Recently, a French couple was kidnapped in broad day light in the market of Sa’ada. The couple, who were brought to Wadi Amlach, were pampered and fed gourmet desert food. After two days, they were released. In retaliation to the kidnapping, the government arrested approximately 100 tribesmen as hostages until the kidnappers were captured. When I visited Wadi Amlach, the kidnappers were still in hiding and thus throughout my trip I was escorted by armed tribesmen. The government of Yemen is doing its best to try to remedy this situation. An another occasion, the Yemenite air force, after releasing the kidnapped tourists, razed a rebellious village to the ground.

routes

Prior to my departure from Sa’ada to Wadi Amlach, my driver expressed a concern about the tribes who live in the area and hired an additional armed escort for our trip - a man from one of the most respected tribes of Sa’ada. Our trip of 80 km, albeit a relatively short distance, took over four hours of strenuous driving due to the lack of roads and clear paths. At times our vehicle had to cross over water streams and almost sank into sand dunes. At one point, the driver stopped and signaled me to take a look at a huge rock that towered over an island of lower rocks. As I approached the rock, I discovered a “natural monument” in which Jews, over the past 120 years, carved their names while taking the dangerous journey to Israel through the mountains. It is a moving record of endless names carved in Hebrew. Among the numerous names, I discovered those of my friends who recently immigrated to Rechovot (a city 50 km south of Tel Aviv).

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