Top Yemen hotels
Sponsored Links
5/10Moving south Zabid is a little inland from the Red Sea coast and a little hot. If you come here in summer you'll probably die. It is one of those towns where the historical accounts make it feel more interesting than it really is, and historically it is fascinating. It has a small, interesting citadel and a few historic buildings but not an awful lot else. Definitely worth a stop if you are heading through but dont organise your journey around it.
This tip refers to the Shibam in the Haraz Mountains, not the Shibam in the Hadramout. It is a small market town at the foot of Jebel Kawkaban. You will almost inevitably pass through it on your way to the much more scenic mountaintop village of Kawkaban, and it is probably where you will stop for shopping and lunch.Shibam was founded in the 2nd cenury AD. In the 9th century it became the capital of the Yafurid dynasty, and its grand mosque dates from that period.It is a rather scruffy, one-street town, which comes to life at the weekend when the colourful Friday market takes over the whole street.
If any building is the icon of Yemen, it is Dar al-Hajjar, the seventeenth century summer palace of Imam Yahya. It is just 15km north-west of Sana'a and consequently receives thousands of visitors, especially at weekends. In fact, the number of people visiting the palace is doubling every year, from 46,000 in 2006 to more than 100,000 in 2007. This is just about the only place in Yemen where you will feel you are at a crowded tourist attraction.Dar al-Hajjar is named after the huge rock on which it was built. The palace has several vaults and a secret escape tunnel, as well as wells, reaching a depth of 250 metres. At the entrance is a tree which is said to be more than 700 years old. Inside the building, you can see the rooms used by the Imam. The palace has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. It was comprehensively restored in the 1990s.There ia a cafe on a terrace opposite the...
This is one of my favourite places in Yemen. It is built around a huge cistern, which not only supplies the town's water, but also serves as an impromptu public swimming pool at weekends. Here you will see youths with rifles slung over their backs watching scores of children swimming with the ducks. Like Thula, Hababah is a walled town in the Haraz Mountains, north of Sana'a, with 5 to 7-storey tower houses.
With its dramatic setting and architecture, Al-Hajjarah is one of the most photogenic towns in the world. Inside, however, it is a confusing maze of narrow alleyways and closely-packed adobe buildings.The Ottoman Turks used Al-Hajjarah as a citadel to protect the approach road to Sana'a. The town has 5 to 8-storey tower houses and what was formerly a Jewish quarter. Al-Hajjarah means 'The Stony One", and its inhabitants eke a living growing millet, prickly pear, qat and coffee on terraces cut into the mountainside.There is just one gateway into the walled town. A few local youths will offer to be your guide, mainly to show you an overgrown path leading to a promomtory from which you get spectacular views of the town. You can find this by yourself.
Bayt Baws is the nearest fortified, hilltop village to Sana'a. It is a pretty place and well worth a visit. When I first arrived here, I thought that someone had painted the rocky slopes around the town green, but it's actually a natural phenomenon caused by the mineral content of the rocks.If you are only in Sana'a for a short visit and want to make a short trip outside the city, Bayt Baws is an ideal place to come.
Kawkaban is a fortified which stands on top of Jebel Kawkawban, 2850 m above sea level, overlooking the town of Shibam, at the foot of the mountain. It was the 15th century capital of the Bani-Sharaf Al-Din tribe and was once famous for its school of music.It is a great centre for hiking, including the one-hour hike down the mountain to Shibam.
Thula, sometimes also spelled Thila or Thilla, is a town, built at the foot of the 2,350 metre-high Al-Ghurab Mountain, where you can see some magnificent, traditional architecture. Thula is an ancient city, named after Thula bin Lubakha Al-Hemiari, who lived here two thousand years ago.There is a fortress on top of Al-Ghurab Mountain and a wall around the city, so you will enter it through one of the seven city gates. Its strong fortifications enabled it to repel the invading Ottoman Turks for more than three centuries. The houses of Thula are mostly 5 to 7 storeys high and have beautiful carved exteriors and colourful windows, known as qamereya. Thula was an important theological centre and it has more than 25 mosques.Bring your camera as Thula is one of the mosty photogenic places in the whole of the Arabian Peninsula.
Some important tips for buying in the Sanaa Suk (the most worthwhile bazaar of Yemen). The rules apply anywhere in Yemen. Shopping can be great fun in Yemen. 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....
Shibam west of Sanaa (direction Thulla/Kawkaban) should not be confused with Shibam in the Hadramaut. While the Hadrami Shibam is worthwhile seeing, the western Shibam is - as a village - nothing special. It just lies convenient towards Thulla and Kawkaban and has a good restaurant (Hameeda), run by a local women`s initiative, very popular with tourists.
Arabia Felix Sanaa
6 Reviews and 22 Opinions absolutely PERFECT! We had all we need - hot water, cable TV, views and very interesting stay....
Shibam Hotel Shibam
2 Reviews and 0 Opinions I didn't stay there, but went there in early afternoon hoping for a cup of tea. But they don't have...
Al Hawta Palace Hotel Say'un
1 Review and 10 Opinions Al Hawta Palace Hotel is situated on the outskirts of Say'un and is set in lovely landscaped...
Reviews and photos of Yemen attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Yemen sightseeing.
More Cities in Yemen
More Regions in Yemen
Q: Hi, i want to travel to hodeidah and then to Mukalla.Can I get flight from hod to Mukalla and Mukalla to saana?
A: The only domestic carriers are Yemenia and Felix. There are no direct connections from Hodeidah to Mukhalla. You'd have to go via San'a. Of note, San'a airport has closed...
Read 3 Replies
Sponsored Links
