ottawa:

I do admire the constant work you do to help the Hadhramaut. You deserve every success Norway: I am most impressed by your newsletter, your courageous work, vitality and ability to reach out to so many people all over the world.

Abu Dhabi:

	We are very proud of all your hard work
Kuwait:
	I am humbled by the incredibly interesting work of FOH	especially your work
	supporting blind people. What an honour to be part of this charity and to follow such a
	great lady as the late Jehan Rajab, who did so much to support	the charity in its early
	stages
Cairo:

FOH are doing a fantastic job for the people who have been going through years and years of hardship

ARCHIVE ON HADHRAMAUT

We ask Friends to contribute short articles for this section

Jim Maxwell RAF Riyan 1960

FOH is prone to some amazing coincidences amongst our membership but none more so than our patron John Harding having signed a British passport 6 decades ago on behalf of the Resident Adviser and British Agent Alastair McIntosh for Jim Maxwell, who arrived in May 1960 at Riyan for a 12-month tour of duty as a radar technician. Jim writes:

My memories of this visit were re-awakened when I realised that April was the 60th anniversary of setting sail from Southampton for Aden. On one occasion, we were observed flying model aircraft by a young man and his tutor. We understood that this young man was a prince (later confirmed by Sultan Ghalib al-Qu aiti to be himself aged 12) although no introductions were made. The tutor thought that building model aircraft was a suitable hobby for the prince. The highlight of my tour was the journey to Wadi Hadhramaut. We stayed at the house of Donald Guthrie, the Scottish engineer in charge of the Hadhramaut Pump Scheme (see below). I also flew up to Thamud (in the Empty Quarter) in a Twin Pioneer (2 engines 12 seats 100mph) to measure the runway with a 30-foot piece of string! Fortunately, a vehicle from the HBL (Hadhrami Beduin Legion) arrived and we checked it on the milometer. It was a mile and a quarter.

There were no aircraft stationed at Riyan as the RAF was there to operate the airfield as a staging post between Aden and the Persian Gulf so we did not have any pilots. However, our Commanding Officer, Flight Lieutenant Deacon was a pilot and flying instructor and was there as an administrator. (Salalah was the next airfield after Riyan on the Arabian Sea). When I first learnt that I was posted to RAF Riyan, I had to apply for a passport. I was then told that as I was going by ship, I did not need a passport. Some three months before I was due to fly home, I presented my documents at the Residency in Mukalla and so acquired my first passport.

Sir Antonin Besse KBE (1877-1951)

Born in Carcassonne, the family moved to Montpellier in 1884. Having served in the French Army, he settled in Aden where he spent most of his adult life. St. Anthony's College, Oxford was established in 1950 as a result of a large donation he made to the university. His company A. Besse & Co. (Aden) Ltd. was the agent for many insurance, airlines and shipping companies, including Royal Dutch Shell. He was also active in shipbuilding and was the first to install a diesel engine on local dhows in 1936 in Aden. When Besse traveled to Mukalla on a dhow, the journey was slow and uncomfortable, prompting him to establish an airline company in 1936 with a capital of £5000, dubbed Arabian Airways. The fleet consisted of 2 small planes, each with a capacity of 4 seats. His idea was to connect the port city of Aden and the Hadhramaut region but one of the planes crashed after one year of operation and replaced by another; then the second plane crashed at Tarim airport in 1938. Due to these losses, he decided to close the company in 1939.

Husn Tubala near al-Shihr 1874/1291H: Architectural Titbits

lb (z iziphus spina christi ) wood was used for repairing the roof and date palm stalks were varnished with a white nylon paste to prevent water seepage.

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After

Reminiscences from Joanna Ellis

Joanna Ellis cousin Tim Rice very kindly lent Sultana a treasure trove of letters written to her parents in Dover from Hadhramaut 1962-1967! Apart from mentioning our patrons John and Patricia Ducker, Phillip Allfree, author of Hawks of the Hadhramaut (late husband of FOH Audrey Allfree), Tim Wren, manager of the Eastern Bank, Seiyun (late husband of FOH Heather Davidson), the late Oliver Miles and John Shipman, the parents of FOH Rupert Wise, Willie and Janet Wise, his uncle Sir Kennedy Trevaskis, the parents of FOH Andrew Dawson, Vera and Gordon Dawson and FOH Lady Wright of Richmond, she mentions a fascinating expedition to Socotra led by a great FOH, the late Lt. Col. Peter G. Boxhall.

25[th] January 1967, The Wireless House, Hadibu, Socotra

"In March a big expedition of 35 people, are coming to Socotra. It is under the auspices of the Commander-in-Chief (General Willoughby) and mainly small civilian parties coming to study the geography, flora and fauna, climate, geography, sociology and archaeology for various learned institutions. They will stay 3 months and should have a most interesting time. The expedition's leader and administrator is Major Peter Boxhall. He stayed Monday night with us in Mukalla and flew out here for the day on Tuesday". Lt. Col. Peter G Boxhall died in September 2002 in South Devon after a brave battle with cancer. He was one of our ear the Shihr Clinic in 1999. Due to his generosity, approximately £3,000 worth of medicines were distributed in the Shihr area by Salah. In 2002, Lt. Col. Boxhall donated £10,000 to help the BaKatheer Primary School, located in an impoverished area in Qaa Aal-Awadh, Reidat al-Juhiyyin, about 45 kms off the main SeiyunMukalla road on the jol. FOH built 3 extra classrooms in addition to the 5 existing ones, thus enabling 280 boys and girls to continue their studies till 8th grade. Two lavatories and a verandah were also built. Sadly, Lt. Col. Boxhall did not live to see his worthy benefaction. A plaque was placed in his memory at the school, in recognition of his most generous contribution to education and to remind the villagers of this most benevolent Englishman who lived half way across the world.

12[th] July 1967, The Residency, Mukalla

"I have just been to the Beduin Girls School for a tea party in honour of the two blind girls (about 38 & 33!) who live there on charity. About 6 months ago a young blind Mukalla man returned home after doing a teacher's course. He now runs a Club for the Blind (men of course!) and teaches them basketwork, knitting on frames and Braille. Once a week he goes to the Girls

School and teaches our two Braille. He says they are doing very well and the party was to encourage them after half a year's work. It went off very well----speeches, presentations, recitations!".

Al-Noor Institute for the Blind, founded in 1963, was adopted as our priority project at our very first meeting of trustees in January in 1997. It is touching to note that our two former patrons, Joanna Ellis and Doreen Ingrams, had so much to do with the blind. The blind school was founded during the reign of Sultan Saleh al-Qu aiti under his patronage and during the 1950s was housed in Al-Noor mosque in the al-Haara district. Prior to that, Harold Ingrams had asked Sultan Saleh if a room in the Residency where he and our first patron Doreen Ingrams were living might be used for the blind school. Many blind and crippled children poured in and were taught how to make baskets, mats, rope and brooms. After the dreadful famine of 1943, the blind school was moved to Dis.

Jim Ellis Letters

These extracts are from letters which Jim Ellis wrote to his wife Joanna Ellis and to his parents in Scotland whilst he was serving in South Arabia 1952-1967.

The Hadhramaut Pump Scheme 1960

The Hadhramaut Pump Scheme (HPS) is the biggest engineering outfit in South Arabia outside

for all the lucrative agencies for motor spares by by-passing them and purchasing direct from the original part manufacturers rather than the vehicle builders. It was set up under government subsidy in 1949 to sell and maintain and repair diesel engines and pumping sets to encourage Wadi Hadhramaut to rebuild its famine-stricken agriculture. It was originally run with a Political Officer in overall charge and a German (ex POW Palestinian born) engineer in charge of the workshop. It ran on a government style budget, so had not a hope of paying its way. The German decided in 1956 that it was time he went home to open up his own workshop so we got a replacement, a Scot Donald Guthrie (who had been in the Middle East since the Eighth Army), a very able engineer who

. He took it as a gross affront that the pl pretty successful until, with the cessation of oil exploration in the desert, there was a run-down in the truck business.

The Smithsonian Archaeological Expedition 1962

The leader of the expedition is Dr. Gus van Beek. Father Albert Jamme, a Belgian, is a professor of epigraphy at the Catholic University of Washington DC. Also in the party are Glyn Cole, Hamza Luqman, historian, Aden politician and assistant editor of the Aden Chronicle, Abdul Rauf BaRahim, my Junior Assistant Adviser, son of a Mukalla merchant and Nasroon, a Tunisian born in Algiers, brought up in France, one-time steward on the MM Lines, jumped ship at Jibuti in 1935 and for the last ten years Saiun agent for Shell and also agent for the Smithsonian chaps!

Dr. Jamme is a Himyaritic specialist. Recently he found some graffiti north of Qassam in the Eastern Hadhramaut in a script called Thamudic, of which specimens had only previously been formed north of Najran. In the mountain areas between the Hadhramaut and the sand desert, there are to be found in many places groups, lines and sometimes groups of lines of triliths (3 stones set together on a prepared base). He visited Sultan Ghalib and Sultana al-Qu aiti at their home in Jeddah in 1981, where he reminisced about his time in the Hadhramaut two decades earlier.

The Quaiti Palace in al-Mukalla

Mukalla 1890

The Kathiri Palace in Seiyun

Safaa Mosque, Tarim 1956

Severe Flooding, Shibam March 2020

Al-Maktaba Al-Sultaniyyah, Mukalla

In 1998, a total of over £5000 was raised by FOH supporters for the complete refurbishment of the Sultanic library including new windows with added security bars, doors, proper flooring,new ceilings, lighting, fans, cupboards, a computer and a printer.

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ITEMS FOR SALE

The items listed below are for sale from the FOH registered address:

Mick Walton has donated 3 copies of Sir Richard Burton and his Circle at £10 each, the proceeds of which he will donate to FOH: mickwalton@libero.it

English bone-china mugs with FOH logo at £6 each or £10 for 2

Copies of Hadhramaut and its Diaspora: Yemeni Politics, Identity and Migration (ed. Dr. Noel Brehony) at £25 each
A new FOH metal/enamel lapel badge produced by Thomas Fattorini Ltd and designed by Owain Raw-Rees at £5 each

CHARITY COMMISSION INSPECTION 10[th] SEPTEMBER, 2019

Just before our AGM in September 2019, we received a Compliance Visit from two officers of the Charity Commission of England and Wales our very first in more than twenty years of operation. It was pretty obvious to us that any charity operating in the Middle East was bound to trustees. The Commission was concerned by the conditions any charity faces in Yemen today but the officers appreciated the rather different situation in Hadhramaut itself and the way we handle it. Salah had supplied a detailed account of the way he is able to operate including translations of his recent receipts for monies spent. There were many photos illustrating our various projects throughout the vast region and the officers expressed appreciation for all our work. During the four hours spent with us, they thoroughly examined all our accounts and records and pronounced themselves generally satisfied whilst making a number of suggestions.

FOH ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

Our audited accounts and official returns (as required by UK law) are prepared by the Treasurer and presented to the Charity Commissioner online by our Corresponding Secretary Fatima AlOBE. The accounts may be www.charitycommission.gov.uk

FUTURE EVENTS

Sverre Driveklepp and Nina Kneppen have very graciously re-invited FOH to Oslo in May 2022 . Details will be announced later.

STOP PRESS

Why not gift your children and

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Credit Espace Reine de Saba
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CONTACT DETAILS

FRIENDS OF HADHRAMAUT: Registered Charity No. 1062560

Address: 48 Richmond Park Road, London SWl4 8JT UK

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 83929823

(The telephone is not always attended; messages may be left and are dealt with regularly)

Email: hadhramaut@btinternet.com

Website: www.hadhramaut.co.uk

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/FriendsofHadhramaut/

Please make all cheques payable to "Friends of Hadhramaut" Sterling Account

NatWest Plc 22 George Street, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1JW UK

Sort Code: 60-07-20 Account Number: 11723971

IBAN: GB37NWBK60072011723971 BIC: NWBK GB 2L

Life Subscription: £25

Euro Account

NatWest Plc Bedford Square, Tavistock, Devon PL19 0AQ UK

Sort Code: 60-21-49 Account Number: 62509578

IBAN: GB31NWBK60721262509578 BIC: NWBKGB2L

FRIENDS OF HADHRAMAUT

Registered Charity No. 1062560

EURO ACCOUNT 2020

INCOME

Brought forward from 2019 426.01 Donations 7603.38 _______ TOTAL INCOME 8029.39 EXPENDITURE None 0.00 _______ TOTAL EXPENDITURE 0.00

INCOME LESS EXPENDITURE: Balance at 31.12.2020 8029.39 Made up of Balance in NatWest Bank, Tavistock 8029.39

SULTANA FS AL-QUAITI MBE

TREASURER

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