Every time Abdullah Al-Areefy heard that another family had sold an old silver heirloom, he felt a piece of Taiz’s history slipping away.
Across Yemen, years of conflict, political instability, and economic hardship have forced families to make difficult choices. Today, more than 22 million people require humanitarian assistance and protection services across Yemen. For many households in Taiz, survival meant selling treasured possessions that had been passed down through generations.
Among them were traditional silver ornaments carrying stories, memories, and centuries of craftsmanship. Many ended up in the hands of scrap dealers, destined to be melted down and lost forever.
“Sadly, these treasures have vanished from homes due to economic hardship and a lack of awareness,” says Abdullah Al-Areefy, a 45-year-old cultural operator and traditional silver artisan from Taiz.
For Abdullah, this loss was deeply personal.
“Heritage is my life, my passion, and my purpose,” he says. “It is a hobby, a profession, and a craft inherited from my ancestors. I learned the foundations of silver engraving from my father. His legacy lives on in ornaments worn by men, women, and children.”
As more historic silver pieces disappeared from homes across Taiz, Abdullah made a decision that would shape the next 25 years of his life. Using his own savings, he began purchasing old silver artifacts directly from local families before they could be sold for scrap.
One piece became ten. Ten became hundreds.
Over time, Abdullah built a collection of historic ornaments and artifacts that might otherwise have been lost forever.
From Personal Mission to Cultural Center
Abdullah soon realized that preserving heritage requires more than saving artifacts. Future generations need a place where theycouldsee, understand, and reconnect with their history.
He began compiling historical records, family archives, and traditional design patterns – documentation that could support a future nomination of Taiz’s traditional silver craft for inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
At the same time, he invested his remaining rer dedicated to preserving the city’s heritage and collective memory
Sustaining the center, however, proved challenging. Like many independent cultural entities in Yemen, it operated in an environment marked by limited funding, fragile organizational structures, and little institutional support.
The situation improved through capacity-building support provided under the first phase of the Youth Employment through Heritage and Culture in Yemen (YEHCY) project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO with its national partner, the Small and Micro Enterprise Promotion Service (SMEPS). The training provided the structural skills needed to manage the repository sustainably.
“With this support, the journey of sustainability has begun,” Abdullah says.
The support Abdullah received is part of a wider capacity-buildingprogrammedelivered by UNESCO through SMEPS, which has trained 1,700 cultural operators and strengthened 106 cultural organizations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across Yemen – many of them, like the Dar of Handicrafts, safeguarding culture-based crafts and heritage with little institutional backing.
Today, the Dar of Handicrafts operates as a vibrant cultural center in Taiz. Despite the collection’s value, Abdullah remains committed to keeping it accessible to everyone.
“Nothing here is for sale. This place has become a cultural hub for the people of Taiz, journalists, and enthusiasts,” he says.
UNESCO
UNESCO
Preserving Heritage, Strengthening Community
The center’s impact extends far beyond preserving artifacts.
Through collaboration with local actors and media coverage, the initiative has raised awareness about cultural conservation and encouraged residents to preserve family heirlooms.
The center has also become a place where people reconnect with their shared history.
“This museum holds the collective memory of Taiz, representing all its people across their diverse backgrounds,” Abdullah explains.
Visitors often leave with a renewed sense of pride and belonging.
“Walking through this open museum, visitors feel immense joy. It reconnects them with their beautiful past,” he says.
When the project moved into its second phase, HDP turned to Abdullah again – this time not just as a beneficiary of support, but as a community mobilizer for urban heritage rehabilitation, drawing on the trust he had built in Taiz over 25 years.
Working directly with neighborhood leaders, homeowners, and youth, he helped build support for heritage preservation and encouraged participation in project-led short-term employment initiatives.
Abdullah’s work helped create the conditions for cultural preservation to move forward in Taiz, securing the confidence of homeowners and neighborhood leaders for the rehabilitation of private historic houses and public heritage buildings, including parts of the Museum of Taiz, while connecting young people to short-term employment and vocational training. Across Yemen, the project has to date rehabilitated more than 910 historic houses in Aden, Sana’a,Zabid,Shibamand Taiz and generated approximately 11,000 employment opportunities, turning heritage conservation into a source of income and skills for local communities.
Today, Abdullah sees his work as part of a larger mission.
“This project is helping me achieve my life’s goal: preserving our heritage,” he says. “I hope for new laws that will better protect Yemen’s heritage handicraft sector and for museums in every city to inspire a new generation to carry the torch of preservation.”
What began as one man’s determination to save a few silver artifacts has grown into a lasting effort to protect heritage, strengthen communities, and ensure that the story of Taiz continues to be told.
The Youth Employment through Heritage and Culture in Yemen (YEHCY) project is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO in partnership with the Small and Micro Enterprise Promotion Service (SMEPS), Humanitarian Development Program (HDP) and other Implementing Partners.
Related items
- Culture
- UNESCO Office in Doha
- Partners: Delegations of the European Union
