The yearly mild weather spell that brings Yemen’s coast back to life

Published 5 August 2026 · india

Mukalla, Yemen – Before the sun rises over Mukalla’s beaches, 15‑year‑old Abdulrahman Badr and his friend Tareq are already at their usual spot on the

Mukalla, Yemen – Before the sun rises over Mukalla’s beaches, 15‑year‑old Abdulrahman Badr and his friend Tareq are already at their usual spot on the sand. They’re brewing tea and kneading dough for bakhmari, a traditional fermented flatbread from Hadramout – the vast governorate in eastern Yemen that Mukalla is the capital of. Their customers are the thousands of beachgoers gathering along the Arabian Sea shoreline thanks to a yearly climate phenomenon that turns the desperately hot summer cooler for a few weeks. Al-Baldah, as the climate pattern is known, typically lasts from late July to early August, and draws thousands of visitors from across Yemen and abroad to Mukalla. Before sunrise, the beaches, normally known for scorching heat and humidity, are packed with men, women and children enjoying the cool waters and refreshing sea breeze. “Al‑Baldah is a wonderful season. Business is booming and people are coming from everywhere,” Badr told Al Jazeera as he gently pressed and shaped pieces of dough by hand. Like many others, Badr is taking advantage of the seasonal crowds to earn money. At the start of the season, he and four friends set up a wooden table serving bakhmari, sambusi (a pastry similar to a samosa) and tea to hungry swimmers in search of a hot breakfast. “I will save what I earn from my work here to buy supplies for the new school year, which is about to begin,” said Badr, a student, his tired face dusted with flour and beach sand. Happiness and some frustration For more than a decade, Yemen has been plunged into war between the Iran‑backed Houthis and the Saudi‑backed, internationally recognised government, a conflict that has left thousands dead or wounded and displaced millions.

The war has driven millions into hunger and poverty while destroying vital infrastructure such as schools, roads and power stations. Therefore, for many residents and visitors in Mukalla, Al‑Baldah offers not only a break from their suffering but also a rare opportunity to earn money. Fuad Hassan, a Mukalla resident originally from Taiz city, retreated to the beach after a swim while his two children carried on playing in the sea. He said he recharges his energy during the dawn swim and loves seeing the beaches filled with happy swimmers. “We come to the beach after the dawn prayer and swim in the cold water for one or two hours before going back home. I love the fun and the hustle. Everywhere you look, people are playing and enjoying themselves,” said Hassan, who, along with his children, was bare‑chested and dressed in long swimming trunks. At the bustling beaches, groups of young men played games, snatching friends from behind, tossing them into the sand or burying them with only their heads visible. Women, dressed in full black abayas, headed into the cold sea to swim. Along the beachfront, rows of temporary stalls sold food, drinks and snacks as vendors served the crowds. But not everyone shared the joy. Hani Abdullah, an unemployed young man with a thin, trimmed black beard who said he had quit college, sat quietly on the seaside despite wearing swimming clothes, annoyed at some of the downsides of the large crowds. “Al‑Baldah revives the city of Mukalla as people come from everywhere. But we do not benefit from all this traffic,” he said. And Abdullah said the desperation for people to go to the beach wasn’t all good news – many were escaping homes that had become sweltering due to long power cuts.