"Arabic lessons, qat sessions and... " a Yemen Travel Page by maykal

SANA'A...the MOST BEAUTIFUL city in THE WORLD!!! (according to me!). I studied Arabic in Yemen for three months in the summer of 2000, and it is one of the most fascinating places in the Middle East. Yet to be discovered by tourism, Sana'a is still a very traditional city. It is certainly not for everyone, but anyone with even a slight interest in the Middle East is recommended to visit.
I didn't have much time to spend travelling round the rest of Yemen, but did manage to get to Aden, Ta'izz, the Tihama and the Red Sea coast...Unfortunately, on my most recent trip, I was confined to Sana'a (not a bad thing though, really), and could only make it to the stunning Wadi Dhahr....but this just gives me another reason to return...and next time, it might be to work there.

*** Don't forget my travelogues on specific places in Yemen...most of them are from my first trip, but I have added some pictures of Old Sana'a from my most recent visit...

If you're interested in learning Arabic in Sana'a, please see my <a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/.133814/7/?s=Q">Middle East</a> page for details.

Worried about safety? Keep up to date with Yemeni news by reading <a href='http://www.yementimes.com'>Yemen Times</a> . Recently there has been a spate of explosions in Sana'a, claimed to be the work of a group of Al-Qa'eeda sympathisers. They haven't targeted foreigners (maybe because there are so few there?!), as they are protesting against their members being held in prison, so government buildings and officials' houses have been targeted...still, it is not ideal. There have also been many pro-Palestine, anti-US/Israel demonstrations outside the US Embassy.

### UPDATE! Returned from Sana'a just before Christmas, and have since added some new photos, but haven't yet found the time to write up the trip fully. I have written a few notes in the green box at the bottom of this page, but have loads more to write....just not enough time to write it!###

More of my opinions about Yemen can be found by clicking <a href="http://www.epinions.com/content_30559145604">here!</a>