War damages centuries-old agate industry скачать в хорошем качестве

War damages centuries-old agate industry

(30 Jun 2019) LEAD IN: The buying and selling of agate - a Yemeni gemstone - was once a thriving business in the country. The capital Sanaa still hosts many shops full agate products, but the ongoing war is slowly eroding the industry. STORY-LINE: Wander through the markets in the old town of Sanaa and you'll see hundreds of these colourful gemstones. Some shaped into eggs, some shining in rings - they're called agate, or "aqeeq" in the local dialect. The buying and selling of agate was once a thriving business in Yemen. But now Yemenis say their industry is slowly being eroded by a brutal war which has continued in the war-torn country for four years. "There were a lot of families who earn their money by working in the agate business: in agate trade, manufacturing or stone extraction," says one Yemeni agate trader, Mohamed Hefz Allah. "But because of the siege and war on Yemen business is declining since there are no more tourists to buy the product and we cannot even export our product." The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by the Iranian-backed Houthis who drove out the internationally recognised government. Months later, in March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched its air campaign to prevent the rebels from overrunning the country's south. The agate industry was a handicraft which began hundreds of years ago. The Yemenite onyx is a type of gemstone, extracted manually from mountains in the country. It's then converted into jewels, rings, belts and chains for aesthetic adornment, as well as being formed into traditional daggers. The agate industry in Yemen is one of the most famous trades in the old city of Sanaa. Agate types vary in price and quality, depending on the colour. In Sanaa, especially the old city and the Bab al-Yemen neighbourhood, there are still many shops, filled with various examples of the stone. These were once popular with tourists from around the world. "Before the war the number of tourists visiting the shops and buying was around five or six hundred thousand tourists from Arab (countries), foreign and domestic tourists. But now with the siege and war the situation is very bad," explains Ibrahim Sharhan, a member of Agate Handcraft Committee. Until stability returns to Yemen, it is likely to just be the locals buying agate. And their custom will not be enough to support the industry in the long term. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...