Highlights
Old City of Sanaa
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with thousands of multi-storey tower houses of stone and brick decorated with white gypsum friezes and stained-glass qamariya windows. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Shibam, Hadramawt
A walled city of tightly packed mud-brick tower houses, some rising to many storeys, in the Wadi Hadramawt valley. It has been called the 'Manhattan of the desert' and is on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
Socotra
An island in the Arabian Sea with a high proportion of plants found nowhere else, including the umbrella-shaped dragon's blood tree and the swollen desert rose. White dunes, limestone plateaus and clear water add to its strange beauty. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Haraz Mountains
A range west of Sanaa with villages built on rocky ridges, such as Al-Hajjarah, and steep agricultural terraces where coffee and other crops have been grown for centuries.
Dar al-Hajar, Wadi Dhahr
A palace built on top of a rock pinnacle in a valley outside Sanaa, one of the most photographed buildings in the country.
Zabid
A historic town on the Tihama coastal plain that was an important centre of Islamic learning for centuries, with whitewashed houses and mosques. Its UNESCO site is on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Aden
A port city built partly inside an extinct volcanic crater, with the ancient Tawila cisterns, a historic district called Crater and a long history as a trading hub at the mouth of the Red Sea.
Marib
Once the centre of the ancient Kingdom of Saba (Sheba), with remains of the Great Dam of Marib, a remarkable feat of ancient engineering, and Sabaean temple ruins.
Interesting facts about Yemen
- The port of Mocha on Yemen's Red Sea coast was a major centre of the early coffee trade, and its name lives on in the word for a coffee and chocolate drink.
- Around a third of Socotra's plant species are found nowhere else on Earth.
- The Kingdom of Saba, associated with the biblical Queen of Sheba, was centred in what is now Yemen.
- Shibam's mud-brick tower houses, mostly rebuilt over the centuries, are among the earliest examples of urban planning based on vertical construction.
- Many Yemeni men wear a jambiya, a curved dagger in a decorated sheath, as part of traditional dress.
Best time to visit
In more settled times, the cooler months from roughly October to March were the most comfortable for travel, especially in the lowlands, on the coast and in the Hadramawt. The highlands around Sanaa are milder in summer but cold at night in winter. Socotra is usually visited between October and April, as strong monsoon winds and rough seas from about June to September have made access difficult. The security situation takes precedence over any seasonal considerations.
Practical information
| Capital | Sanaa (constitutional capital); the internationally recognised government has been based largely in Aden |
|---|---|
| Currency | Yemeni rial (YER) |
| Languages | Arabic |
| Plugs | Type A, D, G |
| Voltage | 230 V, 50 Hz |
| Emergency | 194 or 199 police, 191 ambulance and fire; services are severely limited during the conflict, so check locally |
| Driving | On the right |
| Tipping | Small tips for drivers and guides were customary. |
Getting around
Before the conflict, visitors travelled with licensed guides and drivers, and checkpoints and permits were part of road travel. Today, road travel is disrupted, checkpoints are frequent, and international flights are very limited and may be suspended. Different areas are under the control of different authorities, and conditions change quickly. Anyone travelling, for example for humanitarian work, should do so only with expert security support and in line with official advice.
Staying connected in Yemen
Mobile networks exist in cities and towns, but infrastructure has been damaged during the conflict, networks are split between different areas, and outages and slow speeds are common. Power cuts are frequent, and many people rely on solar power and generators. Coverage in the mountains, deserts and on Socotra is limited. Do not rely on mobile data for essential communication; satellite communication is commonly used by organisations working there. If networks are available on your route, install an eSIM before you travel and switch it on when you arrive, as one of several options.
See Yemen eSIM plans · How to install an eSIM
Useful apps for Yemen
- WhatsApp: Widely used for messaging and calls when a connection is available.
- Google Maps: Download offline maps in advance, as data may be unavailable.
- Google Translate: Arabic translation, with the offline language pack downloaded beforehand.