Wadi al-Dahr

Address: 10 km outside Sana’a
Tickets: YER 500
A green valley, a rural setting, open pastures, a rocky cliff, on top of which sits a large palatial complex – welcome to the Wadi al-Dahr, a heavenly retreat far from the maddening crowds of city life. The valley houses the Dar al-Hajjah, a palace built in 1935 for Yahya, the last Imam, which displays the epitome of centuries old construction techniques that popularize Sana’a’s skyscrapers. It is the fascinating external architecture that is the main attraction of this place – one can spend hours taking photographs of ramparts, walls, intricately molded friezes, and the sharply perpendicular cubical volumes. Inside you will find a splendid display of photography by the Dutch explorer van der Meulen who is known for his exploits all through Yemen.
You can easily reach the place via taxi – a mere 20-30 minutes ride depending on how quickly you can get out of the city.