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Yemen: Summer Arabic Language Immersion (YCMES) - Partner

Yemen: Summer Arabic Language Immersion (YCMES) - Partner - Main Page

Study at the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies (YCMES) and immerse yourself in the Arabic language in Sana'a in the Republic of Yemen. American University students can now participate in the Special Summer Program for University Students offered as part of the Yemen Language Center (YLC) at YCMES.

The Yemen Language Center (YLC) was the first private institution in Yemen dedicated exclusively to teaching Arabic as a foreign language. This has afforded our students the opportunity to learn Arabic in a much more effective, stimulating setting. Located in the capital city of Sana'a, the YLC has served the needs of international students, researchers, and the resident expatriate community since 1989. Recently, in 2007, the YLC became the first and only fully-accredited Arabic program for international students in Yemen.

The Republic of Yemen, located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Penninsula, is one of the most intriguing and beautiful countries in the Arab world. Its ancient kingdoms grew rich in the trade of frankincense and myrrh. One of them, Saba', constructed the great dam of Ma'rib, an engineering feat of the ancient world, and is said to have been the home of the Queen of Sheba (or Bilqis as she is known in Yemen). In medieval times, Yemeni towns like Zabid were unrivalled in the Muslim world as centers of religious learning. Yemen's coffee, shipped from the port of Mocha, became a prized luxury good in Europe.

But above all, the reason to study in Yemen is its people. Not only among the most hospitable on earth, as well as the kindest, they are also proud of their traditional poetry, dress, dance, and crafts. Language learners will also find curious Yemenis willing and even eager to speak Arabic with them, not always the case among the urban educated people in other Arabic-speaking countries.