Paul Nevin Photography
To wander the streets of fortress like stone villages in the Haraz mountains on Yemen’s west coast, is to take a step back time. To the outsider they can often appear deserted, save the occasional chador clad figure providing a momentary glimpse of life within.
By late afternoon and with the the temperature dropping, villages come to life. Shops re-open and children head home from school. Life is played out on the street. Young ones play carefree, perhaps the way we all used to know.
I came across this little girl in a world of her own, absorbed in play, and with her wardrobe seemingly at odds with her activity. As happy as, she’d set herself up in the middle of the street, beside an area of paving damaged by what I suspect was a leaking pipe. It helped provided a plentiful supply of rich black mud.
With her hair coiffed, replete with gold earing’s and decked out in what looked like her best dress, she looked pretty as a picture. Without a care in the world she looked up, and gave me the impression she was proud of her creativity, while at the same time somewhat bemused by the attention.