Yemen belongs to Arabia like fish belong in water.   Yemen cannot be properly understood as separate from Arabia, whilst Arabia without Yemen would have lost one of its most essential and flavourful ingredients.  Yemen has served as a wellspring for people emigrating across the peninsula, many quickly adapting to its surroundings and even settling down for good. 

Ancient civilizations

The history of Yemen stretches back over 3,000 years, and its unique culture is still in evidence today in the architecture of its cities, towns and villages. From approximately 1,000 BC this region of the Southern Arabian Peninsula was ruled by three successive civilisations: Minean, Sabaean and Himyarite.   These three kingdoms all depended for their wealth on the spice trade.  Aromatics such as myrrh and frankincense were greatly prized in the ancient civilised world and were used as part of various rituals in many cultures, including Egyptian, Greek and Roman.

 

In the 11th century BC, land routes through Arabia were greatly improved by using the camel as a beast of burden, and frankincense was carried from its production centre at Qana (now known as Bir Ali) to Gaza in Egypt.  The camel caravans also carried gold and other precious goods, which arrived in Qana by sea from India.

The chief incense traders were the Minaeans, who established their capital Karna (now known as Sadah), before they were superseded by the Sabaeans in 950 BC. 

The Sabaean capital was Marib, were a large temple was built.  The mighty Sabaean civilization endured for about 14 centuries and was based not only on the spice trade, but also on agriculture.  The impressive dam, built at Marib in the 8th century, provided irrigation for farmland and stood for over a millennium.  Some Sabaean carved inscriptions from this period are still extant.

The Himyarites established their capital at Dhafar (now just a small village in the Ibb region), and gradually absorbed the Sabaean kingdom.  They were culturally inferior to the Sabaeans and traded from the port of al-Muza on the Red Sea.  By the first century BC, the Romans had conquered the area.

British and Turkish domination

The British conquered Aden in 1839 and it was then known as the Aden Protectorate.  The British also made a series of treaties with local tribal rulers, in a move to colonies the entire area of Southern Yemen.   British influence extended to Hadhramawt by the 1950s and a boundary line, known as the ‘violet line’ was drawn between Turkish Arabia in the North and the South Arabian Protectorate of Great Britain, as it was then known.  (This line later formed the boundary between northern and southern Yemeni states in the 1960s.)

 

In 1849 the Turks returned to Yemen and their power extended throughout the whole of that region not under British rule.  Local insurrection against the Turks followed and autonomy was finally granted to the Zaydi Imam in 1911.  By 1919 the Turks had retreated from Yemen for the last time and the country was left in the hands of Imam Yayha, who became the country’s king.   Yemen’s independence was recognized by Britain in 1925.

Modern History

Imam Yayha ruled Yemen from 1918 until his assassination in the 1948, failed revolution, and was succeeded by his son Ahmad (1948-1962).  Clashes with the British over Aden were characteristic of Ahmad’s rule, and he sought protection from Cairo, resulting in a short-lived pact between Yemen, Egypt and Syria.

On his father’s death in 1962, Ahmad’s son, Muhammed al-Badr, ruled for only one week before the 26th September Revolution, led by Colonel Abdullah al-Sallal, proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR).

The deposed Imam fled to the mountains of the North and his Royalist forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, and waged a civil war against the YAR, which lasted for eight years.  Egypt gave aid to the Republican army and a meeting between Egyptian President Gamel Abden Nasser and King Faisal of Saudi Arabia in 1965 led to an agreement to end the involvement of both these countries in the civil war.   Arrangements were made to hold a plebiscite to allow the people of YAR to choose their own form of government, but this never happened and fighting resumed in 1966.

Egyptian troops withdrew from the region in 1967.  War continued until 1969, when the YAR people and army succeeded to control all regions of Yemen and the Royalists were thrown out of the country.

Unification

In the late 1960s, British presence in Southern Yemen was minimal outside Aden itself.  Intense guerrilla fighting throughout the mid-sixties resulted in a British withdrawal from Aden in 1967.  With the closure of the Suez Canal, Yemen’s economy was on the verge of ruin, and the new People’s Republic of South Yemen, which came into being on 30 November 1967, relied heavily on economic support from Communist countries.  It became, in effect, the first and only Arab Marxist State.  In 1970 the Republic’s name was changed to the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY).

Mutual distrust between the two Yemenis characterized the seventies, and tensions flared into a series of short border wars in 1972, 1978 and 1979.  Two presidents of the YAR were assassinated during this period.  However, under the Presidency of Ali Abdullah Salah of the Hashid tribe, in the late seventies/early eighties, the stability of the YAR steadily improved.

By the end of 1981 a constitution had been drafted in order to implement a merger between the two states.  Attempts to consolidate this, however, were delayed by political instability in the PDRY and it was not until 22 May 1990 that the merger was made official.

The new country was named the Republic of Yemen.  The border was opened and demilitarized and currencies were declared valid in both of the former countries.  A referendum sealed the unification of the Yemen, and today’s Yemen is probably more accessible than it has ever been throughout its history.

According to popular legend Sana'a was founded by Shem, son of Noah. The story tells of how Shem after coming a long way from the north, finally reached Yemen and found the plain of Sana'a most suitable for settlement. Shem chose originally the western part of the Sana'a plain close to Mount Aiban. When he began to lay the foundations a bird came and picked up his sounding lead. Shem followed the bird convinced that it was sent by Allah to show him a more suitable place. The bird flew to the eastern part of the Sana'a plain and dropped the lead at the foot of Mount Nugum. Shem then laid the foundations for a city that was called "Madinat Sam" (the city of Shem). Later, the name changed to Azal (from the biblical Uzal -Gen. 10:27 - the sixth son of Joktan, the Arabic Qahtan). Finally, it was called Sana'a, meaning "the fortified one", in ancient inscription.
  The first inscriptions referring to Sana'a as a city date back to the first century AD. Yet Sana'a, as a citadel along the trade route between Aden and Mecca, watching over a large seasonal market, is certainly older than that. Mohammed Al-Hamdani, the 10th century historian, mentions the Sabean King Sha'r Awtar as the builder of the city wall around Sana'a along with the famous Ghumdan Palace. King Sha'r Awtar lived during the second half of the 2nd century AD. The lack of any inscriptions of Sana'a between the third and he early sixth century only confirms the fact that Dhofar (near Yarim) was the capital of he Himyarite kingdom. Even Mareb, the ancient capital of the Sabeans had become secondary by this time. However, it is believed that the last Himyarite kings had ruled Yemen from Sana'a, namely from the palace of Ghumdan. When the Ethiopians conquered Yemen in 525 AD and 50 years later the Persians, Dhofar had already lost its position as capital in favor of Sana'a.

During the century before the arrival of Islam, Sana'a had two outstanding buildings the Ghumdan Palace, possibly constructed by King Sha'r Awtar and the Sana'a Cathedral, called al-Galis (from the Latin ecclesia), built by Abraha, the Ethiopian ruler, in the early years of his reign. Yemeni historians report on the Ghumdan Palace as consisting of twenty floors. Each of the four sides was built with differently colored stones. Four bronze lions at each corner would roar with the blowing wind. The roof was made of translucent alabaster so clear that the king could see the birds flying over. The same historians report on the Galis Cathedral: the entire ceiling was made from teak held together by gold and silver nails, the pulpit was of pure ebony plated with gold and silver. So splendid was the cathedral that people from Yemen and other parts of Arabia would make pilgrimages to it.

When Islam arrived in Yemen (in 628 AD), both buildings, the Ghumdan Palace and the Galis Cathedral were destroyed. From the ruins and rubbles two new constructions were erected: the Great Mosque of Sana'a and a new castle on the ruins of a Himyarite citadel close to Mount Nugum that has always been the highest point of Sana'a. AlHamdani could still see the ruins of the Ghumdan Palace during his life time, before they disappeared completely. Of the Galis Cathedral, only the round foundation walls of the baptistery have remained till the present day (Byzantine sources report on a bishopry in Sana'a until the ninth century AD).

The Great Mosque, the new castle (Qasar al-Silah) and the expanded and permanent market became the new characteristics of Islamic Sana'a. All three have remained intact and kept their original function until our present 20th century.
During the following centuries, Sana'a became the focal point of power struggles between little kingdoms and the target for foreign invasions. Sana'a remained the capital of Yemen and to conquer it was to conquer Yemen at least symbolically. Hardly any other Yemeni city has seen so much blood shed and suffered so many conquests. Yahia bin Hussein, a Yemeni historian, writes on 11th century Sana'a: "Ruin prevailed in Sana'a and elsewhere in Yemen because of disputes, rivalries and disunity. Sana'a and its suburbs became as if they had burned down. Every year, even every month, some new Sultan seized power"

 Sana'a was conquered by the Egyptian Mamlukes in the 16th century, soon to be followed by the Ottoman Turks in 1538 AD. The Ottoman Turks were expelled by the Zaydi Imams, but returned to Sana'a in 1872 AD until the end of World War 1. The capital was sacked by Imam Ahmed's forces in 1948 AD and suffered heavy damage during the Civil War, when royalist forces bombed Sana'a without interruption for 70 days (the 70 days siege at the end of 1967).
Yet, in between these times of war, there have been periods of peace and prosperity. Early European visitors write all very favorably about the fruit gardens in and around Sana'a, especially in Bir al-Azab, the garden city west of the old center. It is now difficult to imagine that Sana’a was once lying in the middle of a green plain with intensive agriculture beginning just beyond its city walls.

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Capital Secretariat (The City of Sana’a)

 

old Sana’a

   This is the historical and political capital of the Republic of Yemen lying in the heart of Yemen highlands and in the center of Sana’a basin between Jabal Nugum and Aiban at a height of 2200m above sea level while old Sana’a is located at the western foot of Jabal Nugum.

Historical Introduction:

The heritage books begin with what is provided for in them about Sana’a by the Story of Shem the son Noah, who came from the north of the south looking for a better homeland for settlement till he finally found the appropriate place and founded the palace of Ghamdan and thereafter the city was named Sam City “City of Shem” and that means it is the oldest town.

While other Books mention another name for the city, i.e. Azal as provided for recurrently in the poems and indications about the antiquity of the city too, because Azal is one of the sons of Joktan Bin Amir Bin Shalik Bin Arfakhashed Bin Shem Bin Noah. It is a name that is provided for the Old Testament. From the name Azal comes the present verb Yazl meaning fortified , Storing and Manufacture. The same meaning in Amhric (a Yemenite Dialect spoken in Ethiopia) Manufacture. May be due to the lapse of time there has been confusion concerning the name but generally the name of town, as “Azal” has always been ubiquitous in the poetry. But the name that always accompanied the city and its history events since 20 centuries age is Sana’a and its root is in the Sabaeic Encyclopedia and is referred to as Hasna when in adjective mode meaning (Beauty).

The first ever found inscription mentioning Sana’a dates to 70 AD as one of the Sabaeaic towns following Marib in importance as per the context of its reference in the inscription, while Ghamdan Palace was the second after Salheen in Marib. From the inscriptions also it has been found that”Dhu Nawas , the last Himyarite King was the first to establish Sana’a as his capital in 525 AD and remained so during the Abyssinian occupation for almost half a century. Whilst when Sana’a fell under the Persian Empire’s Control it remained as the capital of the Persian Ruler.

As of the dawn of Islam till the beginning of independence of Islamic sub-state in many parts of Yemen detaching from the Capitals of the Islamic Caliphate from Madina at the Time of the Disciples Caliphs , to the Umayyad in Damascus and the Abbasids in Baghdad up till the outset of the third Hegira Century (9^th Century AD) Sana’a persisted begin the Capital City of the Ruler , who himself is Caliph’s deputy in running the affairs of one of Yemen’s Three Makhalifs i.e . Mikhlaf  Sana’a, Mikhlaf  Al-Janad and Mikhlaf Hadhramawt, The city of Sana’a recurrently assumed an important status and all Yemenite States competed to control it of which is the famous competition between the Zaidite and Qarmatite States or was at times adopted as capital of a Sultanate.

 

The Sullaihiad Kings (One of the Biggest Yemenite States during the Islamic Reign) were the first to adopt Sana’a as Capital for the Sullaiyhid Dynasty before transferring the capital to Jiblah between the years 1047, and 1083. Then it became a capital of Hatimite State (a tribe of Hamdan) from 1098 till 1173.They were partisans of the Sullaiyhids and were in war with the Zaidites Imams in Sadah and were allies of the Zaidites in Aden during their wars with Al-Mahdi in Zabid till the Hatimate State demised at the hands of the Ayyubides (1174-1229 AD. Also Sana’a remained important during the Ayyubides and the Zone named Bostan A-Sultan in Sana’a refers to Sultan Taghtakin Bin Ayub whose capital was Taiz . The Status of Sana’a didn’t change during the region of the Rasoulides 1226-1454 and this was the strongest Islamic Sub-state in Yemen which covered most of Yemen .i.e. Greater Yemen. Their capital was Taiz. Also during the Tahiride Rule of Yemen Sana’a remained as an important city.

The Mamelukes arrived in Yemen following the Portuguese Invasion of Yemenite Coasts in 1517 AD following the collapse of the Mamelukides in Egypt at the hands of the Ottoman Turks, Yemen fell under the Ottoman Rule and during the first Ottoman rule of Yemen between 1538-1635 Sana’a became the capital of the Ottoman Vilayet. Albeit the Zaidite expansion following the first Ottoman exodus to the extent that it covered Greater Yemen but Sana’a was not the capital of that State and the condition in later times deteriorated till the number of Imams in Sana’a and its surroundings were five at the same times. Then again came the Ottomans and controlled Yemen with Sana’a as capital as of 1872-1918.After the Ottomans Sana’a was the capital of Imam Yehya who ruled North Yemen till 1948 and during Imam Ahmed’s rule it was the capital of Sana’a Province till the break out of Revolution in 1962 where after it become the capital of the Arab Republic of Yemen till the Reunification declaration of Yemen was proclaimed on 22 May 1990 and it was dubbed as the Historical Capital of Yemen.

Bab Al-Yemen

  The Current  Status of Sana’a and its main Tourists Attractions:

Sana’a is one of the ancient Yemen cities dating date back to the Sabean dynasty. The oldest reference to its existence is found in inscriptions dates back to the late the 1^st Century AD. The inscriptions also refer to the historical Palace of Ghamdan associated with Salheen Palace in Marib . This suggested that Sana’a was the capital of the Himyrate dynasty at the onset of the 6^th century AD when king Yousef Athar Dhu Nawas the last of the Himyarite kings was in power . It was also the capital of the Abyssinian rules and after them the Persians who also made Sana’a their capital.

Sana’a in the various stages of its history continued to be an important city or capital for a ruling State. I t was an important station on the trade route which started at Aden passing through the mountains through Sana’a. This route was known as As’ad Route or the Route of the Elephant Owners. During the Islamic period Sana’a entered another stage and put on a new fashion with the Holy Mosque replacing the Church of Ibraha (Al-Qillis). Thus, the minarets and domes dominated the skyline of the city. Schools and steam baths (Hamamat) were built. Gardens were expanded to become luscious outlets for the surrounding houses. The houses of Sana’a are old and some are 500 years old. It is believed that the foundations of some of those houses today dates back to more 1000 years taking into consideration the tradition to rebuild on top of collapsing houses.

The houses of old sana’a are known as tower houses with some reaching eight stories. In old Sana’a there are more than 14000. Such houses from the middle of old Sana’a (Cattle market) one can walk 500m in any direction with coming across new building. The ground and first floors of the old city houses are built of stone with the upper floors being built of cooked bricks. The floors are separated from one another with a strip of the same building material. The rooms are lit with marble arched stained-glass windows. The exterior walls are decorated with ornaments coated with lime in an updated architectural style and similar material. The ground floors are used as stores, while the large first floors are used for entertaining. These as also rooms allocated for women and children. The Mafraj is the male domain, located at the top of the house, and is a rectangular room with broad windows allowing good sight of the surroundings. It is the most decorated and beautiful room in the house.

Old Sana’a as exposed to many natural disasters and war calamities the most severe of which was the sweeping floods in the late 9^th century. However, It was rebuilt and restored to its original condition and then expanded during the Aubbide Reign in the 12^th century AD, when they built what is called Sultan Orchard. The city also witness expansion under the first Ottoman period, and a new quarter was added to Sana’a called Quarter of Beer al-Azab , which was populated by the Senior officials. This quarter was distinct in its architectural Style differing from that of old Sana’a with regard to orchards and fountains. In the middle of the 16^th century, Sana’a expanded again by adding the “Qa’a Al-Yahud”, a rampart dating back to the first century encircled “The Jewish Quarter” Old sana’a but it grew with the expansion of the city to include the new quarters. The rampart was in the shape of an 8,and used to have six gates four of which were used for the old city. These gates were closed each night at 8:00 o’clock and were opened before the dawn prayer at 4:00 am

Today only the southern gate rampart together with its towers have collapsed but still some parts exist, particularly eastern and the southern parts adjacent to Bab Al-Yemen. The wall of the city had towers of which the thickness was enough to tow a cannon or tow walking knights.

Sana’a is the most beautiful city in Yemen and in the Arabian Peninsula. It is a miraculous city with matchless architectural style. It can be said that it is a fantastic Islamic museum and international cultural Center in the Same way as Jerusalem (Al-Qawds Fez,Venice, and Florence).UNESCO has considered  Sana’a as an international patrimony and undertook an international camping to protect, Safeguard and maintain it in 1984.

Most Important Features of the City Mosques:

In Sana’a there are more than 50 mosques, five with domes and many with minarets, most Important of which is the Great Mosque, built during the life of Prophet Mohammed and ordered by him in the Eighth Hegira year 630  AD. This mosque was built, near the market place of stones from the famous Palace of Ghamdan and its pillars considered to be rare and wonderful masterpieces. They are believed to have been reused after they were moved from Ghamdan Palace of from a Sheba Temple the present building dates back (without the present annexes), to the period of Ya’furriya State in the late third century AD (9^th century AD). Queen Arwa Bint Ahmad AL-Sulayhi and other participated in expanding it. The ceiling of the Great Mosque itself is considered as one of the important scientific and, ideological schools throughout the Islamic History until today. The Western library, the most famous manuscript library in Yemen, is annexed to this Mosque.

There are many other mosques which are not less beautiful or wonderful with respect to the style of minarets, domes and artistic embellishments, such as Al-Mehdi Abbas Dome dating back 18^th century AD and Bakirriya dome which dates back to the first Ottoman period, and which was renovated in the late 19^th century by order of the Ottoman Sultan, Abdul-hameed.  

Great Mosque

Markets:

The market is considered to be one of the significant components of the Arab Islamic city the markets of old Sana’a are regarded as a living example of this. There are ten such markets, each specializing in a certain craft or merchandise such as the Cloth market, Grain market, Silk market, Raisins market, Cattle market, Thread market, Coffee Husk market, Caps market, Carpet market, Salt market, Brassware market, Silverware market, Firewood market, all perfumed with the scents of the East and a reminder of the tales of “ One Thousand and one Night”.  

   

Steam Baths (Hammamat)

There are in old Sana’a about 15 steam baths, which are a fundamental feature of the city, as baths are associated with cleanliness. It is said that the Persians introduced the baths. The style of steam baths in Yemen is similar to that of North Africa but still some suggest that they were introduced during the Umayyad Period in the late first century Hegira (7^th century AD).

Samsarah (Caravansaries)

In old Sana’a there were a number of inns (Khans) which used to perform specific functions that were complementary to the business of the market, such as services of accommodation, storage, safekeeping of deposits and precious items. Such facilities had a specific architecture style characterized by arches and terraces in the interior, the ground floor of which was usually used for camels and horses there are now samples of such brokerage inns one of them is Al-Nahas Caravansary at the entrance of Salt Market, Bab AL-Yemen (Yemen Gate), which is now used as a center for the training of craftsmen and displaying their products. Nearby is another example called Samsarat Al-Mansour, which is presently a center for the painting artists.

Sana’a has many Recreational Area

RAWDAH:

Rawdah is 8km away to the north of the city and for the residents of Sana’a it is a place where they can spend some time away from the city, especially during grape season. The farms of Rawdah are well known for excellent grapes called Al-Rawdah grape in this area a weekly market is held every Sunday. There is an ancient mosque in Rawdah with artistically decorated minarets dating back to 17^th century AD. Rawdah is characterized by a special architectural style which heavily depends on adobe (straw mixed clay). There is also a historic palace dating back to the early twentieth century.

 

Wadi Dhahr

Wadi Dhahr is located 14 km to the northwest of Sana’a and is considered to be the most important recreation area for the city of Sana’a. Here all kinds of fruit are grown. In the center of the wadi perches Dar Al-Hajar (Rock Palace), a palace built on top of an enormous rock dating back to 1786 AD, and ordered by Imam Mansour Ali Bin Mehdi Abbas. In the 1930s, Imam Yahya Hameed Al-Din added the upper stories and annexes and used it as a rest house. There is an ancient well piercing the rock from top to bottom as well as an old rocky graveyard. It is nowadays on of the main tourist attractions. In addition there are a number of ancient monuments scattered within the wadi.

Wadi Dhahr

  Bait Baws:

A typical old village, Bait Baws is located 7km to the south of Sana’a. Existing inscriptions found in the west of village show that the area was an important center in the ancient history of Yemen. The village is naturally fortified with only on entrance to the south.

The most renowned mountains in the Capital Secretariat:

Nugom Mountain on which part of Sana’a is located on its western foot, it is its guardian and has got a traditional fortress and is 3000m above sea level.

The Old City: This contains houses which are more than 400 years old, built of dark basalt stone and decorated with intricate friezework. The old city wall is extremely well preserved.

- Suq al-Milh: The best time to visit Sana'a's main souk is in the morning or between 6 and 7pm, when it is a hive of activity. The name Souk al-Milh means Salt Market, but actually a wide variety of goods are on sale, such as spices, vegetables, corn, qat, pottery, raisins, copper, woodwork and clothing.

- The National Museum is located next to al-Mutwakil mosque, about 100 metres north of Tahrir Square. The House of Good Luck (Dar as-Sa'd) in which it is housed, was once a royal palace dating from the 1930s. The museum contains artefacts from the ancient kingdoms of Saba, Ma'rib, Ma'in and Himyar, and is open daily from 9am till 12 noon and from 3 till 5pm Fridays; mornings only.

- The Military Museum is situated at the western corner of the same square and is open daily from 9am till 12 noon and from 4 till 8pm (except Fridays and the last Thursday of each month).

- Mosques: For Muslims only, these mosques are well worth a visit: al-Jami'al-Kabir (the Great Mosque) on the western side of the main souk; Salah al-Din in the city's eastern quarter; Qubbat Talha which has an interesting Turkish influence; al-Aqil, a small mosque with a beautiful minaret which is delicately lit at night; and Qubbat al-Bakiliya in the eastern part of the city, which was built by the Turks in the 17th century and restored in the latter half of the 19th century.