YEMEN: Sana`a
Sana`a, the lofty mountain capital of
Yemen, has been occupied for more than 2,500 years. Legend says it was
founded by Shem, one of the three sons of Noah. During the Ist and 2nd
centuries BC, it was the main highland garrison town of the Sabaean Kingdom
being subsequently conquered by the Persians and subsequently ruled by the
Kingdom of Axum, in what is now Ethiopia. During this time a great cathedral
built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian drew Christian pilgrims from all
over Arabia. In the 7th and 8th centuries, the city became a major centre
for the propagation is Islam when the Great Mosque of Sana`s was built in
retaliation. It is said that the Prophet Mohammad himself gave instructions
for the positioning of its prayer niche so it was exactly aligned with the
sacred ka`aba, in Mecca. Sana`a long ago overflowed from the mountain
valley, but its Old City remains essentially unchanged. Inside, enclosed by
a medieval wall, are an estimated 6,000 fudge coloured tower houses whose
unique style of architecture is made more exciting by their height. Some are
eight storeys tall. Their construction, each brick set on a bed of crushed
stones, without using of mortar, is a technique inherited from Sabaean
masons. And the exuberant exterior decoration in gypsum, or `Plaster of
Paris is an equal tribute to Yemeni building skills. The Old City, sited for
its ancient mosques and houses, many more than 500 years old, was inscribed
on the World Heritage List in 1986.