The Secret Cities of Yemen

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Yemen has been in the news a great deal recently – because of the civil unrest there. Yet little attention has been paid to the country itself – particularly its rich and surprising architectural heritage. So little known outside the country this remarkable architecture has survived hundreds of years. Take a look at the secret cities of Yemen.

We will start in the town of Al Hajjara, so little known that even Wikipedia does not have an entry on it. Situated at the heart of Yemen in the Al Bayda Governorate of the country, the town boast one of the most simply amazing structures you will ever see. The residence of the Imam Yahya Muhamamd is perched – precariously or so it seems – atop a rocky outcrop. Imam Yahya was famous for stabilizing the north of the country and for his benign attitude towards minorities, particularly Yemenite Jewry. In order for his country to be recognized as independent he made many treaties, most notably the Ital-Yemeni Treaty of 1926 which gave Yemen full sovereignty. The country joined the United Nations in 1948 – a year before his death.

The Imam’s residence, grand and ornate belies the poverty in which many of the country’s population exist. The country itself is just over half a million square kilometers. Although it is on the Arabian Peninsula many would not think of a country like this having islands but, in fact, Yemen has over two hundred (more of one later).

It is the only republic in the area – and one of eight in total in the Arab World. It is thought that around twenty percent of the population live on just over one US dollar a day. It is, then, a poor country, but not one without its advantages.

Perhaps surprising to western eyes, the town of Al Hajjara is one of multi-story building, hundreds of years old. Unexpected of course, but not if you consider that the town is built on a precipice of very limited square mileage. The only was was, indeed, up for the early Yemeni town planners. The huge care that was taken in decorating these towering structures indicates a sophisticated and advanced civilization – in fact, the oldest copy of the Qur’an has been found in this area. The engineering that must have gone in to the construction of this beautiful domiciles was advanced enough to rival that of Europe at the time. Many of the buildings are up to four hundred years old.

A view from another angle gives us a direct look at the breath-taking achievement of architects hundreds of years ago. The town literally hangs off the cliff face. The title of this article may have been a little misleading, of course this and other towns are hardly a secret. Yet Yemen and its history has so long been overlooked – or possibly even ignored – by Western countries and their media that to a greater extent that is how these places could easily be described.

It looks idyllic, but the history of Yemen is far from that. Argued over by colonial powers for (both European and Ottoman) hundreds of years it took that long for it to gain its independence and emerge as a sovereign power in its own right. It was not until 1990 that two separate Yemens – North and Sounth came together to form a single country. Elections over the last ten years have only been judged by international observers to be ‘partly free’. The Parliamentary elections in 2003, however, saw a marked decrease in the amount of fraud and political violence than in previous years.

Sana’a is the capital city of Yemen and has a population of just under two million people. Not a large city by global standard but one which holds a marvellous secret. The old city – or Old Sana’a as it is called is a hidden jewel of exquisite centuries old architecture that simply has to be seen to be believed. The Yemeni inclination towards multi-story building persists here. Many of the buildings date back over four hundred years when European architects were still struggling to construct buildings with more than two storeys.

Sana’a must be seen to be believed. These were the words of Imam Muhammed ibn Idris al-Shafii in the ninth century and the same is true today. It is renowned for its delicious food as well as its architecture. Initially the traveller can find the city confusing as it is like a maze – or even a labyrinth. However, the city allows the traveller to immerse himself in to the full experience of a city hardly touched by Western ways and habits.

A final reason that Yemen should be of more interest is a unique archipelago there. Socotra consists of four islands and the fact that it has been isolated of the Horn of Africa for so long means that over a third of its plant life is found nowhere else on the planet. Those who visit the place say that it is a completely other worldly experience. Nothing weirder than the dragon tree that is found on this archipelago. Eco tourism has not taken off in Yemen but it seems that it may only be a matter of time.