The Burning Ashes of Time: From Steamer Point to Tiger Bay

The discovery of a traditional Welsh blanket in the palace of the former ruler of Yemen took Patricia Aithie on a fascinating journey of discovery. In the Yemeni seaman of the steam age she finds an unexpected link between her hometown of Cardiff, once the world’s biggest coal-exporting port, and Aden, where the coal which fuelled the Empire was bunkered.
 From Cardiff’s Yemeni community, she travels through remote mountain passes, deserts, ports and the ancient cities of southern Arabia, encountering former seamen and remote communities in which stories of Cardiff loom large.
 
This is remarkable and timely account of the way in which two cultures touch each other.
 
Patricia Aithie is a photographer, painter and travel writer, based in Cardiff.