Haircut+Flag Shopping In Aden, Yemen
- Konrad Tillman
- Jun 14
- 3 min read
Intro
Before heading to the airport, on my last and final day in Yemen (yes, we have already finished this series, sadly), I was destined to do two things before leaving:
Getting a haircut. My hair had been getting extremely long, and with a date the next evening in Indonesia, I figured this would be a perfect time to try out a local Yemeni barber shop.
I wanted a flag. As I spoke about in many different posts, North and South Yemen are currently somewhat divided. The flag of South Yemen is beautiful, and I wanted to bring one back to hang on my wall.
Flag Shopping
With holding a soldier's AK ticked off of the list, we had a couple of hours before my flight to find a flag. Over the past few days, we had looked all over Aden for one, but with no result. My guide had suggested that we try a spot about a 30-minute drive away, but this meant it was all or nothing.
So we drove, and we drove, and we drove, stopping by any shop that remotely would look like it might have a flag. About an hour of searching later, we were about to give up when I asked my guide to ask a guy on the street. The guy said that the militiary shop just might have one, and it wasn't too far away. We agreed: this would be the last place we checked.
We parked the car, and began walking through this local market, with not a clue where we were in the world.
Until eventually, we stumbled upon this military shop that the guy had told us about.
Stepping inside, you could tell that this wasn't a flag shop; this was a proper "I am gearing up to enter combat shop". Guns were waving everywhere, full-face balacalvas were being sold (not allowed to buy without a permit, weirdly), bulletproof vests were being hung, and it was a proper, "wow" moment.
We waited our turn while someone was buying a tactical belt and a grenade, until we finally asked, "Do you have a flag of South Yemen". Within seconds, we had purchased two for 10$. Quite expensive for Yemen, but you can't buy these flags anywhere.
The Haircut
At this point, it was about 3:45, and my flight was set to depart at 7. My guide's brother (who was showing me around today) told me we might just have enough time to squeeze in a haircut if we go to the place by the airport.
Arriving at about 4:15 pm, there was no wait for a haircut, and I climbed into this chair that had certainly seen better days. Let's leave it there.
The barber cutting my hair was fantastic actually, and at 2$ for a haircut, this is one of the best deals I have ever come across in my life... Until...
My guide called me and said, "Are you at the airport"?
Um.. no... my flight is at 7...
He said, "Leave now"!
With my hair in the process, and looking like shambles, I quickly paid the barber and we ran back to the car. Yes, to this day, my hair is still a little bit spotty due to having to leave mid-haircut 😅.
Final Thoughts
There are two parts to this story, and I will conclude separately. If you are looking to buy a South Yemen flag in Aden, please don't ask me where it is, as I have absolutely no idea. The only thing I can help you with is that it is at a military shop about 30 minutes away from Crater.
Now for the haircut: if you are looking to get a decent haircut done in Aden, look no further than the barber located right next door to the Marriott. At 2$ per haircut, this is a good deal for the quality you receive.
Yemen Series:
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