Antiques at the Suq
 

A look inside Taiz's best antique silver shop...

The antiques and silver shop of Ahmed Ali Al Samai holds a dazzling array of beautiful and precious jewelry. There are creations for all tastes and occasions here, and most of it is quite old. Samai, the owner, is an international silver merchant. He trades throughout the Middle East and Europe. His many representatives explore the remote regions of Yemen looking for the precious treasures. The fruit of his efforts are displayed on the shop walls like a giant museum. Jambias [see above], the traditional curved blade worn by most Yemeni men, cover the back wall. There are countless variations on the shape and decorations on the handles and scabbard. Samai lets me handle a centuries old jambia of Jewish craftsmanship. He pointed out the Star of David [see below] inscribed on the blade, along with Arabic writing. Intricacy and detail were the name of the game in Yemeni silver working. Yemeni silversmiths were world famous for centuries before they left Yemen in the 1950's for a life in the newly founded state of Israel. This is a lost art, which makes this jewelry very rare and much sought after. The real artifacts are found only in Yemen, and only in special shops. Small silver boxes [see left], hanging on fine silver chains, were intended to hold slips of paper with writing from the Koran -- a sign of respect for Allah and a portable blessing . Garnets [see left], the color pomegranates and amber, the color of butter, glistened in strands on the wall. Silver shone from every corner. Deep blue Lapis and coral from the sea hung in a cascade, down all the walls. One of the most famous silver craftsmen in Yemen were the members of the Bosani family. Although they are no longer around, their amazing beads, hand crafted from silver and elborately decorated with filigree, can still be found in many special silver shops. Owning a Bosani silver bead is literally owning a piece of history. This shop had many fine examples of this famous Yemeni family's work on display.

A set of alabaster jars [see below] caught my eye. Smooth and cool to the touch, I wondered who had handled these vessels before they found their way to this shelf... and what ingredients they once held. Gemmi [above] modeled an ornate jambia and belt that had several silver boxes affixed to it. He showed how one of the boxes contained charcoal dust and a small applicator for lining the eyes. Eye-liner was useful in reducing the glare of the sun in the bright desert sand. Most of the items in this shop are inexpensive relative to fancy antique shops in Europe or America. As a rule of thumb, you will likely never regret buying a piece of Yemen silver jewelry that you like, no matter what the price. Buy it. But you may regret the piece you passed up, or thought was just too much for your budget. Remember, the folks back home have likely never seen hand-crafted workmanship the likes of Yemeni silver. It's worth visiting Taiz -- for many reasons. And if you happen to be in Taiz then make a point to visit this shop in the Taiz Suq. The Silver Antique Store is located on Al Modhafer Street, in Taiz. Their e-mail is antiques@y.net.ye.