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Remnants of an Abandoned Yemeni Jewish Village

Categories: Middle East & North Africa, Yemen, Arts & Culture, Ethnicity & Race, Photography, Travel

Yemeni blogger Rooj Alwazir (@Rooj129 [1]) shares amazing photographs of her trip to an abandoned Jewish Village, Beit Baws, perched on a rocky mountain, 15 minutes from Sanaa.

In a slideshow [2], Alwazir showcases snippets of her excursion.

Packed together in a white van, fourteen of us decided to take a trip together and visit an abandoned Jewish village, Beit Baws, a village perched on a rocky mountain, 15 minutes from Sanaa.

Here are two of the photographs she shared:

Beit Baws - Perched on the Mountains [2]

Beit Baws – Perched on the Mountains. Photograph by Rooj Alwazir

Homes chiseled into the mountain side in Beit Baws [2]

Homes chiseled into the mountain side in Beit Baws. Photograph by Rooj Alwazir

Many Yemeni Jews migrated to Israel during ““Operation Magical Carpet [3]” in the late 1940's, the first years of the Jewish state existence. Some choose to remain in Yemen, but their number is sadly decreasing because many are leaving the country due to threats from radical Islamists. The Yemeni Jewish community preserved its culture mostly in the northern part of Yemen and are well known for their craftsmanship and are the best silversmiths.

This video posted by omrisharaby [4] gives a glimpse to their life in Yemen. Songs in the video are by the late famous singer Ofra Haza [5], who was of Yemeni Jewish origin.