Haraz Mountains

Haraz Mountains are a region in Yemen

Regions

Haraz is an area named after the mountains which run through it and is home to some of the best qat and coffee in Yemen. For the tourist, outside of Manakha and Al Hajjerah, there are not too many places to go on your own (due lack of facilities and language barriers). It is fantastic for hiking but you should have a guide to make it easier travelling through the villages. It is one of the most conservative areas but offers some if the best hospitality and spectaclar views.

Jabal Haraz

Jabal Haraz is a picturesque mountain region of Yemen, between Sana'a and al-Hudayda. In the 11th century it was the stronghold of the Sulaihid dynasty, many of whose buildings survive.

 

Haraz is as famous for the beauty of its landscapes as for its fortified villages clinging to nearly inaccessible rocky peaks.

  

History and location

 

Because of its location between the Tihamah coastal plain and Sana'a, this mountainous area has always been strategically important. A caravan stopping point during the Himyarite Kingdom, the Haraz was later the stronghold of the Sulaihid State which was established in Yemen in 1037. Then and subsequently the population have been Ism'aili Muslims.

Haraz is as famous for the beauty of its landscapes as for its fortified villages clinging to nearly inaccessible rocky peaks. Their imposing architecture meets two needs, defending the villagers while leaving plenty of space for crops. Each town is built like a castle; the houses themselves form the wall, equipped with one or two easily defensible doors. Constructed from sandstone and basalt, the buildings are perfectly integrated into the landscape and it is difficult to tell where the rock and the village begins or ends. The mountain is divided into terraces of a few acres or more, separated by walls sometimes several meters high. On these remarkable terraced fields grow alfalfa for livestock, millet, lentils, large areas for coffee and qat .

Within a day's journey are Banu Mora and other villages located on the ridge overlooking Manakhah. Manakhah is the heart of this prosperous mountain range, a large town whose market attracts villagers from the entire neighbourhood. Al Hajjara, to the west of Manakhah, is a beautiful walled village whose citadel was founded in the 12th century by the Sulaihids. From there, other villages are accessible, such as Bayt al-Qamus and Bayt Shimran .

The village of Hutaib is built on a platform of red sandstone, facing a magnificent view of terraced hills which host a score of villages. Here also is the mausoleum of the third Yemeni "dai" Hatim al-Hamdi. Bohras from India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Madagascar gather here. The local Ismailis have tarred the roads, and paved the streets for their believers, without damaging the landscape

Cities

 

Manakha is the main city in the Haraz mountains and was an ancient stronghold. It is perched on a mountain-side overlooking the valley which leads to Hodeidah on one side and the mountains leading to Sana'a on the other. Most visitors are western tourists or Ismailis going to one of their pilgrimage sites behind the city. It is a "city" in relation to the rest of the villages in the region, but by western standards is definitely a village. Mahweet is a northern city in the mountain range, but Manakha has more to offer for visitors and is easier to get to.

See

• The whole area offers views more than anything. It also gives the tourist an opportunity to see traditional Yemenis and traditional ways of life- it is like stepping back in time in this region.

• Dancing- the dancing in Haraz is one of the more amazing sights you see in Yemen. Take the opportunity to watch when you can and if you can't find a wedding or occasion see the performance at the Al Hajjerah Tourist Hotel in Manakha (locals call it Funduq al 'Agel).

• Beni Ismail is a spectacular area that is famous for its coffee and the special technique used to grow it.

• Manakha rally is the only place for visitors to stay, but using the city as a basecamp of sorts will allow them to tour the region by foot.