Yemeni Akhdam, or servants, are similar to hereditary castes, but are distinguished by their African features and the menial jobs they perform. Widespread prejudice places the Akhdam at the bottom of Yemen’s social ladder. Asked about the origins of the Akhdam, Yemenis say they are descendants of Ethiopians who crossed the Red Sea to conquer Yemen before the arrival of Islam some 1,400 years ago – making them outsiders in their own country. Most live in slum areas in the outskirts of the capital Sanaa and other main cities. They reside in small huts haphazardly built of wood and cloth, without basic services such as running water, electricity and sewage networks.
And you thought you had it bad.
A boy plays on a makeshift swing near a slum area of the Akhdam community, where he lives, in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
Children from the Akhdam community play in a slum area in Sanaa. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
People are seen in their hut in a slum area of the Akhdam community in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A boy stands at the door of his family's hut in a slum area of the Akhdam community in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A poster of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh hangs inside the hut of an Akhdam family in a slum area in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A boy lies in a baby hammock in his family's hut in a slum area of the Akhdam community in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A woman from the Akhdam community applies traditional Henna dye on her husband's head in their hut at a slum area in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A woman applies traditional Henna dye on the legs of her daughters in their hut in a slum area of the Akhdam community near Sanaa. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A man poses for a photo with his grandchildren in their hut in a slum area of the Akhdam community in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
Women stand by the door of their hut in a slum area of the Akhdam community in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A woman and her granddaughter stand at the door of their hut in a slum area of the Akhdam community in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A woman from the Akhdam community holds her son in a slum area in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A girl collects water from a makeshift well at a slum area of the Akhdam community in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A man from the Akhdam community sleeps on the side of a street in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A girl carries a jerry can filled with water she collected from a makeshift well in a slum area of the Akhdam community in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A man from the Akhdam community cooks chicken feet outside his hut in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A woman from the Akhdam community poses for a photo in a slum area in Yemen's south-western city of Taiz. Khaled Abdullah Ali Al Mahdi /Reuters
Ahlam Salem, 15, moves in an ally in a slum area in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A general view of a slum area of the Akhdam community in Sanaa. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A boy stands at the door of his family's hut in a slum area in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
Street cleaners from the Akhdam community collect garbage in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz. Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS
A woman from the Akhdam community with traditional Henna makeup on her face stands outside her hut in a slum area in Yemen's south-western city of Taiz. Khaled Abdullah Ali Al Mahdi /Reuters
Children play in an abandoned hut in a slum area of the Akhdam community in Yemen's western port city of Houdieda. Khaled Abdullah Ali Al Mahdi /Reuters
A view of a slum area of the Akhdam community in Sanaa. Khaled Abdullah Ali Al Mahdi /Reuters
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