Located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen isn’t one of those Arabic countries that makes big headlines in the daily newspaper, but it certainly is one those countries you often hear interesting stories about and wish you could somehow find out more about what exactly makes it so unique. Well that is exactly what International Evenings in cooperation with we4you and ISWI at bi-student club are for, and on the 13th of October, a small group of students from Yemen presented their country’s culture, lovely architecture and even served some specially prepared Yemini cuisine to all the interested students of TU Ilmenau. The main dish for the non-vegetarians was called Zurbian, a mildly spicy meat (beef) preparation served with rice and some potatoes. I even managed to get some extra red paprika paste and two very spicy chillies in order to add that extra bit of punch to my meal. For all the vegans and vegetarians at the Yemeni Night, it was Bohninia or some good old red beans and vegetables cooked in a typical Yemeni way served with some bread. Also, a nice sweet Halwa was served to everyone as the main dessert.
Shortly after everyone had finished eating, one of the students representing Yemen gave a short presentation about his homeland. Students were exposed to Yemen’s history, famous personalities and celebrities, diverse landscapes and even some age old traditions in Yemen, that have been in practice for many years. Soon it was time to do away with the benches and dinner tables, and dance to some nice tunes from the Middle-Eastern region. It was indeed a fine celebration.