A British officer has offered the Yemeni
Books House some 1,500 books that describe various journeys through Yemen that took place over the last two centuries. These books are a
gift from Alan D''
arcy, a British officer who worked in Aden in 1953. A
corner of the Books House, located in the Culture House has been allocated for these books, named the Alan D''arcy Corner after him, and decorated with his photograph. A ceremony took place last Thursday to honor D''arcy for his kind gift. "These books are very important, and they are by foreign writers talking about the cultural, economic, and social history of Yemen, in addition to historical plans and rare photos of different Yemeni areas," said Zaid al-Faqeh, head of the Yemeni Books House. D''arcy accompanied the shipment of these books to Yemen. They arrived at the port of Hodeida, shipped at D''arcy''s expense. He met with no one and returned immediately to his country. The Ministry of Culture thanked him by dedicating a special corner of the Books House to him, and by holding the recent ceremony to honor and thank him. The whole set of books dates from 1760, said D''arcy. "These books are the mirror of European knowledge about Yemen from the 18th century to today. It includes the oldest book, and the first book to talk about Socotra, which dates to 1866." D''arcy compared the Yemen of today with the Yemen he visited in 1953. In simple Arabic, he said that Yemen now is better than before, and that the country is now walking straight, while before there was some confusion. "What Yemen has achieved in 50 years is like what Britain achieved in 500 years," he said. Khalid al-Rowaishan, the Minister of Culture, described Alan D''arcy Corner as the best exceptional gift received by the Ministry of Culture and Books House. This gift may include some of the oldest writings on Yemen from the 18th century. "Researchers, scholars and those interested will realize their goals at every moment in this corner after the indexing of the books. They are rare and valuable books which are the most important things cited by Europe and in all European languages," said al-Rowaishan. The celebration was attended by number of British people. Among them was Michael Gifford, Britain''s ambassador to Yemen. "Relations between Yemen and Britain are very strong, and this gift from D''arcy shows that strength of this relationship with Europe in general," Gifford said. "This gift shows Britain''s knowledge of and scientific interest in Yemen." Working on the development of this corner by adding more books and translating those books already there has become part of its importance, as it will be opened to all produced works in the world about this country. There will be a project to translate, arrange, and organize the books of this corner for the benefit of researchers and interested in the value of these studies. Most of the books are written in English, some in French and German, and a few in Italian. D''arcy lived in Yemen as assistant officer in Aden in 1953, during the days of the British presence. He was responsible for all administration and worked to recruit new members of the British military. He lived in Yemen for about 20 years. Each year, he visits Yemen to enjoy tourist tours with the Yemeni British Friendship Association.
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