Young Yemenis look to save Aden’s historic water tanks

City workers clean the historic site by Aden’s water tanks.

The Cisterns of Tawila are some of the oldest monuments in Aden, a city in southern Yemen. But in a country constantly ravaged by war and instability, the cisterns are now practically abandoned. Enter a group of young people, who decided to turn up the pressure on local authorities to restore the tanks.

Aden’s cisterns are at least 1,500 years old. They are located high up in the Shamsan mountains and were originally built to catch and hold rainwater clean enough to be used for drinking water. The original 53 tanks have now dwindled to a mere 18, which have only survived thanks to a series of renovations.

Yemen's monuments get little attention in a country ripped apart by constant turf battles between rival clans and militias. Two weeks ago, Shiite Houthi fighters blasted their way into the presidential palace after some of the worst fighting seen in recent years. President Hadi swiftly resigned, leaving his country hanging in political limbo once again, just a few years after Yemen had ridden a wave of euphoric hope in the wake of the Arab spring.

This stairway is located on the historic site alongside the Cisterns of Tawila.

When the security situation in Yemen was better, foreign tourists flocked to this historic site. Despite their dilapidated state, the water tanks continue to attract visitors. So a group of young people - all members of the AMANA initiative - took matters into their own hands and launched a campaign to restore the tanks. After meeting with various authorities, their campaign has already met with success.

"The authorities freed up funds to clean the tanks and to landscape the site"

Heba Aidrous is a member of the AMANA initiative.

Since the civil war that took place in the summer of 1994 [Editor’s note: A clash between the armed forces of northern Yemen and secessionist forces in the south] the government has completely neglected the Aden water tanks, like many other historic monuments in the country.

Aden's water tanks are some of the oldest historic monuments and their design and construction show remarkable ingenuity. Their upkeep and restoration require the skills of the authorities who take care of the historic monuments in Sana’a and not the museums or conservation organisations in Aden. But the authorities in Aden lost interest in the project and the local authorities haven’t done anything to remedy the situation.

Chairs set up at the historic site.

 

When we began our campaign, the site was in a pitiful state. The lights no longer worked. There wasn’t a single chair for the visitors. No one took care of the cleanliness of the site. The paths weren’t swept, there were bits of paper strewn across the ground and some places had become completely impassable. There wasn’t even a sign to mark the entrance. The cisterns were also damaged by the weather, erosion and construction on the site and thus badly in need of restoration.

 

"The political instability doesn’t affect our determination"

We decided to put pressure on the relevant local authorities to get them to clean and restore the tanks and then keep up with their maintenance. The members of our group all participated in an incredibly useful training course given by the American foundation, NED [National Endowment for Democracy]. We started by seeking the support of representatives of civil society who work on renovating and restoring cultural sites in Yemen. Then, we went to meet both local and national authorities, including representatives of the mayor and governor of Aden as well as the General Authority for Antiquities.

 

Then, the authorities started to free up funds for cleaning and landscaping the site. City employees in charge of urban cleanliness in Aden were put to work on the site for three days. There’s still a lot of work to be done, considering the amount of rubbish on the site as well as the necessary renovations.

A street light in the area by the water tanks.

 

The campaign isn’t finished. The recent political events [Editor’s note: At the end of January, Houthi militias forced Yemen’s president to resign] haven’t affected our determination. Living in Aden, we have grown used to instability. Gunfire, explosions and targeted assassinations are practically daily events. A few members of the initiative are currently sitting exams at university. As soon as they are finished with exam period, we will get back to making appeals to the authorities to make this historic site into a nice place for visitors.

We have already set up meetings with local authorities to discuss the next steps, especially the installation of lights and seating. We are also hoping to ask for a permanent guard because some people have taken advantage of the government’s negligence to build illegally on the site. Once we have achieved our goals, we have no plans to stop with the water tanks. Many other historic sites also need some attention from the authorities.

This post was written with FRANCE 24 journalist Dorothée Kellou. All of the photos used in this article were originally posted on this site.