Bayt al-Fa
qih -
The Bayt al Faqih market is the biggest traditional market held every Friday. The market dates back to the 1700s, when Bayt al-Faqih was a coffee trading post. Bayt al-Faqih's market is huge with over 1000 traders each having their own different area. Some areas covered and others are open-air style. As well as coffee, there's Yemeni pottery, colorful Tihami clothes and baskets, camels, donkeys, chickens, fresh fruit, vegetables and grains.
Rada' -
One of the most significant towns in the southern province of Al-Baydha, Rada' sits on a plane in front of a fortified rocky hill. Rada's mud houses are a striking contrast to
the stone buildings found elsewhere throughout the country. The buildings here are made of bricks, but are given a smooth, fresh coating of Grey mud every year. The houses also have beautiful windows, unique to the town, with triple-arched fanlights and huge alabaster panes. The Al-Amiriya Mosque stands in the center of the old town. Built over 500 years ago, this mosque has a uniquely Yemeni design. The mosque is no longer in use, but is presently being restored.
Sana'a -
The Souq al Milh is the central market, and has a collection of around 40 small souqs, each specializi
ng in one product - you'll find vegetables, spices, qat, raisins, pottery, clothes, woodwork, copper and silver. In the Jambiya Souq, you can even watch craftsmen making complex ceremonial weapons! Muslims can visit Al-Jami' al-Kabir, the great mosque located on the western side of the souq. The mosque was built around 630AD when the prophet Mohammed was still alive.
The city's National Museum is housed in the House of Good Luck, a former royal palace built in the 1930s. Wander through the five floors, which have displays on the ancient kingdoms of Yemen, the country's Islamic history and modern Yemeni folk culture.
Shibam -
The city of Shibam with its 500 traditional skyscrapers is known as the Manhattan of the desert. The skyscrapers are packed into half a square km and rise abruptly from the flat plane of the desert making it a stunning view. Shibam dates back about 1800 years, but most of the houses in the walled city date from the 16th century. Many of the houses here feature finely engraved wooden doors with fancy wooden locks and the windows are latticed with elaborately carved wooden screens.
Shihara -
The fortress of Shihara is a perfect example of how Yemenis love to build their houses in difficult places. This fortress village sits on top of a 2600m mountain almost inaccessible from below. It was
a base for resistance to the Ottomans during the 16th & 17th centuries and was also the Royalist headquarters during the 1960s civil war.
Although its location is stunning, Shihara's architecture is simple. The town's stone houses rise up to five storeys, but are decorated only with dented friezes and white plaster. They are brilliant illustrations of very traditional, old-fashioned forms of Yemeni mountain architecture. The village of Shihara is split into two parts. A stone bridge over a deep gorge connects the two mountain peaks that each part of the village sits on.
Rada' -
One of the most significant towns in the southern province of Al-Baydha, Rada' sits on a plane in front of a fortified rocky hill. Rada's mud houses are a striking contrast to
the stone buildings found elsewhere throughout the country. The buildings here are made of bricks, but are given a smooth, fresh coating of Grey mud every year. The houses also have beautiful windows, unique to the town, with triple-arched fanlights and huge alabaster panes. The Al-Amiriya Mosque stands in the center of the old town. Built over 500 years ago, this mosque has a uniquely Yemeni design. The mosque is no longer in use, but is presently being restored.Sana'a -
The Souq al Milh is the central market, and has a collection of around 40 small souqs, each specializi
ng in one product - you'll find vegetables, spices, qat, raisins, pottery, clothes, woodwork, copper and silver. In the Jambiya Souq, you can even watch craftsmen making complex ceremonial weapons! Muslims can visit Al-Jami' al-Kabir, the great mosque located on the western side of the souq. The mosque was built around 630AD when the prophet Mohammed was still alive.The city's National Museum is housed in the House of Good Luck, a former royal palace built in the 1930s. Wander through the five floors, which have displays on the ancient kingdoms of Yemen, the country's Islamic history and modern Yemeni folk culture.
Shibam -
The city of Shibam with its 500 traditional skyscrapers is known as the Manhattan of the desert. The skyscrapers are packed into half a square km and rise abruptly from the flat plane of the desert making it a stunning view. Shibam dates back about 1800 years, but most of the houses in the walled city date from the 16th century. Many of the houses here feature finely engraved wooden doors with fancy wooden locks and the windows are latticed with elaborately carved wooden screens.
Shihara -
The fortress of Shihara is a perfect example of how Yemenis love to build their houses in difficult places. This fortress village sits on top of a 2600m mountain almost inaccessible from below. It was
a base for resistance to the Ottomans during the 16th & 17th centuries and was also the Royalist headquarters during the 1960s civil war.Although its location is stunning, Shihara's architecture is simple. The town's stone houses rise up to five storeys, but are decorated only with dented friezes and white plaster. They are brilliant illustrations of very traditional, old-fashioned forms of Yemeni mountain architecture. The village of Shihara is split into two parts. A stone bridge over a deep gorge connects the two mountain peaks that each part of the village sits on.
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