qat has become a true and daily institution in Yemen. in the mornings, the locals go and buy there daily qat. from the beginning of the afternoon, men gather in the Mafradj, a special reception room in every house. then the "qating" starts. the green leaves of the qat plant are being chewed for hours and kept in one's mouth until they form a big (and visible) ball in one's cheek.
qating has a euphorising and exuberating effect. it is also said to have positive effects, such as stimulating thoughts, developping physical strength and weakening of fatigue (and hunger).
on the other side, it is also considered a drug upon which one can become dependant. and which takes up several hours per day, thus reducing actual work hours and perhaps also the general economy. it can also cause insomnia.
many Yemenis start qating in their childhood already, as young as 8-10 years.
however, in Hadramout region, only about 10% of the population chews qat leaves.
it should also be noted that women qat just as much as the men, but separately from them.
here some qat fields on the upper terrasses, with coffee fields on the lower terrasses. the qat plant can grow up to 3-4m of height and live almost 30 years. it grows at an altitude of 1500-2700m.
qat leaves being brought to the market for its daily sale and consumption.
no market, regardless how small, would be complete without a qat section.
in the midst of a bigger qat market in Bajil. the locals were extremely pleased to see us foreigners walking through the qat market and were offering us qat leaves from various quality as little presents.
happy before chewing qat...
... and happy when chewing qat while driving.
ps: yes, we tried qat ourselves as well. we are not sure whether we really felt any effects, it is possible (or maybe it was just our general crazy state of mind?), but probably we did not chew enough qat leaves, as we never managed to form such a big ball in our mouths as the locals...
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