DOI article:
Varisco, Daniel Martin: The ard in Highland Yemeni agriculture
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49001#0173
THE ARD IN YEMEN
165
Fig. 7. Yoke for a single bull. Note the forked stick in the ploughman’s hand. Photo D.M.V.
Joch fiir einen Stier. Man bemerke den gegabelten Stock in der Hand des Pfliigers.
transport. Since roads cannot be constructed
to most terraces, the donkey is one of the
few ways of transporting soil and produce to
and from the fields. On the plateau to the
east the camel is a common draught animal,
although the number of camels is said to be
declining. The camel and donkey are far less
expensive on the market than a bull. In 1978
a donkey or camel could be purchased in the
market at Shibam for 1000 Yemeni riyals
($220), but a prime bull would cost between
5000 and 8000 riyals ($ 1110-$ 1780). For
this reason poorer farmers on ghayl land
often use the donkey as a draught animal.
In al-Ahjur much of the ploughing is done
with a single draught animal. A team is really
better adapted for larger and level fields.
Few of the terraces in al-Ahjur are of suffi-
cient size and access to warrant the use of
teams, which are found on the plateau to the
east around Husn al-‘Arus and Shibam. It is
not uncommon to see mixed teams, such as a
donkey and camel or bull and donkey.9 As
Dalman (Dalman vol. II, 106) noted for
Palestinian agriculture, the Biblical injunc-
tion that “thou shalt not plough with an ox
and ass together” is not relevant. It is said
that in the past during difficult times a man
165
Fig. 7. Yoke for a single bull. Note the forked stick in the ploughman’s hand. Photo D.M.V.
Joch fiir einen Stier. Man bemerke den gegabelten Stock in der Hand des Pfliigers.
transport. Since roads cannot be constructed
to most terraces, the donkey is one of the
few ways of transporting soil and produce to
and from the fields. On the plateau to the
east the camel is a common draught animal,
although the number of camels is said to be
declining. The camel and donkey are far less
expensive on the market than a bull. In 1978
a donkey or camel could be purchased in the
market at Shibam for 1000 Yemeni riyals
($220), but a prime bull would cost between
5000 and 8000 riyals ($ 1110-$ 1780). For
this reason poorer farmers on ghayl land
often use the donkey as a draught animal.
In al-Ahjur much of the ploughing is done
with a single draught animal. A team is really
better adapted for larger and level fields.
Few of the terraces in al-Ahjur are of suffi-
cient size and access to warrant the use of
teams, which are found on the plateau to the
east around Husn al-‘Arus and Shibam. It is
not uncommon to see mixed teams, such as a
donkey and camel or bull and donkey.9 As
Dalman (Dalman vol. II, 106) noted for
Palestinian agriculture, the Biblical injunc-
tion that “thou shalt not plough with an ox
and ass together” is not relevant. It is said
that in the past during difficult times a man