For many years, the hands of sixty-year-old Saleh Al-Haymi carved and engraved traditional copper artifacts, a craft he practiced for more than two decades. Today, those same hands are busy with plumbing and electrical work to support his family, after sales of the heritage products collapsed and their market dwindled. Yet, his longing for the art of copper engraving still lingers, evident in his eyes and voice whenever he speaks about it.
With their golden luster that captivates the eye, and the beauty of the patterns crafted by Yemeni artisans, traditional copper handicrafts in Yemen earned their prestige and became treasured artistic pieces. For centuries, Yemenis proudly displayed them in their homes as symbols of refined taste, authenticity, and elegance.
Yemen’s relationship with copper stretches deep into history. Archaeological surveys and historical studies reveal that copper production in Yemen dates back to the Himyarite Kingdom (115 BC – 525 AD). Researcher Ibrahim bin Nasser Al-Buraihi, in his book “Crafts and Industries in the Light of South Arabian Inscriptions,” documents that bronze and copper lamps found by the Austrian archaeological mission confirm the craft’s roots go back to the end of the Himyarite era.
Until the recent past, copper crafts and trade thrived in historic Yemeni cities like Taiz, Saada, and Old Sana’a. Sana’a’s Souq Al-Nuhas (Copper Market) still stands today, telling the story of this heritage—even as many of its shops have closed or shifted to selling other goods.
Copper’s beauty and flexibility—its ability to be shaped and engraved—along with the availability of raw materials in several Yemeni provinces, once fueled the prosperity of this craft. Yemeni Jews, in particular, left their mark on these traditional industries.
But between past and present lies a great decline. The golden age of copper handicrafts has faded. Saleh Al-Haymi is not the only artisan forced to leave the trade; many craftsmen abandoned the field in pursuit of jobs with better financial returns.
Al-Haymi told Yemen Platform that hand-carving and traditional engraving take a lot of time and effort to produce the final product.
“Our designs are limited, since we don’t have diverse molds like the foreign industries. Imported goods from China, India, and elsewhere are made with machines and countless molds in different shapes and sizes. That makes local products unable to compete,” he said.
The Invasion of Imported Goods
“A frightening reality.” This is how the Handicraft Survey Committee in Old Sana’a, affiliated with Yemen’s General Authority for Antiquities, described the state of copper crafts in a recent report. The committee expressed concern that there may soon be no trace of the craft left, despite the fact that a few families were still practicing it until recently.
Abdulkarim Al-Barkani, Director General of Protection of Antiquities and Cultural Properties at the Authority, explained to Yemen Platform that local copper products now make up just 30% of the market.
Copper merchants say the decline is due to imported goods flooding the market, the higher prices of local products compared to foreign ones, the shrinking number of artisans, and above all, the complete neglect from state institutions.
Many of the “local” items still available for sale are not newly made, but older pieces produced years ago.
Al-Barkani places much of the blame on the government and the Ministry of Culture, which are tasked with protecting traditional crafts. He says the absence of a state policy, coupled with a lack of regulation and oversight of the market, has allowed imports from Syria, Afghanistan, India, and China—especially cheap accessories—to overwhelm Yemeni goods.
He added that local products are more expensive because Yemeni artisans use high-quality, genuine copper that doesn’t corrode over time. The process also requires extensive labor and costly design molds—unlike lower-quality imported goods.
Al-Barkani agrees with reports highlighting the decline in the number of artisans. He attributes this to economic hardship, government neglect, and the absence of artisan associations that could safeguard their rights, market their work, and promote their crafts at home and abroad.
Revival Strategies
Old Sana’a’s shops still display a wide variety of traditional copper items: bowls, hookahs, wall plaques engraved with Qur’anic verses, poetry, or proverbs, along with cups, pitchers, ornaments, and vases. Despite economic hardship and changing lifestyles, many Yemeni families continue to purchase these items to decorate their homes.
But war has reshaped the craft. Since late 2014, Yemen’s conflict has devastated the economy, reduced purchasing power, and driven away foreign tourists who once bought large quantities of copper artifacts and helped sustain the market. Yet, paradoxically, some merchants like Abdulbari Al-Masouri believe the war also brought a positive side: the reduced flow of imported goods, which created a small window for traditional crafts to re-emerge.
Despite the many challenges threatening the survival of the craft, experts insist it can be revived. According to Al-Barkani, this requires strong political will, studies and awareness campaigns to highlight the importance of traditional crafts, and programs to encourage artisans. Training centers could expand the number of craftsmen, while veteran artisans who left the field could be re-trained.
Al-Barkani stresses the need for incentives such as tax exemptions, official support for exporting, and access to local and international markets. Only then, he argues, can Yemen’s copper handicrafts regain their rightful place as a pillar of the nation’s cultural heritage.
