The late archaeologist Khaldoun Nu'man's passion for history and antiquities was not a mere coincidence. But rather the result of a long-standing love for everything related to Yemen and the mysteries of its ancient eras. He was born with an enduring love for Yemen, a love that spanned from prehistoric times, and he passed away with Yemen's history and antiquities embedded in his soul.
The late Khaldoun Hazza Abdu Nu'man—a renowned professor of Yemeni ancient archaeology and epigraphy, who was born in Taiz Governorate on April 17, 1967, in the region of Al-A'bus—lived throughout his life in a state of constant anguish over the looting of Yemen’s artifacts and their sale at international auctions, all under the watchful eyes of successive Yemeni governments.
“Since joining the University of Dhamar as a teaching assistant, he immersed himself in archaeology with great enthusiasm. This passion led him to visit numerous archaeological sites, where he uncovered new inscriptions that inspired researchers and opened up many avenues for understanding the ancient Yemeni history.”
From Enthusiast to Expert
Despite the hardships of life and the challenges he faced, as he came from a distant village, Nu'man enrolled in Sana’a University and graduated from the Department of Archaeology in 1991. His academic journey did not stop at earning just the bachelor's degree; rather, he insisted on pursuing higher studies. In 2003, he obtained his master's degree from the same university, with his thesis being published later as a book titled “The Political, Economic, and Social Conditions During the Reign of King Shammar Yuhar'ish” as part of the "Sana'a: Capital of Arab Culture 2004" publications.
It was a fortuitous coincidence for both the university and also Yemeni antiquities when Nu'man was appointed as a teaching assistant in the Department of Archaeology and Museums at the Faculty of Arts at Dhamar University. There, his passion for archaeology flourished, transforming him from an enthusiastic amateur into a professional specialist. He undertook discoveries, excavations, and restorations and authored dozens of research papers both independently and in collaboration with global archaeology giants like Christian Robin. Since joining the University of Dhamar as a teaching assistant, he has immersed himself in archaeology with great enthusiasm. Consequently, this passion in archaeology led him to visit numerous archaeological sites, where he uncovered new inscriptions that inspired researchers and opened up many avenues for understanding the ancient Yemeni history.
Despite his limited resources when he was a teaching assistant, Khaldoun never felt discouraged nor did his passion wane. Instead, he visited dozens of archaeological sites, often trekking through the mountains surrounding these sites. He did not own a camera or have any means of transportation, but would borrow one and travel using regular transport—sometimes even riding in the back of a Hilux truck. In his explorations, he uncovered inscriptions, remnants of walls, and traces of ancient roads in different areas. He thoroughly explored and combed through mountains and valleys, determined to rewrite and alter the course of many historical narratives and challenge much of the established assumptions in his field related to the ancient Yemeni history.
“He frequently visited Baynun and met the founder of the museum there, who saw in Khaldoun a great scholar and a passionate lover of Yemen’s antiquities and history. The founder entrusted him with organizing all the museum’s artifacts, cleaning and displaying them, and providing descriptions for each piece in three languages.”
Gifted a Camera and Laptop
In 2005, when Christian Robin met him and learned of his immense efforts he was making—at the time, Khaldoun was still a teaching assistant—along with his discoveries of new inscriptions as well as his fresh interpretations of history, Robin said in front of a group of Yemeni and foreign archaeology specialists, "Today, we begin rewriting ancient Yemeni history." Robin gifted Khaldoun his personal camera and laptop, enabling him to continue his work with better resources, ushering in a new chapter of archaeological research. Thus, his contributions opened significant new avenues for understanding Yemen's ancient past.
Khaldoun frequently visited Baynun and met the museum’s founder, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Azizi, who saw in Khaldoun a great scholar and a passionate lover of Yemen’s antiquities and history. Impressed by his expertise, Al-Azizi entrusted him with organizing all the museum’s artifacts, cleaning, displaying them, and providing descriptions for each piece in three languages: Arabic, English, and French. Khaldoun spent around ten days at the museum with a colleague, arranging and preparing it for its grand opening. During this time, he took stunning photographs of each artifact individually.
The late Nu'man’s aspirations did not stop there. He envisioned establishing a museum at Dhamar University and convinced the then-head of the archaeology department, the late Dr. Madiha Rashad, of the idea. Together with his colleagues, he embarked on a mission to collect archaeological artifacts, and their efforts culminated in the opening of the Archaeology Department Museum at Dhamar University.
When the Italians Got to Know Him
When an Italian university requested the restoration of artifacts from the Baynun Museum in 2007, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Azizi, the museum’s founder, insisted that Dr. Khaldoun accompany the artifacts and oversee their restoration in Italy. During his time there, the Italians came to know him, and through coordination with Dr. Ameeda Shaalan, he secured a PhD scholarship at the University of Pisa.
Subsequently, Khaldoun traveled to Italy in 2008 to pursue his PhD. There, he worked on more than 200 new inscriptions that he had discovered—an impressive number considering that many doctoral theses feature only ten new inscriptions.
During his PhD studies at the University of Pisa, the university established the Digital Archive for the Study of Pre-Islamic Arabian Inscriptions (DASI), the most important archive in the world for Yemeni inscriptions. Khaldoun was a founding member of this project, which was overseen by Alessandra Avanzini, his PhD supervisor. Khaldoun played a key role in this project, serving as a founding member and the primary resource for providing images and information on hundreds of ancient Yemeni inscriptions, translating them, identifying their discoverers, and specifying the dates and locations of their discoveries.
Dr. Khaldoun completed his PhD thesis titled "A Study of South Arabian Inscriptions from the Dhamar Region" in English in 2012, which was published in the same year. He stayed in Italy for two additional years working on the DASI project before returning to Yemen in 2014, where he was appointed as the Head of the Department of Archaeology and Museums at the Faculty of Arts, Dhamar University. He continued in this position until 2018, after which he was appointed as the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Arts for Academic Affairs, a role he held until 2022.
“He was not just an archaeologist; he was obsessed with everything related to archaeology. For instance, he would spend an entire week grappling with an inscription whose features had been largely eroded. He would enter into a challenge, working on it with determination and patience until he deciphered its mysteries and letters.”
A Walking Encyclopedia on Antiquities and Inscriptions
He was a walking encyclopedia of Yemeni inscriptions and history. He was the go-to reference for colleagues and students, who frequently turned to him for insights into specific inscriptions or ancient Yemeni kings. He would provide detailed answers, including the locations of inscriptions, who discovered them, their numbers, and their content.
Moreover, he was not just an archaeologist; he was obsessed with everything related to archaeology. For instance, he would spend an entire week grappling with an inscription whose features had been largely eroded. He would enter into a challenge, working on it with determination and patience until he deciphered its mysteries and letters.
Some of his research significantly altered the understanding of Yemeni history. For example, in a study titled "Dhamar al-Qarn: The Location of Ancient Dhamar," he demonstrated that the site referred to as Dhamar in archaeological inscriptions was not the present-day city of Dhamar, but rather a village south of Dhamar called "Dhamar al-Qarn." Professor Christian Robin was convinced by this hypothesis and built his future research upon it.
In 2022, he also won the "Sheikha Elyazia Bint Al Nahyan Prize for Ancient Inscriptions and Writings," awarded by the Arab Council of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists, as part of the Arab Council for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research in Cairo, among three Yemeni academics. Dr. Khaldoun Nu’man received the award for his research titled "Inscriptions from the Mahanef Tribe Areas in Yemen." Subsequently, Dhamar University honored him with a shield and a certificate of recognition for his significant contributions to the study of Yemeni inscriptions and antiquities.
Besides, he was also a member of the team tasked with rescuing artifacts from under the rubble of the Dhamar Regional Museum, which was destroyed by an airstrike in 2015 from the coalition forces. The team recovered fragmented and damaged pieces, and he played a significant role in their recovering and reassembling the shattered pieces afterward.
Despite the interruption of his salary and the difficult conditions, he remained dedicated to his academic duties at Dhamar University, as was his usual practice. On the day of his death, August 19, 2024, he went in the morning to give his lectures in the Department of Archaeology at Dhamar University and met with his students and colleagues. During his lecture, he experienced chest pain and was subsequently rushed for medical attention, but he passed away on the way before reaching the hospital.
The late scholar left behind a significant scientific legacy, as well as a deep sorrow that resonates in the hearts of all who knew him. He was a vast repository of knowledge and a paragon of ethics—disciplined, dedicated, and an exemplary scholar.
