For Imam Yahya, one of Yemen’s last kings, qat was a delight that he praised in poems. For his adversary, the revolutionary al-Zubayri, the plant was the “devil in the shape of a tree«”. Still today the views on qat greatly diverge. For some, qat farming is the perpetuum mobile of Yemen’s rural economy and qat chewing an age-old social pursuit. For others, qat is the main inhibitor of human and economic development in Yemen and is to blame for poverty and corruption and the depletion of Yemen’s water resources. With Yemen’s 2011 “Youth Revolution,” a decade of half-hearted qat policies and missed opportunities has come to an end − a decade, however, that has succeeded in lifting the veil of silence that was cast over qat in media and politics after President Ali Abdullah Salih came to power in 1978. With the forecast depletion of Yemen’s oil and gas reserves within the next decade, the economic importance of qat will further increase and will bring about an important shift in the balance of power.

The island of Soqotra, belonging to the Republic of Yemen, is a part of the UNESCO world natural heritage site since the summer of 2008. Its development prospects are characterized by the conflict between tourism and nature protection. The island’s tourist marketing is designed for eco-tourism. Nevertheless employees in the tourist sector are inadequately trained and usually lack awareness of the fragile eco system. The current development does not reveal any planning concept. The book it is meant as a warning of foolishly jeopardizing the world’s last paradises. It reveals under which circumstances the way could be paved for achieving a sustainable development for the island.

Die Bewässerungs-Landwirtschaft des Jemen hat sich in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten stark verändert. Durch die Wasserübernutzung sind große Probleme entstanden. Die Ursachen dafür liegen in der fehlenden Anpassung der institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen an die ökonomischen und technischen Entwicklungen im Bewässerungssektor. Der vorliegende Band zeigt auf, daß sich die traditionellen Regelungen für die Wassernutzung trotz moderner Technologie kaum verändert haben. Staatliche Institutionen konkurrieren um die Regelungen für die Wassernutzung und lähmen sich dadurch gegenseitig. Die Studie macht deutlich, daß ein Ausweg aus der Wasserkrise nur möglich ist, wenn staatliche Vorgaben an das neue Umfeld angepaßt werden und die Agrarpolitik künftig eine wassersparende Landwirtschaft begünstigt.

"Shibam - Leben in Lehmtürmen" is a unique representation of the ancient oasis city in Yemen that was declared a World Heritage Site because of its spectacular clay towers. From the perspective of an architect who lives and works in the city, the architecture of this historic landmarked is analyzed and documented in detail for the first time and includes the multiple woodcarvings hidden inside the many mud houses. The daily lives of the inhabitants of this city, the poverty they live in, as well as their celebrations and highlights are also reported on from a close range. Nowhere else is the old Arab culture as alive as inside the walled city of Shibam, and nowhere else can grant as authentic a glimpse into the fascinatingly intact world of oriental life. The challenges of modern life are also not ingnored. Numerous photographs and drawings illustrate the text.