Tihama farmers in Yemen build these huts today the same way they were built 3,500 years ago. The usha huts are about 13 feet in diameter and are formed by curved, mud-covered branches. The roof is made of sorghum thatch, which is held down by ropes. There are doors on opposite sides of the huts so that cooling breezes will circulate—a very important attribute in the hot and humid Tihama region of the Arabian Peninsula. Inside, the walls are painted white and the women of the villages decorate them with bright colors.