“Traditional mud brick tower houses have always been a source of pride to Yemenis, and over a year into a devastating civil war, they are also providing some much-needed jobs in the ancient capital Sanaa. At his traditional mud brick factory outside the city, Ali al-Sabahi oversees the process as it has was always been done, in happier days and now in dire ones. Workers mix clay with straw, animal dung and water and leave this to dry in the sun for several days before settling it into square moulds. After drying once more, they are loaded into the kiln to be fired. The burning period ranges between 15 and 20 days. Yemen, a poor country awash with weapons where the rule of law is weak, is no stranger to conflict. But the war that erupted last year brought widespread destruction in Sanaa and beyond in air strikes led by Saudi Arabia. The traditional houses of Sanaa, a UNESCO world heritage site said to have been founded by the son of Prophet Noah two and half millennia ago, have been spared – mostly. Coalition air strikes killed at least six people and leveled several tower houses in the Qasimi quarter, one of the city's oldest, in June. The war has taken livelihoods as well as lives, but brickmaking is a rare bright spot in Yemen, which has been pushed into a humanitarian disaster by the civil war. Despite the threat of destruction, a decades-long spread of concrete construction and tight wartime budgets, the appeal of the ancient art remains strong. Through his efforts the city's homes might yet maintain its distinctive beauty – its ochre walls glow amber and their whitewashed shining white at sunset – for generations”. – Mohamed al-Sayaghi and Khaled Abdullah via Reuters



Labourers wash up at the end of a work day at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, June 1, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A worker stands on bricks as he works at a kiln on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, June 1, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A labourer puts on his clothes at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen June 1, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





Labourers stack dried bricks inside a kiln, where they will be fired, at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, June 1, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A labourer plays a flute as other labourers listen at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, June 5, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A labourer smokes a cigarette as he rests at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, June 1, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A labourer uses a head torch as he rests after a work day at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, June 1, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A labourer looks at bricks being fired in a kiln at a factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, June 1, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





Labourers carry dried bricks to be stacked inside a kiln, where they will be fired, at a factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, May 29, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A labourer stands with his legs covered with mud at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, May 29, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A labourer puts mud in a mould to make bricks at a factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, May 28, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





Boys arrange blocks at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen May 28, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A boy arranges mud blocks at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, May 29, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





Labourers work on a kiln as they make bricks at a factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, June 1, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





Labourers load mud bricks onto a truck at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen May 29, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A labourer sleeps in a dorm at a brick factory on the outskirt of Sanaa, Yemen, June 5, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)





A view shows the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen, July 11, 2016. Picture taken July 11, 2016. (Photo by Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)





Damage is seen in a house allegedly caused by a Saudi-led air strike in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen, July 11, 2016. (Photo by Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)





A detail of a mud-brick house is seen in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen, July 11, 2016. (Photo by Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)





Buildings stand in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen, July 11, 2016. (Photo by Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)