Hadramawt

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Shibam • Saiyun • Mashad Ali • Hadramawt images

Central Mountains | Sana'a | Hadramawt | South East
A long way from anywhere and would have been a two day drive from Sana'a.  Due to the "security situation" (aka lazy officials), we were forced to fly over the desert to Say'un, but at least that gave us an extra day to see more of the Wadi and its mind-boggling assortment of historical towns.  All around is desolate, barren desert, then down in the Wadi are hundreds of settlements developed over thousands of years and consequently stuffed full of amazing vernacular architecture.  By the way, if your idea of a wadi is a sad, dried-up watercourse, then look at the pictures; a mile wide ravine several hundred metres deep with lush settlements tucked up against the foot of the cliffs.

Shibam, the "Manhattan of the Desert" lives up to expectations, but so do many of the other towns along the way.  Even the provincial capital, Say'un, manages not to disappoint and offers an unlikely, but quite impressive photography museum! On the downside is the need to be accompanied by a guide, a driver and an armed policeman, so the car is a little cramped.  However, despite this, the abysmal food and total absence of booze, this place is definitely worth a second visit!

Shibam Saiyun Mashad Ali Images
       
       

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