Second part of Taiz museum collapses due to neglect

TAIZ, Oct. 1 (YPA) – Another building of the National Museum in Taiz province has reportedly collapsed on Wednesday, local sources said.

A week after the collapse of the front of the museum, one of the historic buildings in the city has been destroyed.

According to the sources, before the war, the building was used as the headquarters of the so-called Recruitment and Reserve Division of the Hadi government in Taiz province.

The so-called military axis of Taiz, which is controlled by the Islah Party forces, rejected a request by the Museum Department and the Antiquities Authority to hand over the building for restoration and maintenance, leading to it falling apart during the past years of conflict.

The sources confirmed that the collapse came after the building suffered cracks due to heavy rainfalls that hit the province during the past two months, as well as a lack of maintenance during the past years.

On Friday, local sources confirmed that the façade of the building, its main entrance and the rooms at the main gate were destroyed.

The building was a component of the royal palace built by the Imam of Yemen, Sayyid Ahmed Hamid al-Din in the 1950s, and was turned into a museum after the Revolution of September 26, 1962.

E.M