Sanaa and Yemen

Subject : International Relations

Section :Mapping

Sanaa is the largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sana’a Governorate.
At an elevation of 2,300 metres (7,500 ft), Sanaa is one of the highest capital cities in the world.
The Old City of Sanaa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a distinctive architectural character, most notably expressed in its multi-storey buildings decorated with geometric patterns.

Architecture

Sanaa’s Old City is renowned for its tower houses, which are typically built from stone and fired brick and can reach up to 8 stories in height.
The doors and windows feature are decorated with plaster openings.
The old fortified city has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years and contains many intact architectural gems.
The oldest, partially standing architectural structure in the Old City of Sanaʽa is Ghumdan Palace.
The city was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1986.
Efforts are underway to preserve some of the oldest buildings some of which, such as the Samsarh and the Great Mosque of Sanaʽa, is more than 1,400 years old.
Surrounded by ancient clay walls that stand 9–14 metres (30–46 ft) high, the Old City contains more than 100 mosques, 12 hammams (baths), and 6,500 houses.
Many of the houses resemble ancient skyscrapers, reaching several stories high and topped with flat roofs.
They are decorated with elaborate friezes and intricately carved frames and stained-glass windows.