Daily News - Yemen is steeped in living history and a must-see, but it is not for the faint-hearted, as REBECCA TORR discovered. IF you have a sense of adventure and a passion for the ancient, then a visit to Yemen is a must.
This charming country will astonish you with its fascinating history, rich culture, beautiful architecture and unspoilt landscape, the likes of which I doubt you will find anywhere else in the world.
I was one of 10 journalists and photographers from Bahrain privileged to spend five wonderful days exploring the scenery, sampling local delights and getting to know the traditions and lifestyle of the Yemenis.
The familiarisation trip was organised and sponsored by Accor Group of hotels in co-operation with Yemenia Yemen Airways and Universal Touring Company.
Our trip began in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen and led us through Jibla, Ibb, Taiz, Jabal Sabr, Al Kaif Village, Yarfoos Al Turba, Makatera, Ture Al Baha, Aden, Qataba, Damt, Radaa and back to Sana'a.
We were hosted by Accor Hotels Yemen sales and marketing area director Saleh Farajat, staying in three hotels - the Mercure Sana'a, Sofitel Taiz and Mercure Aden.
Any visitor to Yemen should hire a tour guide, not only will they ensure you get safely around the country, but they are essential if you don't speak Arabic and are going off the beaten track.
Our animated storyteller was Universal Touring Company guide Saeed Sheriyan, who did a marvellous job in bringing to life the mysteries and enchantment of the country that in many ways hasn't changed in centuries.
Sana'a, located around 2,300 metres above sea level, is a unique place on earth in terms of its living history. There you will see outstanding architecture dating back hundreds of years and in some cases thousands.
The people also reflect their history, with some traditions remaining unchanged until now.
Probably the only difference to life now is the modern conveniences they enjoy, such as electricity and running water, but in some parts of Yemen these luxuries are still out of reach.
The old city of Sana'a will draw you in with its romantic narrow streets and high-rise houses that are 600 to 700 years old.
The buildings in Bab Al Shoob are made almost entirely out of mud, except for the stone foundations and almost all have stunning stained-glass windows and colourful traditional doors.
Some of the poorer families unable to restore their houses are helped by UNESCO.
Each floor of the house has kitchen and bathroom facilities and the majlis and meeting rooms are built at the top of the house to welcome and entertain guests.
It is typical to see new floors being added to houses either to accommodate newly-weds in the family, or increasingly now because the ground floor has been converted into a small shop.
Walking through the old city of Sana'a is much like visiting a living museum, for in between the traditional high-rise houses you will see children walking and playing in the streets like their ancestors did many moons ago.
They roam about carefree and older children are regularly seen carrying toddlers with no parent in sight, much like some of our older generations remember doing.
Unlike the Gulf and the West, the children seem less materialistic and very resourceful, finding endless ways to make toys out of tyres, bits of metal, plastic and other odds and ends lying around.
They are also strikingly friendly, which is shown in their keenness to learn English and their never-ending smiles for the camera.
In the old city you will find 1,000 year old Suq Bab Al Yemen.
It is a marvellous place to visit, for there you will find a whole assortment of vegetables, fruits, spices, garments, jewellery, meats, and many other wonders to explore.
Haggling is part of the fun when visiting the suq and though it felt completely unnatural to me, watching the experts like Saleh was rather entertaining.
Saleh advised me that the key to successful haggling was to offer less than half the number they quoted and by the time you agreed it should meet some where in the middle of the two prices.
While at the suq you should also take a look at a huge gate called Bab Al Yemen. This will help you visualise Sana'a as a fortified city, which locks its gates every night.
The suq is open from around 7am to 1pm and sells qat (a very popular and legal mild narcotic), fruit, vegetable, meat, fabrics, jewellery and household items.
In one of the streets off the suq we visited the National Women Centre for Development Handicrafts.
There you will find delicately-handcrafted bags, shawls and jalabiyas, all been made by the Yemeni women, who run the shop.
This was one of the few times I saw uncovered Yemeni women in Sana'a, usually they are veiled and accompanied by their husbands or male relatives. And although they are allowed to drive, it isn't a common sight.
The men are seldom seen dressed in a full suit, but it seems nearly all of them own a blazer, they usually wear them over a long thobe, or wazra (sarong).
Blazers are sold everywhere, from stalls in the suq to men selling them on the highway.
The one decorative item you will rarely find a Yemeni man without is a large curved dagger (Jambiya), which is worn around the waist and symbolises status and virility.
It is very common and acceptable to see men holding hands and it is actually considered an act of friendliness and respect.
Qat chewing is a way of life the Yemenis base their whole economy and culture on and it is so accepted that children as young as 10 can be seen munching on stalks and leaves.
There are many tourist attractions in Sana'a, including more than 50 mosques, many with minarets and a handful with domes.
The oldest of them is the Greatest Mosque of Sana'a which dates back to 628AD. It is said to be built by a delegation sent by Prophet Mohammed, which I'm told were the first to instruct them to pray in the direction of Mecca.
Visitors to Sana'a should also take a tour of the National Museum in Tahrir Square in Dar Al Shukr Palace.
It contains various artefacts from pre-Islamic until modern times, including engravings, pottery, bronze statues, art and clothes, as well as manuscripts, coins and weapons.
Most museums and tourist attractions charged an entrance fee of just 50 cents (around 200 fils).
They say if you haven't visited the Dar Al Hajar - the Rock Palace, then you haven't seen Sana'a.
The palace was originally built in the 1600s, but completed by the then ruler Imam Yahya as his summer house in 1930s. It officially opened in 1996 as a museum and more than 400,000 tourists visit the site every year.
The five-storey palace is beautifully situated on top of a rock formation and surrounded by 2,700 year old caves.
Sana'a is an amazing place, but Yemen is a large country (about the size of France), so it is well worth taking a trip to some of the other cities.
Our next destination was the city of Taiz, which is 250km from Sana'a and takes around four to five hours by car.
Driving through the country of Yemen is a treat, the changing landscape of rocky mountains, lush green pastures, golden deserts, all against a sky of fluffy white clouds is simply beautiful.
As you travel away from the city, you will find the Yemeni's style of dress and way of life is much different. It is more noticeable with the women, who instead of covering entirely, wear straw hats and colourful clothes. I am told it's because they are familiar with everyone in the village and feel safe and there is probably a lot of truth in this.
There are several weekly markets in Taiz and they are definitely worth a visit, they are usually open in the morning between 6.30am and 9.30am.
The one we visited was extraordinary, mainly because it was like peering in on a scene that probably hadn't changed in centuries. Men and women sitting on the floor selling spices, vegetables, fruit, fabrics and goats.
Probably the most prominent tourist site in Taiz is Youfris, it is a home to the tomb of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Alwan, a Sufi who lived in the 13th century AD, and a mosque named after him.
Other attractions in Taiz include the King Ashraf Mosque 1229AD - 1454AD, currently under restoration by UNESCO, and Al Cairo Castle, which is more than 900 years old and was once used by the Ottman Empire as a military control base.
For a picturesque pit stop, go to Jabel Saber Hotel, it is 2,300 metres above sea level and offers stunning views. Built 10 years ago, it was once the guest house of Shaikh Zaid bin Sultan of the UAE, but last year it was taken over by Accor Group.
The six-year-old Sofitel Taiz Hotel is also impressively situated, it is built in front of the magnificent Saber mountain and overlooks the city. Its elegant and rather grand lobby became the groups' favourite meeting place for a chat over a juice or Turkish coffee.
The traditional food included Bent Assahn (puff pastry covered with honey) to start, followed by a spicy tomato and meat soupy casserole and of course mandi or hanid - Yemen's famous rice and lamb dish, which is cooked for hours in a sealed clay pot that is buried 1.5 metres below the ground.
It was during this traditional meal that I picked up some interesting Yemeni sayings.
The most amusing one I heard was about women from Ibb. According to the saying, seven disasters are preferable to being married to one woman from Ibb, meaning they have hot tempers and bring lots of trouble to their husbands.
Another , if a husband takes care of his wife in the evening, the next morning she will rise early and prepare him a huge breakfast !
The next leg of our journey was onto Aden. Although from Taiz it only takes around two hours on the main road, it is worth taking a longer scenic drive though Al Turbah (Rocky mountains).
A widely visited spot in Aden is the Tawila water tanks, which were created out of volcanic rock more than 2,000 years ago.
At that time they protected the city from flooding during the monsoon season and at the same time stored water. But now they only serve as a tourist attraction.
Like other cities in Yemen, just driving through the streets is entertaining, for there you will find young boys playing pool and men lying around chewing qat and playing dominoes.
One of my most memorable times in Aden was a boat trip we took around Elephant Bay at sunset. Such trips costs between BD10 and BD15 for one hour.
Another was a lively performance by a traditional Yemeni band, which sang and danced for us by the pool at the Mercure Aden.
While we made our way back to Sana'a by road I realised that my experience of this beautiful and historical country was one I would never forget.
Unification of Yemen: The Republic of Yemen is a democratic country that was re-unified on the May 22, 1990. Before the unification, Yemen had been divided into Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) in the north and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) in the south.
Getting there: Yemenia Yemen Airways, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways provide flights from Bahrain to Sana'a. The flight takes about four hours and 30 minutes.
Arabic is the official language, but English is spoken in the main cities.
Time zone and weekends: The time zone is the same as Bahrain (GMT+3), but weekends are on Thursdays and Fridays.
Climate: It varies in different climatic areas composed of desert, coastal and mountain regions. In Sana'a and Taiz temperatures range between 30C in summer to as low as 5C in winter. Aden is much like Bahrain's temperature, as high as 45C in summer and around 20C in winter.
Staying in touch: There are a variety of telephone networks, including Sabafon, Spacetel and Yemenmobile and each offer local prepaid and international calling cards.
For visa information: Contact the Yemen Embassy on 17822110, or visit www.yementourism.com.