Al-Hajjarah, Yemen

The fortress town of Al Hajjarah is one of the main historical attractions in Yemen. It owes much of its fame and popularity to its relative accessibility. It is extremely difficult to reach many other mountainous areas of the country. Active stone mining was carried out on the site where the old buildings are located today. This was hundreds of years ago. A small settlement was founded near the quarry in the 12th century. It was built into the mountain. Stone extracted from local quarries was used for building houses, granaries, and water vessels.

This town was built on the edge of a precipice. Initially, it provided a good defense against invaders. It is noteworthy that the houses were built quite high here. No special bonding solutions were used in the construction of houses. The stone blocks were simply stacked on top of each other. They maintained the integrity of the structures with their impressive weight. The citadel town participated in important battles during the war with Turkey. It managed to almost completely survive even after a series of bloody battles.

Trade remained the main means of livelihood for the town for many years. Al Hajjarah is a major base camp for trekking today. Many interesting sights have been preserved in the town. The residence of Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din is an outstanding architectural monument. A desert area surrounds the town. It is also of great interest from a historical point of view. Several ancient monasteries and unique archaeological areas are located here. Next - Rocamadour