Yemen ... What do we know about this country? Where is it? What interesting things can you tell about the cities of Yemen? Our article will acquaint you with one of the most mysterious countries of the Arab world.
Are we sufficiently acquainted with such a state,how is Yemen? I think no. Little is written about Yemen, it is very rarely remembered in news releases. Tourists and travelers also do not often visit this country. It is supposedly isolated, cut off from the rest of the world.
Partly this cut-off is explainedgeographical position of the country. The Republic of Yemen is located on the very edge of the Arabian Peninsula and is washed by the seas of the Indian Ocean from two sides. Typical landscapes of Yemen are lifeless deserts and rocky massifs covered with sparse vegetation. In some areas of the state, rain does not happen for years.
Yemen is a rather poor country. In terms of the standard of living of citizens, it occupies far from being an honorable 151st place in the world. The unemployment rate is about 30%. True, this indicator is largely due to the fact that women do not work here at all. Being in the country to tourists is far from safe, especially outside the major cities of Yemen. Travel to the country to foreign guests can only be accompanied by local armed "bodyguards".
In Yemen, many men still go tostreets with machine guns at the ready. And it's not surprising if you read the latest history of the country. 1994 - civil war, 1995 - conflict with Eritrea, 2011 - revolution. The last conflict here flared up in 2014, when the government forces of Yemen clashed with the radical Shiite grouping Ansar Allah.
The population of Yemen is growing rapidly.To date, there are about 25 million people. They are mainly Arabs, as well as minor groups of immigrants from India and East Africa. Strange as it may seem, the latter come here to work. For example, from Somalia, where the standard of living is even lower than in Yemen.
The economy of Yemen is based on extraction and processingoil, as well as agriculture. The country grows grain, cotton and beans (oases are fruits), goats, sheep and camels are bred. There are small enterprises of the textile and food industry, developed crafts.
Administratively, the Republic of Yemen is divided into 22 governorates and 333 districts. The country has 51 cities and more than 38 thousand villages. The largest cities of Yemen are listed below:
Next, we will talk about the largest and most interesting cities in this Arab country.
Every tenth Yemeni lives here.Sana'a is the largest city of Yemen and its capital. It is the main financial and cultural center of the country. Sana'a is also considered one of the oldest cities not only in Asia, but all over the world. The first mention of the current capital of Yemen, Sana'a dates from the first century of our era. Today, the historic center of the city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Geographically, the city of Sana'a is located in the westernpart of the country, in the desert tropical zone. Its name is translated from Arabic as a "solid, fortified building." Almost from all sides the city is surrounded by low mountains.
The modern city of Sana'a is a large metropolis withpopulation of 2.5 million people. It is an important center of trade, as well as an Islamic religion in the Arab world. There are more than 100 mosques in the city. Attractions in Sana'a are also many. Here, several thousand historical buildings, built before the XI century, have been preserved. Tourists are attracted to the local bazaar, which is one of the oldest in all of Asia.
Aden is the second largest city in the republic andthe largest on the coast of Yemen. It operates an international airport, as well as the most important transit port, located on one of the busiest sea routes of the planet. Aden is located on the shore of the Bay of the same name. About him was known since ancient times.
To date, about 800 thousand people live in the city. Historically, Aden is divided into several isolated areas:
Area attractions include Adenmonuments of the ancient period (the fortress of Syrah, the Gate of Aden), as well as numerous constructions of the colonial era (St. Joseph's temple, Aden Big Ben and others). The city is also famous for its famous French poet Arthur Rimbaud. In Aden, his house was preserved.
Rada is a city in the south of Yemen (180 km from the capital), in which about 60 thousand people live. Perhaps, one of the most interesting and most beautiful in the country.
In the second half of the XV century the city was the capitalTahirid Kingdom, which managed to recapture Aden from the powerful and influential Rasulid dynasty. Since those times he managed to preserve a unique atmosphere, as well as a number of ancient buildings, built of unusual clay bricks. Outside, these bricks are covered with a layer of gray clay. And this layer is updated annually.
The main attraction of the Rada is the medieval mosque of El Amiriya, surrounded by an impregnable fortress wall. It has one unique feature - it does not have a minaret.
This city is located within the largestthe governorate of Hadramaut, in the valley of the same dried river. Shibam was founded in the beginning of our era. It is famous, first of all, for its original architecture.
Shibam is called the Manhattan of the Desert.This name was awarded to the German journalist and traveler Hans Helfric in the 30s of the last century. However, all the "skyscrapers" are built here ... out of ordinary clay! Due to its architecture, the city of Shibam was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List (in 1982).
The whole city is pierced by a wide avenue.From it in different directions depart numerous alleys. The width of some of them does not exceed two meters. All the buildings in Shibam are built of madara - local building material (clay-straw raw material). Most of them date back to the 19th century.
