Widn Dhahr Favorites

Favorite thing: Wadi Dhahr, some 15 kilometres from Sanaa, is a green and fertile valley dotted with some msall and dusty villages. It is most famous for its rock palace (Dar al Hajar) while for male locals it's the place to go to for traditional dances and photos before a wedding. For most itll problably be the first taste of "rural" Yemen.

In some villages, like Qaryat al-Qabil, you can see how traditional houses do not differ much from houses in the city... they are just smaller in size, but not less beautifully decorated. I like the fact that a simple, often poor life, is no excuse for lack of taste or beauty.

Fondest memory: Wadis are dry river beds that, at times, get water and at times (rarely) flood... for this reason the ground is really rich and fertile. Wadi Dhahr is Sanaa's orchard... plenty of gardens and fruit trees all over. A very green sight. Even greener are some trees you'll see in great numbers, and often fenced: qat trees. If you want to make them out, look for the withered and sad-looking trees...