Yemen (اليمن)

Cities, towns, and villages

• Sana'a (صنعَاء) — is the capital of Yemen, located in the Yemeni Mountains and generally the first destination for travellers to that country.
  One of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world (others being Jericho, Damascus and Aleppo), Sana'a is believed to have been founded by Shem, the son of Noah. As a result, the city has the unlikely nickname of "Sam City".
  Sana'a will start surprising you the moment you arrive at the airport. All the policemen and the civilians wear jambiya, the unique Yemeni dagger. Even small children wear little daggers. Many people have swollen cheeks because of chewing qat leaves. Outside the airport, all buildings look the same because of uniformly painted windows and walls.

• Aden (Arabic: عَدَنْ ʿAdan) — is a city in the Yemeni Coastal Plains, on the Gulf of Aden just at the Southern End of the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. With its strategic location on the coastline, Aden serves as a gateway between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, making it a crucial maritime hub connecting Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

• Al Hudayda (Arabic: الْحُدَيْدَة, romanized: Al Ḥudaida) — a relatively large city on the Red Sea with beautiful beaches. The governorate is also sometimes referred to as the Western Coast. With an estimated population of nearly 4 million, it is the third-most populous governorate in Yemen, behind Ibb and Taiz.
  Al Hudaydah Governorate borders the Red Sea and is part of the narrow Tihamah region. Al Hudaydah, also serves as an important local port city.

• Hadhramaut (Arabic: حضرموت Ḥaḍramawt) — is located in the east of Yemen and is the largest governorate in Yemen, constituting over a third of the country’s total landmass. Bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north and the Arabian Sea to the south, Hadramawt is one of Yemen’s richest governorates, with a wealth of natural resources, including oil and gas. In addition to these hydrocarbon reserves, it also contains critical infrastructure with the commercial port of al-Mukalla and al-Shihr oil terminal on the south coast and al-Wadia crossing in the northwest leading into Saudi Arabia, the only land port that has remained open between the two countries since the start of the current conflict.

• Shibam (Arabic: شِبَام حَضْرَمَوْت, romanized: Shibām Ḥaḍramawt) — is in the Hadramawt region. The unique, sixteenth century, mud-built, high rise apartment buildingsShibam (in Hadramawt), an example of a historic fortified village with particularly tall tower-houses for which the city is famous constitute a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city itself dates back to the second century AD, while the high rises were built in the middle ages to protect the citizens from Bedouin raids. The bizarre "skyline" that the high rises (some sixteen stories tall!) bestow upon the city has led to the moniker, "Manhattan of the Desert" (مَانْهَاتَن ٱلصَّحْرَاء) or "Chicago of the Desert" (شِيْكَاغو ٱلصَّحْرَاء). Coordinates: 15°55′37″N48°37′36″E

• Ibb (Arabic: إِبّ, ʾIbb) — its capital is Ibb, which, along with Jibla, are extremely significant historic cities. The province contains many attractions in districts such as Yareem, Ba'dan and Al-Sabrah. Ibb is located on the southwestern side of the escarpment of the Yemen Highlands, with dramatic drops to Ta'izz city and the Tihama coastline. There are also impressive views of 3,070 metre high Jabal Sabir to the south.

• Socotra (Arabic: سقطرى ; Suquṭra) — is an archipelago consisting mainly of four main islands and two smaller rocky islets in the Indian Ocean, an offshore territory of Yemen, near the Horn of Africa.
  Due to its remarkable biodiversity, with over a third of the local plant species found nowhere else, Socotra has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Taiz (Arabic: تَعِزّ, romanized: Taʿizz) — the cultural capital of Yemen, which is the most liberal and the friendliest city in the country. It has been the capital of Yemen when the last Imam was in power and is a medieval city.
  Ta'izz is among the most important commercial centres in the country, owing to its proximity to farmland, the Red Sea port of Mokha and Taiz International Airport.
  Ta'izz is a city in the south of the Yemeni Mountains. It is better developed than most Yemeni cities, with very good roads. It is also reasonably clean. The climate is quite pleasant throughout the year.
  Towering above Ta'izz is the 3,000 m (10,000 foot) Jabal Sabir, which is known all around Yemen for its dazzling ascent and view from the top. This mountain is very fertile and is home to tens of thousands of people living on and around the mountain.

• Haraz (Arabic: حَرَاز, romanized: Ḥarāz) — is an area named after the mountains which run through it and is home to some of the best qat and coffee in Yemen. Between Sanaa and Al-Hudaydah, which is considered to be within the Sarat range.
  In the 11th century, it was the stronghold of the Sulaihid dynasty, many of whose buildings still survive today. It includes Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb, the highest mountain in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula.
  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 beautiful areas in Yemen and worth the visit.