Location

Sana’a lies in the mid of the western mountainous chain which stretches from the far north of Yemen to the south. It is surrounded by a number of Governates: Sa’da to the north and Dhamar to the south, Jouf and Marib to the east and Hudaidah to the west. On the northwestern side arc the two Governates of Hajja and Mahweet. The topography of Sana’a varies between basins, beds, and wadis (valleys) involving fetile lands and green amphitheatric mountains. Within its ranges is the highest mountain top top Ariabia and Mesopotamia, Prophet Sha’aib Mount, which reaches 3760m above sea level. Sana’a  is famous for growing all kinds of grain, fruit, and vegetables and produces the best quality grapes and Yemeni coffee, Matai

Most of its population are engaged in agriculture and cattle raising.
Sana’a is divided into two parts: Capital Secretariat and Sana’a Province.

Capital Secretariat (The City of Sana’a )

This is the historical and political capital of the Republic of Yemen lying in the heart of Yeneni highlands and in the center of the Sana’a basin, between Jabal Nuqum and Aiban, at a height of 2200m above sea level. Old Sana’a is at the western foot of Jabal Nuqum.  

History of the name ”Sana’a”

Sana’a has been known by different names throughout history. It was named the City of Shem, after Shem the son of Noah, who was mentioned in the holy books as the first person ordered to build it. It was also known as ’Azal’, which is mentioned in the Old Testament for one of the sons of Yaqtin ibn Aa’z. The root of the name appears in the ancient Yemeni language, meaning strength and vigour. Sana’a rhymes with the word Hasnaa (very beautiful).  

The Old City of Sana’a

Sana’a is one of the ancient Yemen cities dating date back to the Sabean dynasty. The oldest reference to it existence is found in inscriptions which date back to the 1st Century AD. The inscription also refers to the historical Palace of Ghamdan associated with the Salheen Palace in Marib. This suggests that Sana’a was the capital of the Himyarite dynasty at the onset of the 6th Century AD

When King Yousef Athar Dhu Nawas, the last of the Himyarite kings, was in power. It was also the capital of thc Abyssinian rules and after them the Persians who also made Sana’a their capital. 

Sana’a in the various stages of its history, continued to be an important city or capital for a ruling sovereignty. It was an important station on the trade route which started at Aden, passed through the mountains and on to Sana’a. This route was known as As’ad Route or the Route of the Elephant Owners. During the Islamic period, Sana’a entered another stage and put on a new fashion, with the Holy Mosque replacing the Church of Ibraha (Al-Qallis). Thus, the minarets and domes dominated the skyline of the city. Schools and steam baths (Hamamat) were built. Gardens were expanded to become luscious outlets for the surrounding houses. It is believed that the foundations of some of the houses today date hack more than 1,000 years, taking into consideration the tradition to rebuild on top of collapsing houses.

The houses of old Sana’a are known as ’tower houses’ with some reaching eight storeys. In old Sana’a there are more than 14,000 such houses. From the middle of old Sana’a cow market (Soq al-bakar), one can walk 500m in any direction without coming across new buildings. The ground and first floors of the old city houses are built of stone with the upper floors being built of mud. The floors are separated from one another with a strip of the same building material. The rooms are lit with marble arched stained-glass windows. The exterior walls are decorated with ornaments coated with lime in an up- Dated architectural style and similar materials. The ground floors are used as stores, while the large first floors are used for entertaining. There are also rooms allocated for women and children. The Mafraj is the male domain, located at the top of the house, and is a rectangular room with broad windows allowing good sight of the surrounding. It is the most decorated and beautiful room in the house.

 
Old Sana’a was exposed to many natural disasters and war calamities, the most severe of which was the sweeping floods in the late 9th century. However, it was rebuilt and restored to its original condition and then expanded during the Jacobean Reign in the 12th century AD, when they built what is called Sultan Orchard . The city also witnessed expansion under the first Ottoman period, and a new quarter was added to Sana’a called Quarter of Beer al-Azab, which was populated by the senior officials. This quarter was distinct in its architectural style differing from that of Old Sana’a with regard to orchards and fountains. In the middle of the 16th century, Sana’a again expanded by adding the ”Qa’a Al-Yahud”, The Jewish Quarter”.

 Old Sana’a was encircled by rampart (Sor) dating back to the first century but it grew with the expansion of the city to include the new quarters. The rampart was in the shape of an 8, and used to have six gates, four of which were used for the old city. These gates were closed each night at 8.00 o’clock and were opened before the dawn prayer at 4.00 am. Today only the southern gate (Bab Al-Yemen) has survived. Many parts of the rampart together with its towers have collapsed but still some parts exist. Particularly the eastern and the southern part adjacent to Bab AI-Yemen.

 Sana’a is the most beautiful city in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula.  It is a miraculous city with matchless architectural style. It can be said that it is a fantastic Islamic museum and international cultural center in the some way as Jerusalem (Al-Quds), Fass, Venice and Florence. 

UNESCO has considered Sana’a an aspect of international human heritage and undertook an international camping to protect, safeguard and maintain it, in 1984.