On 22nd May ‘1990 the two Yemeni countries (North Yemen and South Yemen) were formally united as a Republic of Yemen.  Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the East. An ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy described Yemen as Eudaimon Arabia which means Fortunate Arabia or Happy Arabia. This is due to the fact that Yemen’s relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall helped in maintaing a stable population. This is a really good thing. Between 2200 BC and the 6th century AD, Yemen was a part of several kingdoms like Sabanean, Awsanian, Minaean, Qatabanian, Hadhramawtian, and Himyarite which controlled the lucrative spice trade.

This is also one of the reasons that the Greek geographer named it Arabia Felix meaning ‘happy Arabia’. In the 7th century, Islamic Caliphs began to exert control over the area, but after they broke up the former North Yemen came under the control of imams of usually the zaidi sect.  During the eleventh century Egyptian Sunni caliphs occupied majority of North Yemen. By the 16th century and 19th century, North Yemen became a part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1918 North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire and in 1967, the British withdrew from Aden and then the former Aden became South Yemen. Its history makes Yemen a popular and historic place and gives it the significance it has till date.

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