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 Baab-ul-Yaman by DanielF
A few hours later, we were awaken by the sun rays going through the coloured glass panels of our window. The only sounds we could articulate as we peeked out into the outside world were mere OHHHs and WAWs.
We were gazing at a forest of minarets and clay skyscrappers reflecting the morning sun. It looked rather like a stage decor for Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri than a real and lived city.
Truly, the most fascinating and best preserved medina my eyes have ever seen. Leave a Comment
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 by MichaelFalk1969
The main attraction of Sanaa is the architecture of the Old Town. The old houses resemble skyscrapers and show lots of beautiful details, especially the pretty stained-glass-windows. It is nevertheless no museum but a living city, which makes it even more interesting.
Heart of the old town ist the Suk (market), where all kinds of goods are sold: There is a henna suk, a spice suk, a silverware suk etc. The Bab Al Yemen is the fortified city gate and entry point to the Old Town.
Sanaa has also lots of mosques, none of them open to non-muslims, so you can only admire their architecture from the outside.
If you go to Sanaa, plan in at least 3 days to take in the beauty of this city. Sanaa is also a good base to explore the surrounding countryside, especially Thulla/Kawkaban, Wadi Dahr, Bait Bauß, and Manackha/Hajjara can be visited easily from Sanaa. Address: SanaaDirections: Sanaa
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I often visited Sadah in the far North of Yemen as it had a hospital staffed by westerners paid for by the Saudi Government as kind of an AID project. I was fascinated by the old walled city really a going concern left over from the innocence trade that want on here for a few thousand years BC until about a few hundred years CE. This brings me to one of the interesting cultures I had the chance to understand that of the Yemeni Jews still in Yemen. Maybe there are as few as a few hundred maybe a few thousand but I got to know a few around sadah. The Jews turn out to have very deep roots in Yemen going back to 900 years BC. At the end of the third century, Himyarite king Šamir Yuhar`iš united Yemen. King Dhu Nuwas of Himyar (518-525) converted to Judaism which seemed to be the flavor of the day in Yemen because a large number of people who converted to Judaism, making Judaism the ruling religion. Jewish rule lasted until 525 CE, when the Christians from Ethiopia took over. Leave a Comment
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Many in the “cultures of the Book” have read about the Queen of Sheba it is part of stories in Islam, Christian and Judaism. The Queen of Sheba showed up in Jerusalem like a movie star smelling of spice and lots of goodies in the book of First Kings Chapter 10. In the Qur'an Solomon commanded the Queen of Sheba to come to him as a subject, whereupon she appeared before him (Qur'an, sura xxvii. 30-31, 45). A fancy orange-crested bird told King Solomon of a Happy Green Arabia to the South of the great desert. In my four years in that part of the world with countless trips to both Yemen and Ethiopia I became one of the lookers for the Queen. The search started for me at the Museum in Sana’a the capital of Yemen and where I live. The huge display of things from the Kingdom of Sheba beautiful Artifacts carver out of alabaster. The other place to explore endlessly was with the researchers studing at the American Institute for Yemeni Studies we would invite to our Yemen who were studying the many rich cultures of South Arabia and learning to read the language of old Sheba.
Here is a the great places in Sana’a. to look for the Queen.
American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS)
Dr. Christopher M. Edens, Resident Director
American Institute for Yemeni Studies
P.O. Box 2658
Sana'a, Republic of Yemen
Queen of Sheba: Treasures from Ancient Yemen, edited by St John Simpson Leave a Comment
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The Sabaean culture and kingdom of Saba (Sheba) was one of 4 or 5 in South Arabia and Major Cultures in Southern Arabia (now Yemen). The ruins at Ma'rib are considered by many researchers to be the Capital of Saba (Sheba). This place was the Microsoft of the Ancient world when Incense was King they were rich rich rich. The trade in incense was the big money maker and the most import frankincense Dragonblood and myrrh were grown in Sheba on both sides of the red sea. Both the Yemeni’s and the Ethiopians claim they were Sabaeans and I thing they were right one powerful kingdom controlling the incense on both sides of the red sea.
These scents were highly valued in Egyptian, Greek and Roman rituals, and thus brought great wealth to the ancient kingdoms.
Ma'rib was most likly a going concern for over 4,000 years and about 3000 years ago the great dam at Ma'rib was built.
When you visit the site of Ma'rib the Gates on the South and the north side of the city remaining. Something around 2,500 years ago the capital city of Saba had a hew great wall built which was powerful enough to get the Romans out about 27 years BC.
You can also see the Temple of the Moon which is the most well know artifact in and large parts of the dam.
Both the most interesting thing to me is that deep in the Isolated wadis of Yemen and on the Socotra Island the people speak languages that are directly related to Sabaean. So in my mind I found the Queen of SHEBA and she is alive on Socotra Island and you can visit her when you go out with the people speaking her language and collect frankincense dragon blood and myrrh Leave a Comment
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City of Al –Mahwit in the Bilad Ghail mountains
Yemen is a great part of the world to understand Ottoman History it has lots from the period of the Ottoman. For example the City of Al –Mahwit in the Bilad Ghail mountains was an important Ottoman administrative center and a Center of the coffee trade starting in the 1530s. Al –Mahwit about 120 Km northwest of Sana’a happens to be one of the most beautiful cities in Yemen as well. The Architecture of Yemen South Arabian with Ottoman Turk is amazing it is stone here in the northwest not mud. “ Al-Masna’a in Al-Mahwit is one of the most amazing things to see and the view from the summit of the mountain Al-Raiyadi is priceless.
Yemen was part of the Ottoman Empire the soldiers sent to Ottoman Yemen were sent with a one way ticket. In 1516, Ottomans annexed Yemen and Turkish armies subsequently overran the country. They really never controlled more than a few forts and costal areas. Nobody wanted to go to Yemen so they “recruited” Christians from Ottoman Europe (with blue eyes blond hair) as young children trained them in Islam and as soldiers and sent them one way to Yemen where they settled intermarried and never went home. The name Turki is a very common last name in Yemen. The interior than as now was never really in control of the central government and the highlands high lands generally were ruled by the Zaidi Imams. So the Ottoman would set up Administrative fortifications like in the hills around Al –Mahwit areas to control the coffee and other agriculture. I sat in a coffie house in Al –Mahwit and asked about the Ottoman in the family almost all said oh ya my grandfather on my mother side etc.
In one of the photos attached you will see an Ottoman medal from 1846 this was because of a Zaidi attack in this area. Leave a Comment
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 by MichaelFalk1969
1. Haggling is not as common as in other tourist destinations. The prices are usually not ridiculously high "tourist prices", but more or less what you will pay. Some haggling is okay just for the fun of it, but don`t expect the price to drop to 50% of the original offer.
2. There are virtually no aggressive hawkers trying to force you buying something you don`t want. The traders will try to get your attention but if you show that you are not interested or the price is too high, they usually accept your decision without hard feelings. It is not stressful to go shopping in a Yemeni Suk. The only exceptions where the villages of Thulla, Shibam and Hajjara, where they practice "hard selling" but even there a "no" will be accepted.
3. Learn some arabic numbers, it makes haggling easier and more fun. Useful phrases: "bikam hatha" ("th" like in "the") = How much?, "aiwa" = yes, "la" = no.
4. Keep in mind that many products offered in the suk may are not produced in Yemen but elsewhere. Many goods are imported from China, India or elsewhere.
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 Ditwa Lagoon by DanielF
But so far, there are few traces of human life on the beaches of this enigmatic island. Leave a Comment
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 by MichaelFalk1969 |
 by MichaelFalk1969
I recommend a two day trip from Sanaa with one overnight stay in Hajjara. The reason is that you will probably arrive past midday if you`re coming from Sanaa, and due to the elevated location of both villages, it often gets foggy and cloudy in the afternoon. Hiking is then out of the question. In the mornings though the weather is usually clear. So even if you`re unlucky and you can`t see a thing on your first day, you will still have a nice hike on the second day. Address: roughly 3 hours west of SanaaDirections: roughly 3 hours west of Sanaa
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