salaam aleikum

enter

YEMEN

door

with

the tour operator in Yemen
that knows this fascinating country inside out



1.1.   Introduction

YAMANAT TOURS is a registered travel agency and touring company in Yemen.

In Sabean language "yamanat" means: the good and benedict (or blessing).
About the end of the 3rd century A.D. the Himyarite king Sammar Yahra'ash occupied Hadramawt, annexed it to his kingdom, and bore the royal title:
King of Saba, Du-Raydan, Hadramawt and Yamanat.
This king paved the way for the establishment of the Himyarite empire that ultimately reached its apex during the reign of Abu Karib As'ad, who gained fame under the name As'ad al-Kamil in the early 5th century AD. He and his successors bore the same title but also ruled over their Bedouins in the Tihama (= Red Sea coastal area) and the Tawdum (= highland).

YAMANAT TOURS has a long experience in guiding and accompanying tourists through Yemen from all over the world. And although the tourism in Yemen is the main source of income for the company, many other people interested in the country, like scientists, nature lovers, or just adventurers, seeking something special and out of the ordinary have sought the guidance and advice of Yamanat Tours.

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1.2.   Who we are

Below are the the three permanent staff members of the company. Depending on programs and demand other employees, like drivers, guides, cooks, skippers or village hosts, are added to the payroll. Besides these permanent members there are always 1 or 2 office assistants to help you if none of us, for one reason or the other, is not available.

(mohamed
Mohamed Shaif - Director
Highly educated, Mohamed is our true expert on everything about Yemen. He is the one who started the company. Before that he acted as a guide for several European travel agencies. He was (and still is) considered the best around. He is well known for his smooth way of operating. The IgoUgo travel review site has an article about his way of of operating and taking care of his clients. We suggest reading this. If needed there is next to nothing he can't arrange or fix.
He now is 45 years old and lives in SANA'A, the capital of Yemen. His roots can be found in Al Arouke a small village in the the high mountains south of TAI'Z. Though he is proud of his ancestry and a true patriot, he has a lot to say about Yemen society and its government. Ask him a question and he'll answer voluble, even so that sometimes one fears he'll never stop. He is very polite, is always concerned for the wellbeing of his customers and can be trusted implicitly.
ali
Ali Shaif - General Manager
This is Ali, our GM and eldest son of Mohamed, working quietly behind the scenes. Contacting him is not so easy. When he is not on the phone dealing with complex Yemeni matters or playing soccer, he likes to fool around with 4-wheel drives and as such is of priceless value in a country where the terrain is often difficult. He has a firm grip on the company and its inner workings. We all love and respect him, but like a true Yemeni he sometimes spends too much of our hard earned money for his personal needs instead of investing it into the company.

kurt
Kurt Perthel - Webmaster & Marketing assistant
After a career in the IT business and having spent many holidays in Yemen, he decided to join the company for the aquisition of customers in Europe. This website is one example of his efforts. His hobbies are personal computing (pc's, etc), piracing the Dutch waters with his sailing boat and of course Yemen. The picture on the left was taken February 2001 when he was 56 years old. Don't be mistaken about the gun. After nearly shooting some people at a picnic (due to a faulty trigger), he decided never to touch a gun again, certainly not in a country like Yemen where most of these are in the hands of private individuals with, one has to fear, rather sloppy habits of maintenance.
He lives with his wife in a small Dutch town.

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1.3.   What we do

Of the many possibilities on how to spend your time in Yemen, we mention just a few:

Whether you are the tourist just looking for a wonderful time to spend the holidays, a scientist, naturelover, adventurer, student, etc., we can help you in achieving whatever you have in mind.
Contrary to most other European or Yemeni travel agencies we don't have fixed programs and time schedules. Our credo is:

You tell us what you like to see, how to travel, etc. and we will do our utmost best in fulfilling your wishes.
Would you rather like to relax in the mountains for a while, chewing qat with the local people? Ride a camel through the desert? Polish you school Arabic amidst an Arab community? We will arrange it for you.
And although we do not adhere to fixed programs we can make some suggestions. These you will find in chapter 4. Itineraries and specifically under the button download above, but always keep in mind: you are our guest and it is you who decides what, when, how and where things have to be done. The suggested programs therefore can always be adapted to your wishes. What we don't have (yet) are contracts with foreign airline companies. So you will have to obtain flight tickets to and from Yemen yourself. Of course we can help you in getting them. We know which companies have regular flights to Yemen and about fares. And we will always be ready to get you from or to any Yemeni airport.

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1.4.   Contact

ye eu
   

YEMEN

EUROPE

Mohamed Shaif, Director Kurt Perthel, Webmaster
tel: 00967-1-251895 tel: 0031-344-785452
mobile: 00967-734867672  
fax: 00967-1-256086  
p.o. Box 1977  
SANA'A  
REPUBLIC OF YEMEN THE NETHERLANDS
   
e-mail: info@yamanat.com  
e-mail: masariqi@hotmail.com e-mail: kupe@tiscali.nl

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