Al Hakima: francuska liječnica u Jemenu

The memoir and travelogue Al Hakima (published in Croatian/Serbian editions, such as the one from 1965) by French physician and ethnologist Claudie Fayein offers a fascinating account of her years of work and life in Yemen during the 1950s. At a time when Yemen was an exceptionally isolated, closed, and feudal kingdom ruled by an Imam, Dr. Fayein was one of the few Western women granted permission to enter and work in the country. Known as "Al Hakima" (an Arabic term for a wise woman or female physician), the author provides a firsthand description of the challenges involved in establishing modern medical care within a society steeped in centuries-old traditions, superstition, and strict religious rules. Particularly striking are her descriptions of the lives of Yemeni women within the confines of the harem—spaces to which she, as a female doctor, had unique and privileged access. Beyond its medical focus, the book offers exceptional ethnological and social insights. Claudie Fayein writes with deep respect and empathy for the Yemeni people, detailing their customs, daily lives, architecture, and culture. The work remains an outstanding historical record of Yemen just prior to the modernization and political upheavals of the second half of the 20th century.