Leiden University Libraries holds a rich collection of materials related to Yemen. These objects, including manuscripts, maps, and photographs, allow researchers to gain detailed insight into the history of especially Northern Yemen, a region that has been ruled by the Zaydis, a Shiʿi sect, since the tenth century CE. The Zaydis not only maintained a resilient state in the face of various challenges, including two Ottoman conquests but also preserved and developed rich intellectual heritage. Leiden University Libraries has been collecting Yemeni manuscripts since the sixteenth century, making it one of the oldest collections of this heritage in Europe. The exhibition ‘Yemen through the Dutch lens’ presents some of these materials.

Another aspect of the Yemeni collection that the exhibition highlights is the photographs and impressions of Dutch visitors to the region. Two key figures who visited the region and were able to insightfully observe its transformation from a premodern state to a modern society. One was Cornelis Adriaanse, the Dutch chargé d’affaires in Jeddah, and the other Gellius Flieringa, an engineer invited by the Yemeni government to assist with the renovation of the port of Hodeidah. They engaged not only with the Muslims but also with the local Jewish community. Their photographs, letters, and reports give a unique insight into Yemeni society and politics in the 1930s.