The city Of Manakh‎

The city Of Manakh14ah:

This city lies in the Haraz mountain range surrounded by terraces situated between Baih fort in the north and the fort of Shaibam Haraz to the south and is at 2,200m above sea–level. There is a daily market in Manakha for the inhabitants of the surrounding mountain villages.

In the past it was an important collection point for the coffee crop before being transported to Hodiedah and Mokha by camel caravans. Manakha is an excellent area for trekking because f the many nearby villages perched on the edge of the mountains. One that deserves special mention is Al-Halrah, one of Yemen’s most beautiful villages.

Al-Hajrah Village

Al-Hajrah is a few kilometers to the west of Mankha. Its high-rise stone houses are some eight stories high and some were estimated hundreds of years old overlooking very steep valleys with beautiful terraces. It is not far from the historical Masar fort, which forms the first line of defense for the village from the west side. This fort is the very same fort where Ali Mohammed Al-Sulayhi emerged as the founder of the Sulayhide Dynasty

(1047-1138 AD. The Ottomans stationed their cannons here to protect the delivery of military supplies to Sana’a from the red sea.

Al-Hajrah Village

Eastern Haraz:

To the east of Haraz there are many attractive villages on both sides of the road leading to Hutaib where the tomb of the Islamaeli scholar Hatim  Bin Ibrahim Al-Hamdani (16^th century AD) can be found this is an important  shrine for the followers of the Isma’aaeli sect who make annual visit from countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Madagascar to this and other Ismaeli shrines situated in various parts of Yemen.

It must be mentioned that the Governorates of Sana’a is rich in archaeological sites and tourist attractions in areas such as Arhab, Sanhan Bani Matar, Raimah, Khawlan, Haymatain, Ashmour and the mountains of Eyal Yazzid, Nihem and Bani Bahlool to name a few



Hadramout

Shibam

The old walled city of Shibam is named after king Shibam Bin Harith Ibn Saba who ruled from here. It was a major city on the overland spice and incense route.
Although its origins are still not completely understood, it was trading at the time of the Sabaeans around the fourth and fifth centuries BC. The present settlement seems to have been established around the third century AD, after the destruction of Shabwa
 It has been the commercial and political capital of Hadramout, many times. More recently, it was the commercial capital Wadi Hadramout until 1940, when an airport was built east of Seiyun, and the economic centre of gravity moved there.
Shibam is made up of domestic, commercial, educational, administrative and religious buildings – a small walled city that is a complete unit in itself. It has seven mosques, including the Rashid Mosque (sometimes called the Masjid al-Jum'a, the Fiday mosque), which date back to the early tenth century. Its unique architectural heritage of 500 mud-brick houses is an extraordinary example of traditional Yemeni building skills. Some of these houses are many centuries old and rise up to seven or eight storeys, the tallest reaching 30m.
 The city's towering appearance prompted Freya Stark to describe it as "the Manhattan of the desert". It results partly from the fact that it is built on a mound made up of the remains of earlier

towns.

The impression is enhanced by the abundance of windows, usually open, with wooden shutters, or harem grilles, and ventilation openings – often two at different levels on each floor; and by the long lines of shadows cast by the corners and edges of buildings in the afternoon sun. the city was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1982.
Those who can afford it limewash their houses to protect them against termites and against the rains and flooding which occur from time to time in sa'il, the bed of the main wadi.
In general the windowless lower floors are used for grain storage, with areas for domestic use above and those for family and leisure above that. The main room on the second floor is used by men for socializing. It often has wonderful carved plasterwork and freestanding decorated wooden columns supporting the ceiling, while women's areas are found higher, usually on the third or fourth floor. The highest rooms are for communal use by the whole family, and on the upper levels there are often bridges (mi'bar) and doors connecting the houses. These are a defensive feature, but also a practical one – especially for old people who find it difficult to walk up and down the interminable staircases.

Seiyun:

Seiyun is the largest town of the Wadi Hdramout and the provincial capital and main government, commercial and communications centre. It is known for the fabulous palm groves that surround it and for its old market where traditional crafts such as jewellery are still practiced.
The town, which has a history going back thousands of years, probably owes its origin to this market, once and important stopping place on the early trade route that ran east through Wadi Masila and on to Shihr on the coast. Over many years the gathering of people here led to an urban centre being developed with houses, mosques and schools.
In 1494 there was an influx of people of the Hamdani tribes from north of Sana'a. Their leader was Amir Badr Ibn Tawariq Kathiri, the ancestor of the Kathiri Sultans who ruled from their capital here from 1516 until independence from the British in 1967.
The massive Sultan's Palace, with its four corner towers, stands in the oldest part of Seiyun, nest to the busy market; it is the largest mud-brick building in the Wadi Hadramout and an outstanding example of mud architecture. It was built in 1873, rebuilt in 1926 by Mansur bin Ghalib al Kathiri and whitewashed by his son Ali in 1935. Today it houses a museum of archaeology with finds from Raybun, one of Yemen's most important ancient sites as well as exhibits on popular traditions, folklore and costumes. It also includes objects from the colonial days.

Tarim:

Encircled by palm groves, is Tarim, which takes its name from a local king, Tarim Ibn Hadramout Ibn Saba Al-Assgar. It was a major centre for the Kathiri state until the 1960s; it was the capital of Hadhramout in ancient times and has been the religious capital of the Wadi Hadramout since the tenth century. Its history, like Shibam's, is related to the rise of the Himyar Kingdom and the destruction of Shabwa.
Tarim's reputation as a centre of religious teaching extended well beyond the Arabian Peninsula, reaching east Africa and Southeast Asia. Locals will tell you that there was once a mosque for each day of the Islamic year. (This was mainly due to the building of mosques by returned merchants as an offering of thanks for the wealth and business prosperity they had won in south – east Asia).

 One of the most impressive, with its south-east Asian influences and 50-ft-high minaret, is the Al Muhdhar mosque. Built in 1915, it is one of the great symbols of Yemeni architecture. Tarim is also known for its libraries, the most famous being the Al Kaf Manuscripts Library, which houses around  5000 manuscripts from the surrounding region covering religion, the thoughts of the prophets, Islamic law, Sufism, medicine, astronomy, agriculture, biography, history, and mathematics. Many go back hundreds of years, and often contain vibrantly colored illuminations and illustrations.
The architecture of  Tarim is more varied than that of any other Hadramout town. The town's building boom began in the nineteenth century and reached its height between the late 1920s and the early  1940s.



Old City In Sanaa

The old fortified city has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years and contains a wealth of intact architectural gems. It was declared a World Heritage City by the United Nations in 1986. Efforts are underway to preserve some of the oldest buildings, some of which, such the Samsarh and the old Mosque, are more than 1400 years old. Surrounded by ancient clay walls which stand 9–14 metres (30–46 ft) high, the old city contains more than 100 mosques, 12 hammams (baths) and 6,500 houses. Many of the houses resemble ancient skyscrapers, reaching several storeys high and topped with flat roofs. They are decorated with elaborate friezes and intricately carved frames and stained-glass windows.

One of the most popular attractions is Suq al-Milh (Salt Market), where it is possible to buy not only salt but also bread, spices, raisins, cotton, copper, pottery, silverware, antiques (both fake and real) and formerly slaves. The majestic 7th-century Jami' al-Kabir (Great Mosque) is one of the oldest in the Muslim world. The Bāb al-Yaman (Yemen Gate) is an iconized entry point through the city walls and is more than 1000 years old.

A commercial area of the old city is Al Madina, where development is proceeding rapidly. In addition to three large hotels, there are numerous stores and restaurants. The area also contains three parks and the President's palace.

Cultural Arab Capital

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Sana'a was designated as the Arab Cultural Capital for the year of 2004.

Kamaran Island

Kamaran Island (Arabic: كمران‎ Kamarān) is the largest Yemen-controlled island in the Red Sea. The 108-km² (42-sq. mile) island is 18 km (11 miles) long and 7 km (4.5 miles) wide and is strategically located at the southern end of the Red Sea. It is a "shelf island" located in the shallow waters of the Arabian peninsula's continental shelf with coral reefs surrounding three sides of the island. The population numbers 2,200 .

Kamaran is generally flat, with a few hills in the south. Highest point is Jabal Yaman, 24 meters high, about three kilometers form Ra's al Yaman, the southeastern cape of the island

History

Kamaran had been inhabited for centuries when the Portuguese established an outpost there in the 16th century. The island was occupied by the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century and used as a quarantine station for pilgrims conducting the hajj to the Ottoman-controlled Muslim holy city of Mecca.

In June 1915, during World War I, the British seized the island with troops from Aden and started appointing Commissioners to administer it, but did not declare formal possession. In 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne, which divided up the defeated Ottoman Empire, declared an end to its sovereignty over the island and that its future was to be "settled by the parties concerned" without specifying those parties. Britain continued to occupy the island despite the objections of Yemen and administered it from the Colony of Aden. In 1949, Britain formally declared the governor of Aden to be the governor of Kamaran but the island did not become a part of the colony ^.

On 30 November 1967, Kamaran became a part of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) upon its independence from Britain, but was seized by the adjacent Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) in 1972 and became a part of a unified Yemen in 1990.

British Commissioners

• June 1915 - 191. D.G.L. Shaw -Commander
• 191. - 1930's Capt.Wickham.
• 1930's - c.1945 David Thompson
• c.1945 - 1952 Major Thomson British Army 1948
• 1952 - 1954? R.G.W.E. Alban (b. 1899 - d. ....)
• 1954? - 30 November 1967 ....

Postal history

Kamaran Island had an Ottoman post office until 1915 and had a sub-post office of Aden beginning in 1924. From 1967, it was a postal territory of South Yemen, from 1972 of North Yemen, and from 1990 of the reunified Republic of Yemen.