Oh Come All Yemen (And Women) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kawkaban

This fortified city served as the capital of the Bani Sharaf Al-Deen dynasty in the 15th century. Located in the Yemini Mountains, this ancient city is protected by a huge wall on the northern side and the mountains on the remaining sides. The name Kawkaban can be interpreted to mean 'two stars', the stars being two palaces decorated with precious and semi-precious stones that were once found within the city.

Answer: True

The footprints were found in a small village named Madar, around 50 miles north of the capital city, Sana'a. The tracks are estimated to date back almost 150 million years to the Late Jurassic period and are thought to have been made by a herd of sauropods - herbivorous dinosaurs characterized by long necks. A short distance away, tracks of an ornithopod, nicknamed the 'Cow of the Mesozoic' have also been found. The footprints were preserved in a bedrock of limestone.

While dinosaur fossils had been discovered earlier in neighbouring Oman and Yemen itself, this was the first instance of dinosaur footprints being found on the Arabian Peninsula.

Answer: False

Women used to exercise a much more important role in ancient times, playing significant roles and enjoying high status in Yemeni culture. The Queen of Sheba is one example, and is a source of pride for the Yemeni nation. Another female ruler of Yemen in the Islamic period was Queen Arwa, who did much to advance the country's situation by building waterworks and channels, schools and promoting agriculture.

Though the Yemeni constitution of 1994 guaranteed women's equality, since that time there have been setbacks, especially after the unrest of Yemen's 1994 civil war. Gender inequality is a modern problem in this agrarian, tribal, and patriarchal culture. As a result, in 2011, Yemeni women did not have access to most of their economic, social, and cultural rights, and only 8.2 percent of women reported paid employment.

Answer: Mesopotamia

Though Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Middle East, the geographic area it covers has never coincided with Mesopotamia (Sumer, Babylon, Assyria). In Biblical times, Yemen was known as Uzal and the Kingdom of Saba. From the 16th to the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire ruled many of Yemen's cities. In 1962, a military coup established the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR).

North and South Yemen are names given to the parts of the territory when it was not unified. South Yemen was under British control from 1839 until it gained its independence in 1967. Shortly thereafter it became the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), and was a Marxist regime. The two parts of Yemen were united on May 22, 1990 as the Republic of Yemen.

Answer: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb

The Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb (meaning 'mountain of the prophet Shu'ayb')is a mountain reaching a height of 3,666 m (12,028 ft). It is situated some 35 km (22 miles) west from the capital city.

There are sources giving the Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb a higher altitude, but these sources lack cartographical evidence.

On top of the Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb you'll find a military radar post. Manning this station is not always a pleasure, for strong winds prevail and the temperature can drop to below 0° C (32° F).

The name of the mountain might derive from the fact that Islamic prophet Shu'ayb has a shrine on the mountain slope.

The other options are the Yemeni capital (Sana'a), a Yemeni island group (Socotra) and a desert reaching the far end of Yemen (Rub al Khali).

Answer: Hadhramaut

Hadhramaut (sometimes spelled Hadramawt) is a region composed of former sultanates Qu'aiti and Kathiri. The capital of the governorate is Al-Mukallah. Other important cities are Shibam and Tarim.

The Hadhramaut governorate has a surface area of about 151,500 sq. km (58,500 sq. miles), just a bit larger than the US state of Illinois.

The island group Socotra, formerly part of the 'Aden governorate, was attached to Hadhramaut in 2004.

Many buildings in Hadhramaut, especially in the cities furthest from the coast, are constructed in mud bricks. Although these bricks are prone to ruin whenever heavy rain strikes, the mud brick houses offer perfect climatisation for this region.

Aden, Raymah and Al Mahwit are the three smallest governorates in Yemen.

Answer: Automobiles

More than 90 percent of Yemen's exports are petroleum-based, with agricultural products and other minerals making up the remainder. Due to the small amount of arable land in Yemen (less than three percent is considered suitable for crops), most foodstuffs have to be imported, including over 70 percent of Yemen's dietary staple - wheat. Yemen also imports livestock and machinery, including farming equipment and automobiles.

Answer: A bright future

The red (top) section of the flag represents the bloodshed of martyrs and unity, the centre (white) section represents Yemen's bright future, and the bottom (black) section represents the country's dark past. The Yemeni flag is styled on the Arab Liberation Flag which was introduced in 1952 after the Egyptian Revolution.

The Arab Liberation Flag was also an inspiration for flags of other countries in the middle-east region such as Syria and Egypt.

Answer: Dust and sandstorms

Yemen is dry, hot and has little access to fresh water. This doesn't allow for the growth of many plants, thereby making Yemen mostly desert. Along with a hot, dry climate, winds prevalent in the summer season create many a dust or sandstorm in Yemen.

Although Yemen lies between several bodies of water, it is largely protected from water-type natural disasters such as tsunamis, and other types of ocean disturbances. Weather conditions, combined with the location of Yemen and surrounding countries, are not conducive to tornadoes, and Yemen is not located on or near any major fault line making it susceptible to earthquakes.

Answer: Mocha

Mocha was traditionally the largest seaport and marketplace for coffee beans. During the sixteenth century, Mocha was the principal harbor for all products transported to and from Sana'a, the modern capital city (situated about 365 km or 230 miles to the northeast).

Neither Sherbet nor Almond nor Dish are names of any seaports in or around Yemen.