Sanaa

No reviews yetCity Amanat Alasimah, Yemen

Tower Houses in Old Sana'a (2286137971), Sanaa, Amanat Alasimah, Yemen

Tower House in the Old City of Sana'a (2286782876), Sanaa, Amanat Alasimah, Yemen

Tower Houses in Old Sana'a (صنعاء القديمة) (2286023513), Sanaa, Amanat Alasimah, Yemen

Vegetable Garden in Old Sana'a (2286045031), Sanaa, Amanat Alasimah, Yemen

About Sanaa

Tower houses trimmed in white gypsum, rising several storeys above narrow lanes, make the old heart of Sanaa one of the most extraordinary townscapes on Earth. Set at about 2,250 metres in the highlands of western Yemen, it is among the highest capitals in the world, and its walled Old City has been lived in for well over two thousand years.

UNESCO inscribed the Old City in 1986, describing more than a hundred mosques, a dozen hammams and some 6,500 houses, many of them built in rammed earth and burnt brick with stained-glass qamariya windows. The Great Mosque dates back to the 7th century, and the thousand-year-old Bab al-Yemen gate still opens onto the busy lanes of Souq al-Milh. Beyond the walls lies the modern city of more than three million people, with the vast Al-Saleh Mosque, the National Museum and, a short drive away, the rock-top palace of Dar al-Hajar in Wadi Dhahr.

Since 2014 Yemen has been at war, the Old City has been on UNESCO's danger list since 2015, and most governments advise against all travel. Check the situation carefully before planning a visit.

Best seasonOctober to March, dry and mild

Ideal stay3 to 4 days, if conditions allow

ArrivingFlights to Sanaa are very limited; check current travel advisories first

11 Things You Shouldn't Miss in Sanaa

Landmarks 3

Old City of Sanaa

Inscribed by UNESCO in 1986, the walled Old City holds around 6,500 tower houses, more than a hundred mosques and a dozen traditio...

Bab al-Yemen

The best-known gateway into the Old City, Bab al-Yemen is more than a thousand years old and remains the busiest way in from the s...

Dar al-Hajar

About 15 kilometres north-west of Sanaa in Wadi Dhahr, this many-storeyed palace seems to grow out of a tall rock pinnacle. It was...

Temples and Shrines 3

Great Mosque of Sanaa

Founded in the 7th century, the Great Mosque of Sanaa is one of the oldest mosques in the world and the spiritual centre of the Ol...

Al-Saleh Mosque

Completed in 2008 in the southern part of the city, the Al-Saleh Mosque is the largest mosque in Yemen, with room for more than 40...

Al-Bakiriyya Mosque

Built during the first period of Ottoman rule in the late 16th century, this mosque stands out in the Old City for its domes and s...

Shopping 1

Souq al-Milh

Named after the salt once traded here, Souq al-Milh is a maze of specialised markets inside the Old City, selling spices, raisins,...

Museums 1

National Museum of Yemen

The country's main museum presents the story of ancient South Arabia, including the Sabaean kingdom, with inscribed stone tablets,...

Nature 1

Wadi Dhahr

Below the cliffs north-west of Sanaa, Wadi Dhahr is a fertile valley of orchards, vineyards and small villages, home to the rock p...

Parks 1

Miqshama Gardens of Old Sanaa

Hidden between the tower houses, the miqshama gardens are walled plots of vegetables, herbs and fruit trees that were traditionall...

Neighborhoods 1

As-Sailah

Running through the Old City, As-Sailah is a seasonal riverbed that has been paved so that it serves as a road for most of the yea...

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Photo credits

Photo: Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Dan from Brussels, Europe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Aneta Ribarska, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Dan from Brussels, Europe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Ferdinand Reus from Arnhem, Holland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Dan from Brussels, Europe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Adelalhaimi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sameer Alssayyad, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Hamza Shiban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Rod Waddington, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Photo: Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Photo: H. Grobe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Dan from Brussels, Europe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Step, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0