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City of a Thousand and One Nights

Sana'a architecture

Sana'a is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth, with a history stretching back more than 2,500 years. Its ancient walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contains over 100 mosques, 12 hammams, and more than 6,000 tower houses decorated with elaborate geometric friezes — an architectural tradition found nowhere else in the world.

  • 5Landmarks
  • 500 BCOldest · Old Sana'a
  • 100 mTallest · Al-Saleh Mosque
  • 4Architects

Before you go

  • Fly intoSana'a International Airport (SAH)

    Sana'a International Airport sits at an elevation of 7,216 feet above sea level, making it one of the highest-altitude airports in the world. The thin air at this altitude requires pilots to use longer takeoff rolls and execute special landing procedures. The terminal, though modest, features traditional Yemeni architectural motifs including decorative stained-glass windows known as 'qamariyyas.'

  • CurrencyYemeni Rial (﷼)
  • LanguageArabic

    Yemeni Arabic is one of the most classical dialects in the Arab world, considered by many linguists to be closely related to the root of Modern Standard Arabic. You will find warm, poetic exchanges are a cornerstone of everyday Yemeni culture, with greetings often including blessings and inquiries about family.

  • Getting aroundShared Taxis & Buses

    The city's primary mode of transit is the shared taxi, called a 'dabbab,' which follows set routes through the ancient streets. Minibuses connect the old city's historic quarters to the newer residential districts. The narrow, winding lanes of the old city are best explored on foot, where the towering mud-brick skyscrapers rise six to nine stories above the cobblestones.

5 landmarks in Sana'a

  1. Old Sana'a

    Old City, Sana'a, Yemen

    One of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with over 6,000 tower houses built of rammed earth and decorated with elaborate geometric friezes found nowhere else on Earth.

    Built
    500 BC
    Architect
    Traditional Yemeni
    Style
    Traditional Yemeni tower house
    Stories
    6
    Today
    Historic district / UNESCO site
  2. Great Mosque of Sanaa
    Photo: Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Great Mosque of Sanaa

    Old City, Sana'a, Yemen

    One of the oldest mosques in the world, said to have been built during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad in 630 CE, and home to one of the world's most significant collections of Quranic manuscripts.

    Built
    630
    Architect
    Early Islamic builders
    Style
    Early Islamic
    Height
    22 m (72 ft)
    Stories
    1
    Today
    Mosque (active)
  3. Bab al-Yemen
    Photo: Jialiang Gao www.peace-on-earth.org, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Bab al-Yemen

    Bab al-Yemen, Sana'a, Yemen

    The main gate of the ancient walled city of Sana'a — the Gate of Yemen — an imposing stone arch that has been the symbolic entrance to the city for over a thousand years.

    Built
    1200
    Architect
    Traditional Yemeni
    Style
    Islamic fortification
    Height
    10 m (33 ft)
    Stories
    2
    Today
    Historic monument
  4. Dar al-Hajar
    Photo: Dar_al_hajar.jpg: Antti Salonen derivative work: MrPanyGoff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Dar al-Hajar

    Wadi Dhahr, Sana'a, Yemen

    The iconic Rock Palace, a royal retreat built atop a natural rock pinnacle in Wadi Dhahr outside Sana'a — one of the most photographed and recognisable buildings in Yemen.

    Built
    1930
    Architect
    Imam Yahya (commissioner)
    Style
    Yemeni traditional / Islamic
    Height
    30 m (98 ft)
    Stories
    5
    Today
    Museum

  5. Al-Saleh Mosque

    Al-Sabeen Square, Sana'a, Yemen

    Yemen's largest mosque, completed in 2008 and capable of holding 40,000 worshippers, with six minarets and lavish marble interiors funded by former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

    Built
    2008
    Architect
    Various Arab architects
    Style
    Islamic / contemporary
    Height
    100 m (328 ft)
    Stories
    3
    Today
    Mosque (active)

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