Heritage in the crosshairs

The current war on Yemen threatens Yemeni cultural heritage to the point of annihilation. Aerial bombardment, extremist zeal, armed skirmishes, and looting have reduced iconic sites to rubble or ransacked them. Though all heritage sites are at risk of becoming places of what Lynn Meskell terms ‘negative heritage’ (2002), the country’s museums have been particularly hard hit. As repositories of precious artefacts and presenters of unique narratives that attempted to coalesce a national identity in a fragile state, their targeting epitomises the threat to Yemenis’ sense of national pride. Moreover, threats to heritage may not abate after the war. Historically, Yemenis themselves have been the most steadfast protectors of their heritage, often through private efforts to collect and display property that enhances their notion of Yemeni culture and tradition. This chapter argues that these Yemeni models of heritage preservation offer the best hope that once the war ends, Yemenis, with appropriate international support, can once again safeguard and showcase their heritage.