The day starts very early for the people of Yemen. The first call to prayer by the muezzin sounds when the houses of the neighbourhood can only be seen as shadows and the air is still bitterly cold in the mountains during winter. According to Islamic tradition, al fajr, the dawn prayer, begins in the first early light of dawn, as soon as a black thread can be distinguished from a white one. That is often possible a long time before sunrise. Whoever wakes up first wakes all the other family members in the room.
Women have the same obligation as the men of the house.
Women and men usually sleep in different rooms, even close family members. The zanna, the white robe that also serves as a nightshirt, is kept on. The asib, the scabbard of the djambia with its sharp right-hand curve, is buckled on around the hips and a cloth skilfully bound around the head. The jackets of the men hang on a nail in the wall, as do long strips of cloth, which are first thrown over one shoulder and then wrapped around the neck. In the cold months of winter the thick baltu is worn, this is a warm coat of blue fabric, fully- lined on the inside with lambskin.