Cisterns of Aden

Yemenat

Ahmed Saif Hashed

The long water reservoirs of Aden, also known as cisterns or water tanks, were described by the Lebanese traveler and writer Ameen Al-Rihani as “the most beautiful works of engineering in the world.” At the very moment you encounter these words, glimpsing your ancestors’ legendary achievements, questions naturally arise: Have you visited them? Have you read about them? What do you truly know of their history?

The first time you step onto their threshold, it is not only the grandeur and majesty of the place that strikes you, but also a profound sense of awe that deepens with every step and every stair you climb. Your wonder stretches from the very foundations beneath your feet to the heights of the sky, especially when it seems as if the heavens themselves bow in admiration toward this legendary monument.

As you wander, reflect, and contemplate this architectural marvel, a deep joy fills you. A sense of exhilaration soars within you, accompanied by gratitude for those who immortalized it. Here lies a glory deeply rooted in history, an achievement adorned with countless wonders, realized against impossible odds, standing eternal as a testament for generations. Its endurance and defiance of time span more than three thousand five hundred years.

Every stone conceals a secret beyond comprehension, and every corner holds a story yet untold. Taken as a whole, however, the reservoirs speak of a great civilization and remarkable people. Your imagination is lifted from the present, transporting you into a past alive with honor, where men achieved immortality through their creations.

These extraordinary men cherished permanence and achieved it in all that you now witness—over three thousand five hundred years ago. What you behold compels you to ask, again and again, in awe: Who created all this wonder? A wonder