My first impressions were good and then only got better when Kais, the owner of my hotel, called to tell me that the car he sent to pick me up had been in a “small crash” and another was on the way.
Not sure the manager of any Hotel in Dubai would have done the same.
30 minutes later I was in a battered taxi on the way to Old Town Sana’a and the Sana’a nights Hotel.
The hotel was built 500 years ago. Apparently people were much shorter then as I had to contort myself to climb the uneven stairs and navigate the tiny corridors to reach room 210.
Once inside I was amazed. A small but beautifully decorated room with an attached “European Style” bathroom for just $20 per night. I couldn’t help but imagine what had happened in the last 500 years between the four walls.
Kais had prepared breakfast and so I sat and ate with him while we discussed everything from the weather to Yemeni politics.
His English was perfect and when I asked if he’d lived in the UK for a long time he said that he’d never been to the UK and had taught himself the language from books and the radio!
After breakfast and a little rest I ventured into Old Sana’a. Being surrounded by buildings that have been in place for 800 to 1000 years was incredible.
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The city is a living museum, where every house, shop or office building has stood exactly where it is for the better part of a millennium.
I wondered between the spice souk, the clothes souk, the fruit and vegetables souk and even the knife souk to reach the famous Bab al Yemen (Yemen Gate).
It’s an incredible square filled with life and colour and surrounded by the original walls of the old city. As I stood on the wall and looked over the city skyline the heavens opened and within 15 minutes the old cobbled streets were a river of rain water.
This didn’t dampen my enthusiasm so I bought an umbrella from a passing seller and carried on exploring.
That first night in Sana’a night hotel made it clear I had nothing to worry about and over tea Kais persuaded me to go on a tour of the countryside on the Saturday — staying Saturday night in the mountains and heading from there directly to the airport on Sunday.
He organised his father to be my guide and early Saturday morning we set off in an old Landcruiser to see Yemen outside of Sana’a.
Once outside of the city it was clear the country was just as beautiful. We were heading towards spending the night in a town called Manakha — near the famous town of Al Hajjarah in the mountains.
On the way we visited the Rock Palace, built many hundreds of years ago for the Imam ruler of Yemen. It is now a museum and the opportunity to walk through its many rooms and levels was a joy.
Below the main building is a network of graves in which pre-Christ mummies were found. From the Rock Palace we drove through the medieval towns of Thula, Hababa and the mountain town of Zakati, before stopping at a friend of Ahmed’s (my driver and guide) house for lunch.
Sat on the floor of his majlis eating freshly cooked bread, chicken and Saltah (the national dish) cooked by the lady of the house was a true honour.
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May 20, 2009 , United Arab Emirates
I liked your article about Yemen and the unforgetable experience which I am sure it was! I would have loved to see some pictures as well (so to speak). Thanks for the positive and encouraging words about Yemen and wish you more enjoyable trips to the "Felix Of Arabia" rgds