How can you tell if a pearl is fake?
Mohammad Raja, a Yemeni trader with a khanjar (dagger) tucked into his belt, has a ready answer: "Burn it."
Then, popping a cigarette lighter, Raja starts to heat up a string of pearls before curious onlookers in his stall.
"Nothing nothing happens because these are 'asli' (real). Fake pearls made of plastic turn dark or melt when burned. If you bite a fake pearl, your teethmarks will be left in it," said Raja, 25. He belongs to a family from Sana'a, Yemen's capital, that has four generations of involvement in the pearl trade.
His pearls, uneven in shape and priced at around Dh30 per string, are just some of the interesting items one can see and buy at the Yemeni national pavilion at the Global Village. The more adventurous can check out old but razor-sharp swords, worth Dh2,000 to Dh20,000.
The age, history and value of these weapons depend on a number of factors, such as inscriptions near the hilt. To illustrate, Ali Hussain, a stall owner in the pavilion, brought out his prized sample: a 500-year-old metre-long sword.
"The inscriptions on the sword tell a story. This one is a product of backyard foundries of Yemeni Jews, who have lived in Yemen for thousands of years," explained Hussain.
A 200-year-old sword goes for about Dh5,000.
The khanjar-toting Yemeni salesmen may seem intimidating to first-time visitors. As soon as the men utter the greeting 'Marhaba' (welcome), however, apprehension turns to smiles.
"We Yemenis wear khanjars as part of our traditions," explained Ahmad Yahya, another antique trader at the pavilion.
Turning to his collection of old guns, Yahya said: "These Arabian guns have seen many wars. They're the favourite of private collectors."
Some of his old "bundoghia" (rifles) were witnesses to Turkish-Yemen conflicts in the 1500s and were used until the early 1900s.
Souvenir khanjars cost about Dh30 at the pavilion, but a khanjar with a handle made of rhinoceros horn may command as much as Dh4,000.
Besides weapons, there's also a glittering array of traditional silver jewellery and perfumes. On sale are spices, honey (from Dh200 to Dh500 per kg), incense and myrrh. This year a replica of traditional high-rises in Shebam, in Hadramaut province, offer a facade to Yemen's pavilion.
"Some of these buildings rise up to 12 floors and have been there for 500 years. They form the so-called 'Manhattan of the Desert,' and people still live in them in Yemen," said Al Qabati.
Performers brought from Sana'a welcome visitors to the pavilion with traditional songs and dances.
"Each region or village in Yemen has a distinct dance. The fisher folk, the Bedouin tribes, and the mountain dwellers have their own folk dances. We've brought some of them to the Global Village to give visitors a taste of Yemen, right here in Dubai," said Al Qabati.
Factfile
Republic of Yemen
- Capital: Sana'a
- Pavilion products: Silver handicrafts, traditional knives (djambia), special waist belts for men and women to carry kohl, silver crowns for brides, a cluster of traditional necklaces studded with semi-precious stone as amber and murjan, spices, honey.
- Area: 527,910 sq km
- Climate: Mostly desert; hot and humid along its west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
- Population: 18.7 million
- Ethnic groups: predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans.
- Language: Arabic
- Currency: Yemeni riyal
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