Yemen Things to Do Tips by traveldave Top 5 Page for this destination

Al-Qahera Castle

One of the most impressive sights in Ta'iz is al-Qahera Castle, also known as Cairo Castle. Perched precariously on a sharp spine of Sabr Mountain 591 feet (180 meters) above the city, it can be seen from throughout the valley in which Ta'iz is located.

The castle was constructed by the Ottoman Turks during their reign. The Ottoman Turks controlled Yemen from the fifteenth century until 1918. Al-Qahera Castle later played an important role in local history. Ahmad al-Tolaia was the leader of a revolt to overthrow Imam Ahmad, who controlled the region. From the castle, Imam Ahmad ordered his military leader, al-Maghany, to fire the castle cannons into the revolutionaries below. Many were killed, including the imam's brother, who had joined the revolutionaries. And during the civil war before unification of North Yemen and South Yemen, al-Qahera Castle was used as a military base, although it was not involved in any battles at the time.

Nowadays, the castle is closed to the public, but there are plans to restore it and open it to tourists.

Sana'a Old Town

Sana'a Old Town, or Alqadeemah in Arabic, is one of the great sights of the world. It was declared a World Heritage City in 1984 by UNESCO, and the Arab Cultural Capital in 2004. It is noted for its unique, ancient architecture which involves mud brick and elaborate friezes. Due to its importance not only to Yemen but to the world, preservation measures are underway, by both international agencies and the Yemeni government.

There are over 6,500 houses in Sana'a Old Town. They are multi-storied, and can be considered the first "skyscrapers" in the world. The houses, many of which are more than 400 years old, are made of mud brick and have decorative whitewashed friezes and intricately carved frames around their windows and doors. And many have brightly colored stained glass windows.

Sana'a Old Town is surrounded by mud-brick walls 20 to 30 feet (six to nine meters) high, in which massive medieval gates allow entry onto the quarter. A maze of narrow streets criss-crosses the area. In addition to houses, there are 15 hammams, or steam baths, which were probably introduced by the Persians. There are numerous mosques, and their tall, thin minarets pierce the sky throughout the quarter. There are several caravansaries, no longer in use, which were inns that catered to merchants traveling in camel caravans. The ground floor housed the camels, horses, and other animals, while the people slept on the upper floors.

And there are many different colorful markets, each specializing in different merchandise or crafts, including cloth, grain, silk, raisins, cattle, meat, coffee, caps, carpets, salt, brassware, silver, and firewood.

Kawkaban

Kawkaban is one of the most scenic and photogenic villages in Yemen. It is only one hour out of Sana'a, so it makes for a popular day trip from the capital. Because it is a popular tourist destination, this was the only place in Yemen where I encountered aggressive locals trying to sell souvenirs. Most were offering very rare and valuable ancient coins, but because almost everyone had these coins, they were not very rare, valuable, or ancient.

Kawkaban was built on top of a 1,148-foot (350-meter) cliff as a refuge from the tribal warfare that was prevalent in Yemen at that time. The village also served as a fortress to protect the town of Shibam located at the foot of the cliff. (This is not the more famous Shibam known as the "Manhattan of the Desert" located in the Hadhramawt region). Kawkaban was never conquered, but much of the village was destroyed by aerial bombing during one of Yemen's internal skirmishes in the 1960s.

Nowadays, it is easy to reach Kawkaban by a paved road that takes visitors to the top of the cliff. Visitors enter the village through a massive gate that once kept out enemies. Once in the village, there really is not much to see, although the views from the edge of the cliff are spectacular. Visitors can also take a steep path through a cleft in the rock down to the town of Shibam below.