Visit a hamam, step back in time to old Yemen

Yemenis flock to traditional Turkish-style bathhouses

SANAA : A hint of incense in the dark and narrow alleys leading to the 410-year-old Hamam al-Abhar in the Yemeni capital's old city reminds the visitor that each step taken is one farther back into history.

For centuries, the traditional Turkish-style bathhouse, hamam in Arabic, has been a cornerstone of life in the Middle East, a place for social gatherings as well as for ritual cleansing.

Many hamams are also architectural jewels in their own right. Inside Hamam al-Abhar men of all ages relax after their steam bath in rounded halls where beams of natural light stream through holes in dome-shaped ceilings.

Sanaa has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years, and its old quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has 14 hamams in an architectural treasure trove of 103 mosques and more than 6,000 houses, all built before the 11th century.

On arrival at Hamam al-Abhar, bathers leave their traditional daggers and long white robes in lockers before indulging in the age-old ritual.

Many believe a visit to the hamam helps to keep disease at bay, while others swear it does wonders for sexual prowess.

For 65-year-old jeweler Ismail Abu Taleb, the hamam is a place where friends can discuss the issues of the day as they chew qat, the mildly narcotic leaves used daily by most Yemenis.

"I live in the old city and visit this hamam almost every day," he told AFP. "For many people, all these surroundings are remnants of a glorious history, but for us history is part of our daily lives."

Boosting sex life

Hashem al-Hamzei, a 30-year-old merchant with two wives, says he comes to the bathhouse four days a week both to bathe and also to boost his sex life.

"The hot water and the massage makes your blood circulate better and makes you a better man during the night," he said, explaining that he divides the days of the week between his two women -- and also takes a day off.

"Tuesday is my private day. I come here to bathe, enjoy time with my friends. On that day I cannot look at any woman."

Hamzei said that most of the young generation in Yemen visit hamams for the same reason. "The hamam is just the beginning. Then chewing the qat makes you feel like a tiger," he added with a smile.

The first stage of the ritual is the warm room, where bathers perspire in a flow of hot dry air as they sit on stone black benches.

The next room is warm and humid. Here customers wash, and the soapy water runs away through gutters cut into the floor.

In the hot massage parlor, a masseur pummels vigorously at a client, working on his legs, hands, stomach and back.

For women only

The hamam's doors also open at other times for women only, especially on Thursdays, the weekend in Yemen when most weddings take place.

"On the wedding day special rituals are observed for both bride and groom," said Yehya al-Sadik, 40, one of the owners of Hamam al-Abhar.

"After the bride takes a steam bath, special oil and incense is used on her body to prepare her for the big night."

The cost of a visit to the bathhouse varies between 200 riyals (one dollar) and 2,000 riyals.

"As soon as the client enters the hamam, he is charged 200 riyals and then the price depends on what the client wants. For each service there is a price. That may also include lunch inside the hamam," said Sadik.

Many Yemenis also believe visiting the hamam is good for the health, and that a day there is better than any prescription from the doctor.

Some also say it is a natural remedy to combat swine flu, the potentially deadly A(H1N1) virus sweeping the world.

"My son Mohammed is suffering from flu, so I bring him here for a daily bath. The hot water and steam are better than any medicine," said Khaled Rafiq, 39.

Japan to operate solar energy station in outer space

TOKYO: The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has big plans, as it wants to conquer outer space to generate solar energy by 2030.

The idea is to collect solar power in space and beam it down to earth, in the form of lasers or microwaves. The so-called Space Solar Power System project is led by big corporations such as Mitsubishi, NEC, Fujitsu und Sharp.

As a first step, JAXA wants to deploy photovoltaic elements in outer space where they will be assembled in the form of dishes several square kilometers in size. Solar energy in space is about five times stronger than on earth, and the solar energy will be transformed into power in space.

The dishes are supposed to zap the lasers and microwaves to gigantic parabolic antennae located on earth, probably in remote areas such as dam reservoirs, for example. JAXA wants to begin conducting feasibility tests with a 100-kW demo system before eventually boosting that number to 1 Gigawatt.

NASA readies space shuttle Atlantis for Monday launch

WASHINGTON: The US space agency was readying for the launch Monday of the space shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven astronauts to deliver equipment that will maintain the nearly completed International Space Station.

Lift-off is set for 1928 GMT from the Kennedy Space Centre near Cape Canaveral, Florida, NASA said Saturday.

"Atlantis is ready to go, in really great shape," said shuttle launch manager Mike Moses at a press conference broadcast on NASA television.

"Here at Kennedy Space Center weather should be very good," said Meteorologist Kathy Winters, adding that there was just a ten percent chance of weather prohibiting the launch.

Captained by Marine Corps colonel Charlie Hobaugh, the all-male crew arrived Thursday at Kennedy Space Center from Houston, Texas, where the astronauts are based.

The shuttle mission is set to include three spacewalks aimed at storing space hardware on the exterior of the orbiting outpost.

The 11-day space outing will be the fifth and last shuttle mission for 2009.

There are just five more shuttle launches scheduled before the planned September 2010 retirement of the fleet.

British commander urges on winning Afghan hearts

LONDON: The British government has faced repeated accusations that troops are being put at increased risk because of insufficient equipment and helicopters.

But Lieutenant General Nick Parker, the British deputy commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan insisted shortages of kit were not to blame for his 26-year-old son Harry losing both legs in a booby-trap bomb in July.

Parker told the News of the World that the equipment supplied to British troops was right for the job they are doing.

He suggested that the key to stemming casualties and achieving military success in the country was not more helicopters but a strategy to win the hearts and minds of local people by getting out into their communities.

"Rather than asking for more helicopters -- which may be a requirement -- what we've got to do is develop tactics that get you out and amongst the people and re-establish ourselves as a force for good in the community," he told the newspaper.

"I know my view, as a fat general sitting behind a desk, will be treated with derision... (but) I genuinely believe there is no need to buy extra kit.

"I'm absolutely convinced that what Harry was given was right for what he was doing. However, nothing was ever going to stop his leg getting blown off."

A total of 232 British personnel have lost their lives in Afghanistan since 2001.

US camp in Iraq was Qaeda breeding ground, say ex-inmates

BAGHDAD: Iraq's Camp Bucca, the US-run jail where around 100,000 prisoners were kept over six years, was a breeding ground for the Al-Qaeda terror network, according to police and former inmates.

Bucca, located in an isolated desert north of the border with Kuwait, was a school for scores of Takfiris, or Sunni extremists who usually ended up in Al-Qaeda, said Abu Mohammed, freed in 2008 after 26 months behind its bars.

"The illiterate and straight-forward people were the easiest prey for indoctrination," said the 32-year-old resident of Ramadi, the former insurgency stronghold 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Baghdad.

Opened after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Camp Bucca was the biggest detention centre in Iraq housing up to 22,000 prisoners in 2007.

At its closing on September 17 this year, there were only 8,000 inmates who were transferred to Camp Cropper in Baghdad and Camp Taji, north of the capital.

"The two suicide bombers and the majority of suspects detained after the twin bombings of August 19 against the foreign affairs and finance departments, which killed 95, were released shortly before from Camp Bucca," a senior interior ministry official told sources.

"We reached the same conclusion for the double attack of October 25 which left 153 dead," the official said of the almost simultaneous blasts at the justice and public works ministries, after which 73 people were arrested.

In addition, according to an officer, "the Iraqi police belatedly realised that many terrorists from Al-Qaeda were released because they had been detained in American prisons under false names and were not under our review."

Captain Brad Kimberly, spokesman for the US prisons authority in Iraq, said, "To date, we've not received any evidence suggesting a former detainee may be involved in either attack."

Former inmates beg to differ, however.

Late Moteab goal throws Egypt World Cup lifeline

JOHANNESBURG — Emad Moteab scored five minutes into stoppage time to earn Egypt a 2-0 victory over Algeria Saturday and a 2010 World Cup lifeline.

The result left the bitter North African rivals level on points and goal difference at the top of Group C so they will meet again next Wednesday in Sudan to decide which country goes to South Africa.

Reigning African champions Egypt could not have wished for a better start with Amr Zaki giving them a second-minute lead before a sell-out 75,000 crowd at the Cairo Stadium.

But the 'Pharaohs' failed to build on their early fortune and Algeria missed several good chances to equalise in a clash between two of the fiercest African football rivals.

Moteab replaced Zaki after 65 minutes and when all seemed lost, he rose to head the ball into the far corner of the net past Algerian goalkeeper Lounes Gaouaoui.

The build-up to the match had been marred by hostility between supporters, including stones being thrown at the Algerian team bus as it drove from Cairo airport to their hotel and internet and media wars of words.

Former Wigan striker striker Zaki prodded the ball into the net after a shot from star midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika rebounded off a post as Egypt sought the three-goal victory that would bring a third World Cup appearance.

Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra cleared off the Algerian line amid a wave of early Egyptian attacks before veteran goalkeeper Essam al-Hadary did well to parry a Karim Ziani header at the other end.

However, as the early sting evaporated from the 'Pharaohs' strike force the match became untidy with many players visibly nervous as Algeria sought a World Cup place 23 years after their previous appearance.

Al-Hadary pushed away a Nadir Belhadj free kick and a header from Egypt midfielder Mohamed Homos just missed the target before Antar Yahia came agonisingly close for the 'Desert Foxes' deep in first-half stoppage time.

Algeria wasted a great chance to equalise on 57 minutes when Rafik Saifi burst through only to see his lob parried to safety by Al-Hadary, long rated the best goalkeeper on the continent.

But with Egypt seemingly running out of ideas and Gaouaoui equal to every task, the national stadium erupted as Saudi Arabia-based Moteab set up a play-off in sauna-like Omdurman.