Cisterns of Aden

Yemeni mp

Ahmed Saif Hashed

The long water reservoirs of Aden, also known as cisterns or water tanks, were described by the Lebanese traveler and writer Ameen Al-Rihani as “the most beautiful works of engineering in the world.” At the very moment you encounter these words, glimpsing your ancestors’ legendary achievements, questions naturally arise: Have you visited them? Have you read about them? What do you truly know of their history?

The first time you step onto their threshold, it is not only the grandeur and majesty of the place that strikes you, but also a profound sense of awe that deepens with every step and every stair you climb. Your wonder stretches from the very foundations beneath your feet to the heights of the sky, especially when it seems as if the heavens themselves bow in admiration toward this legendary monument.

As you wander, reflect, and contemplate this architectural marvel, a deep joy fills you. A sense of exhilaration soars within you, accompanied by gratitude for those who immortalized it. Here lies a glory deeply rooted in history, an achievement adorned with countless wonders, realized against impossible odds, standing eternal as a testament for generations. Its endurance and defiance of time span more than three thousand five hundred years.

Every stone conceals a secret beyond comprehension, and every corner holds a story yet untold. Taken as a whole, however, the reservoirs speak of a great civilization and remarkable people. Your imagination is lifted from the present, transporting you into a past alive with honor, where men achieved immortality through their creations.

These extraordinary men cherished permanence and achieved it in all that you now witness—over three thousand five hundred years ago. What you behold compels you to ask, again and again, in awe: Who created all this wonder? A wonder so complete and vast it seems endless. Yet the reality of today invites caution, filling you with a lingering unease.

If you visit Aden and do not see its reservoirs, you have not truly visited it. If you do not know these structures, even after a thousand years, it is fair to say that you remain ignorant of them—and even more so ignorant of their ancient glory, hidden beauty, and distant history. In such a case, Aden has every right not to forgive your ignorance, nor to acknowledge your claim to it, as long as you remain unaware of its most important landmarks, history, and marvels.

Aden stands rich in glory, civilization, and heritage, deeply rooted in history. About its reservoirs, people have said: They are a work of design and architectural mastery, a creation that cannot be repeated, an artistic masterpiece, and one of the most prominent historical and tourist landmarks of Aden. They testify to the heights of refinement, advancement, and ingenuity achieved by the ancient Yemeni people, truly one of the wonders of the world in architectural engineering.

Oh, the tragedy of our ignorance of ourselves, of our history, our homeland, and our legacy! How empty we are of the memory of our earliest ancestors! Yet the most pressing question remains: What do we call those who have ravaged them, looting, desecrating, and defacing these treasures? Who burden them with backwardness, ignorance, and carelessness? Who build recklessly upon them, targeting everything connected to their history, heritage, culture, and civil landmarks, whether through knowledge or ignorance?

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