Mountains

Geography:

This part of the countrey is located in the central highlands northwest of Sana'a. The Central Mountains consist of Manakha, Al Hajjarah, Hutayb, Kawkaban and other traveler interests. The Haraz Mountains are also located at the south tip of the Central Mountains.

Climate:

summer (30c-25c) and in the winter (20c-5c).

Things to see and do:

The Central Mountains offer some of the best places for trekking and partaking in Yemeni Culture. Also, the sightseeing that can be seen from the mountains is absolutely breath-taking.

Manakah:

Situated to the west of the Capital city of Sana’a, about 120 kilometers, it is located in a highland about 2200 meters above sea level. This city is surrounded by high mountains on all sides. The Beih Mountains are located to the north, and the Shibam Hiraz to the south. The special features of this beautiful city include unique architectural structures, located along mountain tops. This area is famous not only for its architectural style but also for agricultural features in the traditional terracing system.
Manakha was once where the plantations of coffee were grown; they were harvested and then sent to Mokha before being shipped to Europe and other areas.

During this time the Region of Haraz was under the control of the Turkish occupation, and was very necessary for the shipping routes to remain safe.
Travelers can easily spend several days in this region, and benefit from the tranquility of its nature.

Al-Hajarah:

Situated west of Manakah, encircles and crowns the summit of a hill, built of quarried stone from the mountainside nearby. The village dates back to the twelfth century. While walking in the city, you can see some very beautiful fortified houses that are highly decorated.

Al-Hotaib:

Situated a few kilometers away from Manakah to the northeast, lies as one of the Ismaili Shi'ite regions of Yemen. The pilgrims congregate from as far as India at the tomb of the 16th century Yemeni da'i or preacher Hatim Alhamdani.

Al-Haimah:

Situated 50km west of Sana'a, which is a group of villages built in the edge of high mountains. Al-Haimah is famous for the quality of Qat as well as some types of vegetables.

Thulla:

Located 45 km west north of Sana'a . It's very well known for its decorative round windows and flag stoned streets, which give the town an overall urban feeling. The houses are built of large hewn houses, many "hamamas" can be found in the town as well. On the top of the mountain that is above Thulla, you can see a castle that was built in order to protect the town from any invasion.

Hababah:

Located to the south west of Thulla. The architecture of the town is unique due to the style of building the houses stacked to each other in a genius way. There are still many houses that goes back to the Jewish people who inhabited the city for almost 700 years.

Shibam Kawkban:

Located around 111 kilometers northeast of Sana’a, this city is 2050 meters above sea level. Situated on a mountain top, it overlooks a series of agricultural terraces where you can find the best coffee in Yemen, along with tropical fruits. Within the governorate of Mahwit there are many villages such as Shibam and Kawkaban.

Kawkban:

An ancient historical center and a fortified citadel located about 2800 m. above sea level. It was the capital of Bani Sharaf Al-Din in the 9th century. It is characterized by beautiful architectural designs. Most of the houses were destroyed in the past and were rebuilt. It was called the school of music. It is said that it was named so because it had two palaces decorated with precious stones.
Each of them was called a star, so the name of Kawkaban is attributed to these two palaces. In fact, there are two ways to Kawkaban, the first by car through the town’s main gate, and the second, a path up the mountain from Shibam.
This area is famous for its rich old history. Built on top of the mountains, it overlooks the valley of Shibam.

For this, it was named the “natural tower” of Yemen. A famous feature of this city is its great wall surrounding the entire city.

Sheharah:

The remote stone village of sheharah , perched at around 2500m on the top of Jebal Al-Amir has an ancient history because of surviving many external interferences such as the failed attempt of the Turkish occupation to vanish the ''Zyadia Imam" at that time whose name was "Imam Alqasem the great" . As in most of Yemeni houses, doors open directly onto the street or onto courtyard. The famous seventeenth century bridge that joins Jebal Al-Amir and Jebal feesh can be also seen in Sheharah, the bridge was built by the architect Salah Al-Yaman.

Kohlan

On the way to Hajjah there is a village called Kohlan, which is about 85 m. from Sana’a and 2500 meters above sea level. It is one of the most attractive villages in the governorate of Hajjah, and one of the most fortified ancient citadels in Yemen. This citadel is the most ideal fortification in Hajjah.

AlMahwit

Located around 111 kilometers northeast of Sana’a, this city is 2050 meters above sea level. Situated on a mountain top, it overlooks a series of agricultural terraces where you can find the best coffee in Yemen, along with tropical fruits. Within the governorate of Mahwit there are many villages such as Shibam and Kawkaban.