Yemenis refer to steep mountain slopes that are difficult to traverse and walk on as "Heija" or "Nakeel." There is no equivalent term in Arabic dictionaries similar to what Yemenis have adopted, making it a unique Yemeni term tied to the nature of the Yemeni landscape. "Heija Al-Abd," which has gained recent fame, is one of the most critical roads in our beloved Yemen. It is considered a national asset par excellence, responsible for economically and socially connecting the national soil after the closure of vital crossings.
This road, carved out by the locals with their bare hands and modest resources, has turned into a "miracle" road, performing a role unseen by the relevant authorities due to the blindness and horrors of war. However, it has opened the doors of life to citizens and their movement after the war condemned them to isolation. Instead of employing and utilizing its importance, it has been neglected like all service projects, rather than improving its efficiency to preserve travelers' lives after frequent deadly accidents.
So, who is responsible for the collapse of the most crucial road connecting the country internally and externally? Why do the concerned authorities not repair it after the collapse of its foundations and bridges, whose fate is unknown?
Two years after unification, the UN office in Sana'a announced a request for a consultancy study to identify the most critical intersecting roads between Lahj and Taiz to reconnect border areas that had been traditionally linked and were awaiting support to operate. Since "Heija Al-Abd" had been in my mind since childhood, I suggested including it in this field project, in which I was part of the team.
The team moved from Taiz on its way to Aden through Heija Al-Abd, the route the locals used. We reached Al-Akahila before noon, with fog everywhere, and the car's altimeter indicated over 3,800 feet above sea level. The accompanying experts thought the car was malfunctioning, but as the clouds cleared and the fog gradually lifted, Heija's road, initially carved, appeared. A road winding like a snake caused the team to panic and hesitate about how to descend. I suggested the cars go first, and we follow them until we reach Tor Al-Baha, then continue to Aden, just over sixty kilometers away, which we could see from our location. We would return via Al-Batinah, Al-Aghbarah, to Al-Barah, and then to Taiz, enabling the team to explore all traditional roads.
The cars began descending, and we followed. We were met by Sheikh Ahmed Saeed, who had been overseeing the road construction from the beginning, to show us the way and explain some details we might have missed. We learned that the locals and the local council had been digging and leveling for over ten years, supported by continuous local support. However, the road needed different equipment and substantial funding that neither the government nor cooperatives could provide except for major inter-provincial roads. Internal roads, considered secondary, did not receive the necessary funding and equipment.
During our descent, we encountered a woman being carried to Al-Turba Hospital, but she died after traveling the entire distance. The situation saddened us, and we learned at the only elementary school in the area that such incidents occur almost daily. The presence of teachers from the Faculty of Education graduates supported the project, and the team understood the daily difficulties patients and students face reaching health and educational services in Al-Turba.
The project received about thirty million riyals at that time, provided to the government to complete the work. The Taiz Roads Project covered the remaining costs, provided engineering plans, excavation machinery, engineers, and technical and engineering supervision for the project, which became their full responsibility. Maintenance was provided continuously since its operation until the war broke out in 2015. The supervision and follow-up remained the responsibility of the local council.
Conquering and taming Heija had been a dream long aspired to by many in their youth, a generation whose journey ended at its outskirts, adhering to family instructions due to the fear of the steep rocky slope that one could only approach to a certain distance, unable to see the valleys or the surrounding villages below. Travelers to Tor Al-Baha would pass through very narrow paths at night to prevent mules and donkeys carrying their belongings from hesitating. Residents shared in delivering food and agricultural supplies to homes hanging on the Heija by tying them with ropes or passing them through pipes from the peaks of "Al-Jahili" and "Al-Sharaf," the areas overlooking Heija.
Over time, dreams of conquering this road grew, to ascend and descend it easily. But the fear of this impossible dream grew with the long and arduous effort, and the narrow paths collapsing due to rain, with no alternative means to avoid this suffering except to completely bypass the road, covering a distance of over two hundred and fifty kilometers via Al-Raheda, through Taiz and Al-Turba, to Mount Sabran Al-Rabisa, Al-Akahila, and Al-Kafeef, then descending to the valley on foot, taking a full day. Gradually, cars began to make their way to some of the villages hanging on the Heija and its valleys, coming from Tor Al-Baha. The locals started opening traditional, very dangerous paths under the pressure of necessity to connect the villages to administrative units, schools, and hospitals.
This phase gave the locals a strong push to continue their efforts, doubling through cooperatives by digging whatever primitive roads they could, spreading thanks to the reform movement in Yemen. Through cooperative local work and local councils, the project found justification for continuation, as cooperative work encouraged local communities to provide infrastructure. The cooperative project idea was based on partnership between the community and the state, where citizens laid the project's foundations according to their capabilities and then handed them over to the state for management and staffing, as was the case with schools and dispensaries built during the 1970s.
This road, despite its difficulty and the generations it took to complete, created memories tied to various phases of its execution, up to the initial opening that helped some cars reach the peak of Heija. We would accept invitations from the locals to attend social events in "Al-Masjid" village or in the "Al-Huwaisha" villages halfway down Heija. The descent would take three hours, while the ascent would take five to six hours. The locals would watch the adventurous Heija descent by cars from the start of their movement until arrival, seeing the cars advancing a few meters, then retreating several meters, with passengers disembarking to support them with stones repeatedly until they could reach after hours of waiting, fear, tears, and anxiety, unsure if the passengers would return safely or not. The road had not yet been leveled, could not accommodate more than one car, was surrounded by massive rocks, and the deep valley awaited any mistake.
This road was carved due to the insistence of the locals and their contributions, and their pursuit of its completion. It was the efforts of the people of Maqatra, Al-Akahila, Al-Rabisa, Mount Sabran, and Al-Kafeef, Sharaf Sharjab that made this project possible, aiming to facilitate the movement of local residents between Al-Turba, Tor Al-Baha, Al-Wahat, and Aden, connecting their villages to essential service centers. Citizens later contributed by providing private transportation for the road to facilitate people's movement at symbolic fares. Thus, Heija's road became an engineering marvel upon its completion, attracting visits from officials and citizens alike, with continuous maintenance since its completion and paving.
With the outbreak of war, the disruption of road networks nationwide, and the forced use of Heija Al-Abd in a chaotic manner, turning it into an international road for all types of vehicles and trucks, its limited capabilities diminished with increased usage, declining services, and the inability to handle heavy vehicles. The neglect of basic safety requirements on the road has left it in a state unsatisfactory to anyone, locally or nationally. It has worn out under traffic pressure beyond its capacity without maintenance or expansion, making travel extremely dangerous. Its cessation would lead to a disaster for the region and the entire country, now relying solely on this road, either facing a halt or rapid intervention.
Is there a proper understanding of the importance of Heija Al-Abd and the follow-up of influential parties with the decision-making power to stop this chaos? Who will compel the Roads Authority to expand and develop this vital artery for all of Yemen before it is too late? The road's closure would mean the cessation of most roads it connects and the projects it covers, stopping life for the locals and all users of the road across the country, a catastrophe that breaks Yemeni backs more than the war itself!
Is there anyone who will respond to save Heija Al-Abd and simultaneously maintain and develop the Nakeel "Al-Saha" road from the opposite side of the village and the Al-Hadarim road adjacent to Al-Turba city, or prepare and pave the Al-Ahkoum Al-Massala road near Heija Al-Abd to support Heija Al-Abd and reduce pressure on it?