Socotra
Socotra is one of Yemen’s greatest treasures of biodiversity. Located about 400km south of the mainland in the Indian Ocean, these arid islands play host to a stunning array of plant and animal life. An estimated 30% of the island chain’s plant life is endemic, as are many of the birds found there.

Socotra is an ecotourist’s dream – not all of the region’s animal species have been identified, and the waters surrounding the archipelago are relatively unexplored.

Flora: The plant life on Socotra is surprisingly diverse. There are over 900 known plant species on the island, a full 30% of which are endemic. Perhaps the most noteworthy of these is the dragon’s blood tree ( Dracaena cinnabari) The tree is so named for the bright red colour of its resin. The resin was a major export from the Island and a part of the spice trade of the region.

It was used as a varnish and dye, as an incense, and body oil. The dragon’s blood tree, which is identifiable by its unique umbrella shape, is found primarily in the mountain highlands of the island; these unique trees stand between 3m and 10m in height.

Also dwelling in the highlands are numerous shrubs, most prominently Rhus thyrsiflora, Cephalocroton soqotrans, and Allophylus rhoidiphyllus. Socotra aloes also occur in the higher altitudes.

At the foothills of the mountains of Socotra there is a rich shrub land. One of the most distinct plants in this area is the Socotra desert rose ( Adenium obesum ssp sokotranum).

This unique plant is also known as the “bottle tree” for its thick bottle-shape trunk. Other succulents in the area include the cucumber tree (Dendrosicyos socotrana) as well as both frankincense and myrrh.

Jatropha unicostata, which occurs on the lower slopes of the mountains, is prized for its medicinal uses.
On the plains and lowlands of the island the shrub Croton socotranus is the predominant flora. Also prevalent is the tree-euphorbia (Euphorbia arbuscula), which rises above the shorter shrubs.
Other plants of note are the Socotra begonia (Begonia Socotrana) and the Punica protopunica, a relative of the pomegranate, and the Persian violet (Exacum affine).

Baraqish
The name Baraqish was according to a female dog. When the town was surrounded by invaders and it was difficult to conquer the town, there was a secret tunnel leading to a well and the dog Baragish went through that tunnel for water and the invaders noticed that and controlled the well and the people of the town could not hold on without water and had to surrender. The original name was Yathol. Dated back to around the 10th BC, it is the most impressive archaeological site and best preserved ancient walled town in Yemen. It once had more than fifty towers and two gates, and its walls reached up to 14m high. Lying in the wide WadiFardha, it was previously known as Yathil, the dominant town in the Minaeen kingdom and an important centre for the incense trade.

The Sabaeans had controlled this whole region but by the end of the great Sabaean era in 410 BC. Main broke away and formed an alliance with Hadramout to open up new caravan routes and thus increase trade.

We know that the tales of royal towns and palaces in Arabia, the Emperor Augustus instructed the proconsul of Egypt, Aelius Gallus, to invade the peninsula and seize the wealth of the citadels of which he had heard so much. In 24 BC a force of 10.000 Romans and 15.000 mercenaries was assembled and sent to the region with Nabataean Marib.

The force never got back to the Mediterranean and the sea, however, once they had understood the pattern of the monsoons. In the main area of the site, there stand, the remains of a dome, a mosque, a well and tower amidst great shreds of pottery and glass.

Elsewhere an Italian archaeological team has recently excavated a temple which still had its roof and contained stone tables equipped with bull’s heads at the end. These may have been for sacrifices; the temple is thought to be to a god of healing.

Horse and camel racing
It is one an old favorite sports for Arabs and of course Yemen, as Yemen the origin of Arabs. The traditional horse racing is one of the Qarnaw festival events and this event considered the first in the Yemeni desert, Horse Racing.

It is one of the old favorite sports for Arabs and of course Yemen, as Yemen the origin of Arabs. The traditional horse racing is one of the Qarnaw festival events and this event considered the first in the Yemeni desert, and there are plans to establish a “Desert Marathon” for horse and knights soon where competitors has to pass 42.2 km. The winners in the current race will be awarded as well the long race of 80 km.

Camel Racing
It’s considered and interesting sport and loved by Arabs for hundreds of years as it’s the heritage, genuine and speed sport. will be fixed in someone’s mind the scene of group of camels race with a high speed that shake the ground tremendously. The camels participating in this event are three categories: 1-Al Sudais 2- Al Thanaya 3- Al Jadeea’

Grand Mosque
The Grand Mosque in Sana’a one of the most important mosques, not just in Yemen but in the whole Islamic world. This historic building is believed to have been first constructed during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the 6th year A.H. The mosque was built upon the site of the Ghumdan Palace, between the two areas of Sana’a, Al-Quati and Al-Sailah. The city’s souq was moved next to the mosque, affording it with greater safety because of its proximity to a religious building. Along with the mosque, the palace site also houses a prison and barracks for the armed forces, built during the Ottoman Empire.

In later years, city planning, expansion and orientation were greatly influenced by the construction of the Great Mosque and two other mosques on the city’s north side. Though there are more than one hundred mosques in the Old City, the Grand Mosque is the largest and most notable of them.

The Grand Mosque in Sana’a one of the most important mosques, not just in Yemen but in the whole Islamic world. This historic building is believed to have been first constructed during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in the 6th year A.H.

It is considered to be among the world’s earliest mosques (the third, to precise), preceded only by the Qa’ba Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina.

The mosque is known for its wooden ceilings which are covered with a profusion of decorations that reflect the attention Muslim rulers paid to construction and renovation activities.

The ceiling of the mosque was not always the same; it used to be encircled in a wooden wraparound on which inscriptions from the Quran and the Prophet’s traditions were written in Kufi script.

As for the wooden panels, they ar decorated with three styles; the first style seems to reflect the Umayyad era, represented in convolvulus branches of plants from which protrude the acanthus or grape leaves and bunches or pinecones, in addition to pearls.

The second style reflects the Abbasid era dating back to Al Ya’afar reign, featuring the style of Samara and arabesque.

The third style features decorative elements that appeared during the 12th century A.D. such as the star plate, the egg and the arrow decorations.

The mosque has a rectangular shape of 78×65 meters. The exterior walls of the mosque were built from basalt which is locally known as “al habash”.

It can be accessed through 12 gates, and has an open courtyard flanked by porticos from all directions. The mosque has two minarets, one of which is set over the mosque’s nave and the other inside the western side. Two libraries have also been built as annexes to the mosque, on its right and its left. Dormitories were later added to shelter the poor and students.

Socotra Archipelago
Socotra Archipelago, in the northwest Indian Ocean near the Gulf of Aden, is 250 km long and comprises four islands and two rocky islets which appear as a prolongation of the Horn of Africa. The site is of universal importance because of its biodiversity with rich and distinct flora and fauna: 37% of Socotra’s 825 plant species, 90% of its reptile species and 95% of its land snail speciesdo not occur anywhere else in the world. The site also supports globally significant populations of land and sea birds (192 bird species, 44 of which breed on the islands while 85 are regular migrants), including a number of threatened species. The marine life of Socotra is also very diverse, with 253 species of reef-building corals, 730 species of coastal fish and 300 species of crab, lobster and shrimp.

Outstanding Universal Value
Values
Socotra is globally important for biodiversity conservation because of its exceptionally rich and distinct flora and fauna. Socotra is of particular importance to the Horn of Africa’s biodiversity hotspot and, as one of the most biodiversity rich and distinct islands in the world, has been termed the “Galápagos of the Indian Ocean”.

Criterion (x): Biological diversity and threatened species: Socotra is globally important for biodiversity conservation because of its exceptional level of biodiversity and endemism in many terrestrial and marine groups of organisms. Socotra is particularly important for its diversity of plants and has 825 plant species of which 307 (37%) are endemic. Socotra has high importance for bird species as underlined by the identification by Birdlife International of 22 Important Bird Areas on Socotra. Extremely high levels of endemism occur in Socotra’s reptiles (34 species, 90% endemism) and land snails (96 species, 95% endemism). The marine life of Socotra is also very diverse, and well represented in the property’s marine areas.

Integrity
The property is of sufficient size to adequately represent all the terrestrial and marine features and processes that are essential for the long term conservation of the archipelago’s rich and distinct biodiversity. The terrestrial nature sanctuaries, national parks and areas of special botanical interest included in the property encompass about 75% of the total land area. They protect all the major vegetation types, areas of high floral and faunal values, and important bird areas. The marine nature sanctuaries included in the property encompass the most important elements of marine biodiversity. The property’s integrity is further enhanced by terrestrial and marine buffer zones that are not part of the inscribed property.

Historic Town of Zabid
Zabid’s domestic and military architecture and its urban plan make it an outstanding archaeological and historical site. Besides being the capital of Yemen from the 13th to the 15th century, the city played an important role in the Arab and Muslim world for many centuries because of its Islamic university.

Old Walled City of Shibam
Province: Hadramout
Surrounded by a fortified wall, the 16th-century city of Shibam is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction. Its impressive tower-like structures rise out of the cliff and have given the city the nickname of ‘the Manhattan of the desert’.

Old City of Sana’a
Province: Sana’a
Situated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,200 m, Sana’a has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years. In the 7th and 8th centuries the city became a major centre for the propagation of Islam. This religious and political heritage can be seen in the 103 mosques, 14 hammams (local baths) and over 10,000 houses, all built before the 11th century. Sana’a’s many-storeyed tower-houses built of rammed earth (pisé) add to the beauty of the site.

Qabir Al-Nabi Hud
The tomb of the prophet Hud is located 140km to the northeast of Seiyun city at the foot of the mountain that lies to the east of Barhour Well. This ancient place of pilgrimage has been the centre of a religious cult dating from pre-Islamic times. It comprises three groups of buildings, all equally important. First, there is the tomb of Hud himself, a domed structure high on the hillside, surrounded by a shaded arcaded walk for the pilgrims, for the heat in summer is fierce. Here, according to legend, Allah opened the rocks of the hillside to allow his prophet Hud to escape from his enemies. Below the tomb is the prayer hall, surrounding the great rock which is believed to be Hud’s camel turned to stone. Also arcaded, it is a relatively new construction in its present form. Third, spread out on the flatter ground below, lies the well-built town, to house the pilgrims during the period of three days every year when they reside in it. It has its own mosques and tombs, carefully built like the houses of mud-brick and white plaster, and meticulously maintained. The simplicity and sober, abstract character of the plain walls, arches and domes evoke all that is finest in man’s striving for spiritual harmony and peace. Except during the time of pilgrimage, the town is deserted.

The tomb of the prophet Hud is located 140km to the northeast of Seiyun city at the foot of the mountain that lies to the east of Barhour Well.

This ancient place of pilgrimage has been the centre of a religious cult dating from pre-Islamic times. It comprises three groups of buildings, all equally important.

First, there is the tomb of Hud himself, a domed structure high on the hillside, surrounded by a shaded arcaded walk for the pilgrims, for the heat in summer is fierce. Here, according to legend, Allah opened the rocks of the hillside to allow his prophet Hud to escape from his enemies.

Below the tomb is the prayer hall, surrounding the great rock which is believed to be Hud’s camel turned to stone. Also arcaded, it is a relatively new construction in its present form.

Third, spread out on the flatter ground below, lies the well-built town, to house the pilgrims during the period of three days every year when they reside in it.

It has its own mosques and tombs, carefully built like the houses of mud-brick and white plaster, and meticulously maintained. The simplicity and sober, abstract character of the plain walls, arches and domes evoke all that is finest in man’s striving for spiritual harmony and peace. Except during the time of pilgrimage, the town is deserted.

Grand Mosque
The Grand Mosque in Sana’a one of the most important mosques, not just in Yemen but in the whole Islamic world. This historic building is believed to have been first constructed during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the 6th year A.H. The mosque was built upon the site of the Ghumdan Palace, between the two areas of Sana’a, Al-Quati and Al-Sailah. The city’s souq was moved next to the mosque, affording it with greater safety because of its proximity to a religious building. Along with the mosque, the palace site also houses a prison and barracks for the armed forces, built during the Ottoman Empire.

In later years, city planning, expansion and orientation were greatly influenced by the construction of the Great Mosque and two other mosques on the city’s north side. Though there are more than one hundred mosques in the Old City, the Grand Mosque is the largest and most notable of them.

The Grand Mosque in Sana’a one of the most important mosques, not just in Yemen but in the whole Islamic world. This historic building is believed to have been first constructed during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in the 6th year A.H.

It is considered to be among the world’s earliest mosques (the third, to precise), preceded only by the Qa’ba Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina.

The mosque is known for its wooden ceilings which are covered with a profusion of decorations that reflect the attention Muslim rulers paid to construction and renovation activities.

The ceiling of the mosque was not always the same; it used to be encircled in a wooden wraparound on which inscriptions from the Quran and the Prophet’s traditions were written in Kufi script.

As for the wooden panels, they ar decorated with three styles; the first style seems to reflect the Umayyad era, represented in convolvulus branches of plants from which protrude the acanthus or grape leaves and bunches or pinecones, in addition to pearls.

The second style reflects the Abbasid era dating back to Al Ya’afar reign, featuring the style of Samara and arabesque.

The third style features decorative elements that appeared during the 12th century A.D. such as the star plate, the egg and the arrow decorations.

The mosque has a rectangular shape of 78×65 meters. The exterior walls of the mosque were built from basalt which is locally known as “al habash”.

It can be accessed through 12 gates, and has an open courtyard flanked by porticos from all directions. The mosque has two minarets, one of which is set over the mosque’s nave and the other inside the western side. Two libraries have also been built as annexes to the mosque, on its right and its left. Dormitories were later added to shelter the poor and students.

The Nation Mosque
The al-Saleh’s mosque is partially opened on the advent of Ramadan/September, 2008 as many people from Sana’a and visitors from the governorates went to pray in it.

The president’s mosque which is built on the president’s expense is considered to be an immense Islamic building and one of Sana’a city distinctive features.

The mosque is characterized by its six distinctive minarets, each reaching a height of 100 meters, and features five domes. The four smaller domes are all 20.35 meters high and 15.6 meters in diameter, while the large central dome is 39.6 meters high and 27.4 meters in diameter. The entire structure was built according to the highest standards of safety.

The mosque, by its very nature, is meant to serve as an enduring symbol of both Islamic and Yemeni heritage and, as such, must be able to withstand the ravages of time . With this in mind, building materials were chosen for their durability and resistance to extreme weather conditions.

The building’s main structure is made of reinforced concrete- Yemeni concrete, thanks to its reputation for being of excellent quality. Moreover, President Saleh instructed that the mosque’s extensive stonework to be carried out exclusively with materials found locally.

Taking their cues from ancient feats of Yemeni architecture, such as the Temple of Bilqis and the Marib Dam, the mosque’s architects were determined to imitate certain features of these, as they have surely stood the test of time.

The mosque complex, which includes several support buildings, is massive –occupying a total area of 27.300 square meters. The mainhall of the maoque itself has an area of 13.596 square meters; the ceiling rises to a height of 24 meters, and is surmounted by the delicately patterned domes. The hall has a capacity of up to 44.000 persons at a time, and has a separate women’s section.

Though the mosque was built in a clearly traditional style reflecting the dimensions of ancient Himyarite architecture with stone and other building materials found locally, it is nevertheless a modern structure and was built according to the highest international standards.

The inspirational construction of Al Saleh mosque bridges the gap between Yemen’s ancient civilization and architectural legacy and modern technology, and deftly integrates the cherished heritage and novel innovations. It will also paly an important role as a source for scholarly study in the social and religious sciences. The Al Saleh Mosque is bound to be a major Yemeni cultural institution for untold years to come.

The Mosque and School of Al-Amiryah
The Amiriya Madrasa (Amiriya School) located in southeast of Rada’a is one of the greatest monuments in Yemen. It was established by the last king of Tahirid Dynasty Sultan ‘Amir bin abd al-Wahab in 1504.

The Amiriya Madrasa (Amiriya School) located in southeast of Rada’a is one of the greatest monuments in Yemen. It was established by the last king of Tahirid Dynasty Sultan ‘Amir bin abd al-Wahab in1504.

Sultan Abdul Wahab of the Tahirid Dynasty was not only a great administrator but a lover of art also. The Madrasat Amiriya was built in Islamic-style in its purity of line and proportion and the use of space.

It considered as one of the most important 16th-century buildings still extant in the Yemen. The Amiriya Islamic School, was a remarkable scientific and religious educational center in its day. Students from the Arab and Islamic regions came to the school in search of knowledge.

The al-Amiriya Madrasa is the most extravagantly ornate monument in Yemen, a abundance of domes, arches, and niches on the outside, and a decorated delight on the inside, with wonderful carved stucco patterns and inscriptions and extraordinary painted frescoes which colors were still vibrant.

Al-Amiriya is three stories high. The ground floor contains a series of shops along the outside and vaulted rooms on the inside, with a public bath (hammam) at the southwest corner. The first floor contains the prayer hall preceded by an inner court to the south, and is accessed with stairs from two porches to the east and south.

Its inner court, which is enveloped by an arcade of slender columns, is flanked to the east and west by rectangular madrasa halls that face the street with four mashrabiyya, or timber-screened window boxes.

The prayer hall, similarly, is enveloped by vaulted galleries with wide archways pierced into the east, west and south façades of the madrasa. The northern gallery, located behind the qibla wall, is distinguished with carved stucco panels and an octagonal ablution basin.

A ribbed dome rises the end of each gallery, the domes to the north, which occupy the corners of the madrasa, are enclosed into rooms with mashrabiyya. Two other ribbed domes mark the southern ends of the madrasa halls.

Together, the six ribbed domes sit symmetrically on the flat roof terrace, which is protected all around by a parapet of floral crenellations. The walls of the prayer hall rise three meters above the roof terrace, allowing clerestory windows to bring light to the inside. Its six identical round domes, which are hoisted on tall archways falling on two heavy columns, dominate the madrasa’s roofline.

Externally, the three fronts north, east and west, are punctuated by arched openings breeze. The blast slender profile crown the building at the terraces, or stand out six domes elevated to the prayer hall.

Climbing mountains
Yemen’s landscape is indeed quite mountainous. Not many people have given Yemen’s majestic mountain ranges sufficient attention until a group of Yemeni and non-Yemeni friends took advantage of these unexplored peaks and started climbing mountains in Yemen to marvel at its often unexplored splendor.

Mountain climbing is a dangerous sport, if you are not a professional climber, then we do not recommend it at all, there are so many activities to do on the island, or you can go for the easiest level.

Socotra has high and ideal mountains for climbing and our experts has provided services for every level of climbers. All climbers will enjoy the high altitude.

Trekking and Hiking
Yemen offers some of the best opportunities for trekking, especially in the mountains north-west of Sana’a. There, the distances between villages are short, a few hours on foot at most, plenty of picturesque and stupendous views, fascinating landscape, open-minded and helpful people.

Yemen offers some of the best opportunities in the world for trekking, especially in the mountains north-west of Sana’a. There, the distances between villages are short, a few hours on foot at most, plenty of picturesque and stupendous views, fascinating landscape, open-minded and helpful people.

The highlands of the Yemen are surely one of the greatest undiscovered trekking regions in the world. The very idea of trekking in Arabia seems strange to many people, but on seeing photographs they can understand the attraction.

Areas best for Trekking : 1 – Haraz 2 – Jabal Maswar 3 – Shaharah region.

JABAL HARAZ – In the Haraz Mountains 90 km to the west of Sana’a stands the proud mountain village of Manakha, at an altitude of 2200 metres. Manakha is an excellent base for trekking.

Small villages and hamlets lie scattered everywhere between the terraces that extend across the steepest slopes. Many visitors have suggested that the majestic spirit of the mountains can be felt more intensely in Haraz Mountains than anywhere else in Yemen.

The Haraz region is full of old fortified villages built on hilltops. One of the finest examples, the tightly built Al-Hajjara, is five km south-west of Manakha. The four and five-storey stone houses of Hajjara can already be spotted in the distance.

The village, dating to the 12th century AD, served as an important fortification during the Turkish occupations of Yemen.

The Ismaili villages with their decorated houses provide a wonderful area for trekking; Hutaib, the most important place of pilgrimage for members of the small sect, lies only about five km downhill, southeast from Manakha. the roads, tracks and footpaths uphill to the west lead to other picturesque villages like Kahil which overlook Hutaib and Manakha itself.

Jabal Shibam, the highest peak of the Haraz region at almost 300 metres, stands to the south of Manakha, a couple of km south-east from Hutaib.

JABAL MASWAR – The province of Mahweit is arguably the best place to trek in Yemen as well. The distances are not overwhelming, the mountain scenes are breathtaking and the people are among the friendliest in the country.
A good halfway destination is the 3240 metre Jabal Maswar, some 35 km south-east of Mahweit. Extraordinary beautiful terraces abound on the slopes of the mountain.

To the east of the mountain, almost directly north of Tawilla (some 20 km) is a village called Bait Adaga lies under Jabal Maswar where an overnight camping is spent.

JABAL SHAHARA -. Jabal Shahara is situated on the top of 2600 metre. The village of Shahara (at the top) with its famous stone bridge dating from the 16th century, is an impressive mountain fortress village.

The bridge was built by a famous architect, Saleh Al-Yaman, using two support bridges below. If it were easier to get to, this bridge would surely be one of the great tourist sites of the Middle East.

There are impressive views wherever you look from Shahara. Our option is to climb up Jabal Shahara to shahara village, enjoying the extraordinary views from the terraced slopes of the mountain.

However, you need to be in excellent physical shape to do this because the trip will take at least five to seven hours. Walking all the way to the top will vividly demonstrate to you why the Turks were not able to conquer the village on top of the mountain.

Camping
Those with love for both adventure and untouched nature; Socotra Island is the right adventure waiting for you. Camping is perhaps the best way of enjoying the winders of nature given to Socotra Island and sharing the warmth of its people. If you have a thirst of adventure, to experience fascinating indigenous nature andmagnificent panoramas spectacles, beautiful reefs along this cost of endless and empty sand beaches, mountain views, and unique wild- lif all the more enticing when you know you will have them all to yourself.Fresh fish will be caught from the sea and will be barbequed on the camping area.

There are some limitation concerning luxury, but you will find a strange satisfaction and happiness and feel that you do not need as much as you thought: a tiny bit of water for washing, a good meal and warm sleeping surroundings with verging nature will be appreciated and considered an ever unforgettable adventure. You just have to come to feel and see this incomparable landscape yourself and you will never forget those few days of a very special break from every day routine in civilization!

Paragliding
Like in the legend of Suleiman and his bird who cross the Yemen to see the queen of Sheba, have fun and discover our country by flying above mountains, seas.Dramatic and fascinating landscapes of Socotra island provide wonderful spots for paragliding. The best locations are Dirhor Canyon, Momi and Erissel. The small mountain near Qalansia is also a possibility. Paragliding is still rather exceptional sport on Socotra island, so you should bring all equipment needed.

Diving
The Red Sea is an old waterway and Arabia Sea are considered one of the best diving areas in the world and the stunning coral reefs in the southern extremes of the Red Sea.

The Red Sea is an old waterway where Egyptian Stelae and Turkish shipwrecks reveal the rise and fall of empires. It is considered one of the best diving areas in the world and the stunning coral reefs in the southern extremes of the Red Sea.

Around the numerous islands scattered along the coasts of Yemen offer some of the most abundant & varied marine life in the world.

Attracting visitors from all over the globe keen to sample the superb diving, optional snorkeling and water skiing in the warm and clear water of the Red Sea.

As well as sailing around a unique and spectacular landscape of volcanoes with multicolor lava flows is one of the best spots of the Yemen islands to combine best sailing with spectacular climbing, interesting snorkeling, swimming and unexplored emotional diving.

Horse and camel racing
It is one an old favorite sports for Arabs and of course Yemen, as Yemen the origin of Arabs. The traditional horse racing is one of the Qarnaw festival events and this event considered the first in the Yemeni desert, Horse Racing.

It is one of the old favorite sports for Arabs and of course Yemen, as Yemen the origin of Arabs. The traditional horse racing is one of the Qarnaw festival events and this event considered the first in the Yemeni desert, and there are plans to establish a “Desert Marathon” for horse and knights soon where competitors has to pass 42.2 km. The winners in the current race will be awarded as well the long race of 80 km.

Camel Racing
It’s considered and interesting sport and loved by Arabs for hundreds of years as it’s the heritage, genuine and speed sport. will be fixed in someone’s mind the scene of group of camels race with a high speed that shake the ground tremendously. The camels participating in this event are three categories: 1-Al Sudais 2- Al Thanaya 3- Al Jadeea’.

Dam of Marib
Everyone knows about the seven wonders of the ancient world – but there is a monumental structure archeologists and historians like to call the eighth wonder of the world: the Great Marib Dam in southern Arabia, in what is today Yemen. The ancient society there demonstrated great engineering ingenuity in order to take advantage of the periodical monsoon rains. Without water there is no life. True to this maxim, the subjects of the ancient Kingdom of Sheba in Marib collected water by building a gigantic dam so as to be able to supply their cities with this precious liquid. Antiquity brought to life Time and again, archeologists and historians have ventured back into history to discover new chapters.

Marib is also the site of one of the world’s great ancient structures – a magnificent feat of early engineering and masonry techniques. This is the dam across Wadi Adhana, the largest wadi in the south Arabian highlands. Its purpose was to hold and to divert the water, which flooded down the wadi from time to time during the rainy season, over the nearby agricultural land.

It would have also allowed the water to soak into the ground and recharge the aquifers, thus supplying the wells. Recent excavations by the German Archaeological Institute show that, while the structure whose impressive remains stand clear today was erected in the eighth century BC, irrigation works in the Wadi Adhana at Marib were undertaken at least from the beginning of the second millennium BC.

The two masonry sluices of the much repaired eighth century dam remain: the northern one, usually approached first, and the southern one on the other side of the wadi, which is more extensive and almost as high as it was originally.

They demonstrate the Sabaeans’ skill in quarrying the stone blocks, cutting and dressing them, transporting them to the site and then erecting them and binding them together with lead and iron.

Between them once stretched the dam, an earth bank 600m long and 16m high covering a foundation of loose, broken stones. Al little of this rockfill barrage remains and all along its line the massive piles of siltdeposited by the floods can be seen.

The dam is believed to have held up to 150.000 cubic meters of water. The remains of the irrigation system and the system of canals around the dam can still be seen on the plain in front of it.

Bilquis Throne
The great temple of Marib, the Awwam (sometimes called Mahram Bilqis) is dedicated to the moon god Almaqah. It was partly excavated by Wendell Phillips’ expedition of 1951-2. A series of monolithic pillars, probably the propylaeum, mark the entrance to the temple, which may have been used as a sanctuary. The finest sculpture of the ancient Arabs, a figurative bronze of a Sabaean nobleman Ma’adiKarib (of probably the seventh or eighth century BC) was originally found here. It is now in the National Museum. ArshBilqis – the Throne of Bilqis – is the second most important temple in Marib. A line of five elegant symmetrical pillars, also known as the Almaqah or Moon Temple, was built towards the end of the eighth century BC.

This has now been extensively excavated, uncovering a broad temple floor surrounded by steps and inscribed marble plinths. It has a pure abstraction and geometrisation that can be seen in Yemeni structures even Today.

Shiharah
Soon after passing Al Qabai, the famous seventeenth century bridge comes into view, which join the mountain of Alamir and the mountain of Alfeesh. This astonishing work was constructed by the architect Salah Al –Yamanto connect the settlement of Shiharah tough limestone blocks. The bridge is one of the iconic . A cursory glance at the base of the arch reveals the existence of earlier attempts to bridge this narrow yet precipitous gap. The bridge, along with Dar al-Hajar and the walled city of Shibam, has become one of the main images of Yemeni tourism, and it appears on the 10YR coin.

The biggest problem with visiting Shaharah has been its greatest asset throughout the centuries – its sheer inaccessibility. A trip to visit the village necessitates a good deal of time, and usually involves an overnight stay.

So, if you view the trip as a means to experience remote mountain villages and glimpse a peek at tribal culture, with the added bonus that you will be able to witness an amazing architectural masterpiece, the benefits will start to weight in a favour of a trip.

Even so, when you reach the bridge, try to refrain as long as you can from taking a picture. Far too many tourists simply snap a picture and then retreat to the safety of their hotels within five minutes.

Sit down, take in the scenery, and enjoy it. (Granted, the view of the bridge may be too much for the camera finger to bear. Just remember to enjoy the trip while you are there, as well as vicariously through photos later).

Tarim Palaces
Tarim is famous for its innumerable palaces – a collection of approximately thirty mansions constructed between the 1870s and 1930s. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Hadhramaut’s merchant families grew rich from trade and investments abroad. The al-Kaf family was considered the most influential. Many members of the family were respected religious scholars. At the same time, they were among the regions first Westernizing elite and contributed to public works projects in the name of modernization. Their palaces remain as testament to both their affluence and the complex identity of the modernizing elite of the colonial period. Palaces financed by the al-Kafs and other families were executed in the stylistic idioms they encountered in British India and Southeast Asia. Consequently, the palaces include examples of Mughal, British Colonial, Art Nouveau, Deco, Rococo, Neo-Classical, and Modernist styles unparalleled in Yemen. While these foreign decorative styles were incorporated into the Tarimi architectural idiom, traditional Hadhrami construction techniques based on the thousand-year-old traditions of unfired mud brick and lime plasters served as the primary methods for executing these buildings.

Tarim’s famous Al-Muhdar mosque is crowned by a 53 meters (175 ft) high, and recognized to be one of the tallest earth structures in the world. The minaret was designed by the local poets Abu Bakr bin Shihab and Alawi Al Mash’hûr. Completed in 1914, the al-Muhdar mosque is named in honor of Omar Al-Muhdar, a Muslim leader who resided in the city during the 15th century.

Al-Kafs Palace is Tarim’s most flamboyan, apparently using a book of different architectural styles as a templatre, kind of project. It was beautiful in old days, havinf the mirror ceiling, decor pillars inside the palace. Going up to the 3rd level and get a splendid view of the city of Tarim.

Wadi Dhahr
Near to Sana’a, WadiDhar has most local species of inland birds, except vultures; but particularly interesting is the mule track from Shibam up to Kawkaban. This 45 minute walk rises nearly 923 m, with Tristrams Grackle, larks, wheatears and doves in abundance at the bottom, eagles, ravens and vultures at the top. There is also a good variety of flowering plants where water trickles through cracks in the rock. The high plateau from Kawkaban, west to WadiHajjar, has some hyaena. The road from Amran to Hajjar is a spectacular series of twisting bends dropping steeply through dark, sombre mountains, down from high altitude to tropical wadi and up again, with such a variety of terrain there is life of all types. Here, in the village of Suq al-Wadi, stands a famous rock palace. Its commanding position and evidence of an ancient well suggest that the site has been used as a lookout post for centuries. It is a classic example of Yemeni architecture and was built in 1786 by Imam Mansour Ali Bin Mahdi Abbas; in the 1930s Imam Yahya Hamid Al Din extended it as a summer residence.

Today, the palace is an open museum of sorts, and a very popular place to visit, not only for tourists but also for local Yemeni families. Different rooms have descriptive labels in English and Arabic. Nearby is the village of Qaryat al- Qabil, with its walled pathways, orchards and vineyards. Here on Fridays from 09.00 – 12.00 Yemenis gather for wedding celebrations.

Baraqish
The name Baraqish was according to a female dog. When the town was surrounded by invaders and it was difficult to conquer the town, there was a secret tunnel leading to a well and the dog Baragish went through that tunnel for water and the invaders noticed that and controlled the well and the people of the town could not hold on without water and had to surrender. The original name was Yathol. Dated back to around the 10th BC, it is the most impressive archaeological site and best preserved ancient walled town in Yemen. It once had more than fifty towers and two gates, and its walls reached up to 14m high. Lying in the wide WadiFardha, it was previously known as Yathil, the dominant town in the Minaeen kingdom and an important centre for the incense trade.

The Sabaeans had controlled this whole region but by the end of the great Sabaean era in 410 BC. Main broke away and formed an alliance with Hadramout to open up new caravan routes and thus increase trade.

We know that the tales of royal towns and palaces in Arabia, the Emperor Augustus instructed the proconsul of Egypt, Aelius Gallus, to invade the peninsula and seize the wealth of the citadels of which he had heard so much. In 24 BC a force of 10.000 Romans and 15.000 mercenaries was assembled and sent to the region with Nabataean Marib.

The force never got back to the Mediterranean and the sea, however, once they had understood the pattern of the monsoons. In the main area of the site, there stand, the remains of a dome, a mosque, a well and tower amidst great shreds of pottery and glass.

Elsewhere an Italian archaeological team has recently excavated a temple which still had its roof and contained stone tables equipped with bull’s heads at the end. These may have been for sacrifices; the temple is thought to be to a god of healing.

Shibam Hadramuot
It is the first skyscraper in the world and at the 3rd century AD it became the capital of Hadhramout region. The houses were built to protect the people from the high tide of the torrent that used to cover the whole valley, so people would escape to the higher floors till the water went down. The city had existed for several centuries before its promotion, and it had been besieged in previous years before the Himyarite Kingdom finally proved superior to that of Hadhramout.

Most tourists come to Shibam to see the city itself. In the early 1930s, Freya Stark and Hans Helfritz made separate journeys to Shibam, the former coining the town the “Manhattan of the Desert” and the latter the “Chicago of the Desert”.

The city is a marvel of mud-brick skyscrapers, densely packed together on a small mound, and which extend upward some five to eight storeys. Since 1982, te city has been recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The architectural style and design of the city on the whole is unlike anything else in Yemen. The most popular theory to account for this is that residents fleeing from the destroyed city of Shabwa rebuilt Shibam, their new home, based on the design and structure of Shaqir, the great palace of Shabwa. The theory makes sense – the inhabitants would no doubt long for a piece of their old home with them.

The image of these monolithic buildings jutting heavenward in the isolation of the surrounding countryside is truly spectacular, and viewing the panoramic image at sunset, when the sky and buildings become playful with colours, makes your camera finger itch to take a snapshot like little else can.

The best place to relieve that itch is on the mountain of Jabal Khidba, where you can get a bird’s-eye view of the city by climbing only a short distance up the path.

From the old fortification or from the top of the mountain, you will be able to see the entire city, including the town gate, the walled fortification that surrounds Shibam, and the large Maruf ba Jamal Mosque to the left of the town.

There is another mosque of the same name within the city wakks, Vitg were founded by the 16th – century scholar who lent them his name.

Walking through the streets of Shibam, you can view the large houses in more intimate detail. From this perspective, one of the most interesting things about the buildings is their elaborately carved wooden doors, doorframes, and locks. Some of the doorframes, in particular, are quite old- the one from Bayt Abdullah bin Fakik is said to date back to 1609, and that of Bayt Ali ibn Hayasa to 1717.

Kawkaban
Legendry Kawkaban means “two stars” and it picked this name due to the walls of Kawkaban which was decorated with precious stones and silver pieces and they were glittering at night and people of Shibam which located down Kawkaban used to see that and started to name it by that name. It sits on top of a 300-metre pile of sandstone deposited by a vast river system some 70 million years ago and subsequently uplifted and eroded to leave the prominent plateau we see today. This rock supplied the raw material for the construction of Kawkaban with its impressive gateway and wall.

It is an ancient site, with a history unraveled in detail by Smith (1982), which has ever provided a refuge for the people of Shibam in times of trouble. The narrow chasm separating Kawkaban from the plateau on the Jebel ad – Dula side known as the Qita, is actually a vertical fault.

At the entrance stands the Turkish barracks (Al Qishlah) with its gate complex including Bab al Hadid or iron gate (actually a wooden gate covered in iron plates). Built in 1895, during the second Turkish occupation of Yemen, it provided modest two – storey accommodation for troops, storerooms and private rooms for the commander.

Inside the town there are some exceptional buildings of beautiful honey-coloured sandstone, which have survived centuries of sieges by Ayyubids, Rasulids and Turks. One is the old mosque, masjid ash-Sharifah, a name acquired in the eighteenth century from Sharifah Muhsinah bint Abdullah bin Ahmed, but of much older construction, with a striking ablution pool.

Built on the centre of the plateau it was originally named after a slave called Sunbul and contains a prominent Himyaritic stone above the entrance door, testifying to the antiquity of the settlement.

Jabal Bura
Inland to the east of Hodeida lies a remarkable relic of a past age, one of the last vestiges of extensive subtropical forest in the Arabian peninsula.

The southwestern slopes of Jabal Bura (2.271 m) are clothed with acacia (A. asak) and myrrh trees, along some fifty species common in the narrow valleys of the lower escarpment, like Comberetum molle, Terminalia brownii, Trichilia emetica and Phoenix rectilinate ( a palm of the tropical lowlands).

In the western valley below, these give way to more revering forest species, among them Breonadia salicina (renowned for its timber), Pandanus odoratissimus (the screw pine, remarkable for its beautifully scented flowers) and, again, Terminalia brownie and Phoenix rectilinata.

The forest also contains a stunning fauna of migratory birds and butterflies, hyenas and large troops of baboons; leopards have been seen here quite recently. For fear of the wild beasts, the local people in these mountains insist that travelers may not bivouac outdoors at night and are generous with their hospitality.

On the dry mountain slopes of the foothills and lower escarpment there is the flowering bottle tree (Adenium obesum), with its swollen trunk. This is a member of the dogbane family which has developed into a weird succulent form.

Reeds are festooned with the nests of the gregarious Ruppell’s weaverbird. Long-legged hammerkops (Scopus umbretta), with their odd-looking head-crests, are more common here than elsewhere in the country and wade in the slow-moving water of the wadis searching for small aquatic invertebrates, often kicking or shuffling their feet to stir up the bottom.

These birds build remarkable half-ton communal roofed nests of mud and sticks, up to two meters high, in the forks of waterside trees.

Ibb Terraces
The highest annual rainfall in Yemen gives the district of Ibb its distinctive green terraces, which can be harvested up to four times a year. Fields of sorghum, and millet carpet the landscape of this highly fertile region.

Ibb sits on a small hill by the western mountains; a typical Yemeni town which over the past fifteen years has exploded in size because of the productivity of the region of which it is the centre and its important position on the road between Taiz and Sana’a.

Ibb is like a necklace of pearls on a green carpet. Its rare nature covered with everlasting spring and vivid ever-greenness. Like its plains, its mountains are a dress of charming beauty which embroiders its rocks and the cracks of its stones. This makes Ibb seem to be in an incomparable beautiful sarcenet dress.

Ibb is the most diverse Yemeni province in terms of the excellent and unique tourist, environmental and archeological product.

Civilizations, chiefs, leaders and kings have been under the wings of this natural greenness. It is a transit for travelers who stay under its pleasant shades to take rest. Its shades provide them with new energy and vigor.

Desert
Away from the coast the center of Arabia is a vast area of gravel plain partially covered in sand dunes. The main sand desert in the eastern part of the peninsula, the Rub al-Khali ( the Empty Quarter), has a much smaller southern arm known as the Ramlat as-Sabatayn. It is 100km wide at its western end near the Yemen foothills, tapering to about 15km as it enters Wadi Hadramout.

It consists of chains of dunes or uruq (urq) which are roughly parallel, with a general east west orientation, separated by narrow flats of gravel, silt or gypsum locally called shuquq (shuq).

Some of the dune ridges can be as much as 50m high and they are often several kilometers long. Interdunal lakes once formed at the end of wadis flowing into the centre of the desert.

This has given rise to the strange phenomenon, visible when crossing the desert, of what appears to be seashells in the desert sand. They are not in fact seashells but part of a Quaternary molluscan fauna which inhabited the area. They are a combination of terrestrial and aquatic snail shells (gastropods).

The internal desert lakes dried up eventually with the onset of the present climatic regime between 4000 and 3000 BC, leaving their unfortunate residents somewhat high and dry.

Socotra
Socotra is one of Yemen’s greatest treasures of biodiversity. Located about 400km south of the mainland in the Indian Ocean, these arid islands play host to a stunning array of plant and animal life. An estimated 30% of the island chain’s plant life is endemic, as are many of the birds found there.

Socotra is an ecotourist’s dream – not all of the region’s animal species have been identified, and the waters surrounding the archipelago are relatively unexplored.

Flora: The plant life on Socotra is surprisingly diverse. There are over 900 known plant species on the island, a full 30% of which are endemic. Perhaps the most noteworthy of these is the dragon’s blood tree ( Dracaena cinnabari) The tree is so named for the bright red colour of its resin. The resin was a major export from the Island and a part of the spice trade of the region.

It was used as a varnish and dye, as an incense, and body oil. The dragon’s blood tree, which is identifiable by its unique umbrella shape, is found primarily in the mountain highlands of the island; these unique trees stand between 3m and 10m in height.

Also dwelling in the highlands are numerous shrubs, most prominently Rhus thyrsiflora, Cephalocroton soqotrans, and Allophylus rhoidiphyllus. Socotra aloes also occur in the higher altitudes.

At the foothills of the mountains of Socotra there is a rich shrub land. One of the most distinct plants in this area is the Socotra desert rose ( Adenium obesum ssp sokotranum).

This unique plant is also known as the “bottle tree” for its thick bottle-shape trunk. Other succulents in the area include the cucumber tree (Dendrosicyos socotrana) as well as both frankincense and myrrh.

Jatropha unicostata, which occurs on the lower slopes of the mountains, is prized for its medicinal uses.
On the plains and lowlands of the island the shrub Croton socotranus is the predominant flora. Also prevalent is the tree-euphorbia (Euphorbia arbuscula), which rises above the shorter shrubs.

Other plants of note are the Socotra begonia (Begonia Socotrana) and the Punica protopunica, a relative of the pomegranate, and the Persian violet (Exacum affine).