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69-591: They are known for their trade with other tribes and families, as well as bringing foreign goods to Arabia. Al Hawajer are a Qahtanite tribe from Abida, they resides near Sarat Abida also known as "alhirja" near Thahran Al Janoub. They were led shiekh Mohammed Bin Shaba'an in the early 13th century as they migrated to Lower Najd. When their shiekh became Shafi bin Safar bin Mohammed Bin Shaba'an they migrated once more towards

138-501: A deal between the republicans and the royalists was reached, establishing a presidential system. Instability in Sanaa continued due to continuing coups and political assassinations until the situation in the country stabilized in the late 1970s. The new government's modernization projects changed the face of Sanaa: the new Tahrir Square was built on what had formerly been the former imam's palace grounds, and new buildings were constructed on

207-687: A hall in Sanaa where a funeral was taking place. At least 140 people were killed and about 600 were wounded. After initially denying it was behind the attack, the Coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team admitted that it had bombed the hall but claimed that this attack had been a mistake caused by bad information. In May 2017, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross , an outbreak of cholera killed 115 people and left 8,500 ill. In late 2017, another Battle of Sanaa broke out between

276-578: A hub of anti-government organization and intellectual revolt. In the 1930s, several organizations opposing or demanding reform of the Zaydi imamate sprung up in the city, particularly Fatat al-Fulayhi, a group of various Yemeni Muslim scholars based in Sanaʽa's Fulayhi Madrasa, and Hait al-Nidal ("Committee of the Struggle.") By 1936, most of the leaders of these movements were imprisoned. In 1941, another group based in

345-457: A multipolar city, with various districts and suburbs serving as hubs of commercial, industrial, and social activity. Their development has generally been unplanned by central authorities. Many of them were initially set up by new arrivals from rural areas. Increasing land prices and commercial rents in the central city has also pushed many residents and commercial establishment outwards, towards these new hubs. Souks have been especially important in

414-601: A report issued by Radhya Al-Mutawakel and Abdulrasheed Al-Faqih and Open Societies Foundations. On September 21, 2014, during the Houthi insurgency , the Houthis seized control of Sanaa. On June 12, 2015, Saudi-led airstrikes targeting Shiite rebels and their allies in Yemen destroyed historic houses in the middle of the capital. A UNESCO World Heritage Site was severely damaged. On October 8, 2016, Saudi-led airstrikes targeted

483-559: A son of Qahtan , a great-grandson of Shem, in the biblical accounts of the Book of Genesis . Al-Hamdani wrote that Sanaa was walled by the Sabaeans under their ruler Sha'r Awtar , who also arguably built the Ghumdan Palace in the city. Because of its location, Sanaa has served as an urban hub for the surrounding tribes of the region and as a nucleus of regional trade in southern Arabia . It

552-414: A week after Ahmad's death. Sanaa's role as a capital was restored afterward. Neighboring Saudi Arabia opposed this development and actively supported North Yemen's rural tribes, pitting large parts of the country against the urban and largely pro-republican inhabitants of Sanaa. The North Yemen Civil War resulted in the destruction of some parts of the city's ancient heritage and continued until 1968, when

621-458: Is Ya'rub , and his son Yashjub is the father of Saba'. All Yemenite tribes trace their ancestry back to this "Saba", either through Himyar or Kahlan , his two sons. The Qahtani people are divided into the two sub-groups of Himyar and Kahlan , who represent the settled Arabs of the south and their nomadic kinsmen ( nomads ). The Kahlan division of Qahtan consists of four subgroups: the Ta' or Tayy ,

690-496: Is divided into two parts: the Old City District ("al-Qadeemah") and the new city ("al-Jadid.") The former is much smaller and retains the city's ancient heritage and mercantile way-of-living while the latter is an urban sprawl with many suburbs and modern buildings. The newer parts of the city were largely developed in the 1960s and onward when Sanaʽa was chosen as the republican capital. In recent decades, Sanaa has grown into

759-606: Is drained by the Wadi al-Kharid , which flows northward, through the northeastern corner of the plain, towards al-Jawf , which is a broad wadi that drains the eastern part of the Yemeni highlands. The southern part of the plain straddles the watershed between the al-Kharid and the Wadi Siham , which flows southwest towards the Yemeni Tihama . Sanaa itself is located at the narrowest part of

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828-539: Is mentioned in multiple ancient Arabian inscriptions found in Yemen. Arab traditions believe that they are the original Arabs. In some Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions such as Jubilees and some Jasherian tales the Qahtanite Arabs descend from Jokshan son of Abraham through Keturah and half brother of Ishmael son of Abraham through Hagar. According to Arab tradition, the Qahtanites are from South Arabia, unlike

897-529: Is provided by governmental civil service. Due to massive rural immigration, Sanaa has grown far outside its Old City, but this has placed a huge strain on the city's underdeveloped infrastructure and municipal services, particularly water. Sanaa was chosen as the 2004 Arab Cultural Capital by the Arab League . In 2008, the Al Saleh Mosque was completed. It holds over 40,000 worshippers. In 2011, Sanaa, as

966-410: Is roughly 50–60 km long north–south and about 25 km wide, east–west, in the area north of Sanaa, and somewhat narrower further south. To the east and west, the Sanaa plain is bordered by cliffs and mountains , with wadis coming down from them. The northern part of the area slopes gently upward toward the district of Arhab , which was historically known as al-Khashab . Much of the Sanaa plain

1035-504: The Ghayat al-amanni of Yahya ibn al-Husayn . As part of central Sanaa, Bi'r al-Azab was one of the areas where new development was first concentrated during the 1970s. Today, it is mostly a residential and administrative district, with embassies, the office of the Prime Minister, and the chamber of deputies being located here. The area roughly between the two main circular roads around

1104-524: The Adnanites who are from the north of Arabia descended from Ishmael through Adnan . Arab tradition maintains that a semi-legendary ancestral figure named Qahtan and his 24 sons are the progenitors of Yemen who controlled the Arabian Peninsula known as Qahtani . The genealogists disagree about the pedigree of Qahțān [himself]. Some trace him back to Ismā'īl b. Ibrāhīm , saying that his [name]

1173-563: The Ancient Near East gradually relinquished their geopolitical superiority to surrounding cultures and neighboring imperial powers, usually due to either internal turmoil or outside conflict. This climaxed with the arrival of the Babylonians , and subsequently the rivaling Medes and Persians , during the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, respectively. Though the Semites lost geopolitical influence,

1242-660: The Aramaic language emerged as the lingua franca of much of the Near East . However, Aramaic usage declined after the defeat of the Persians and the arrival of the Hellenic armies around 330 BCE. The Ghassanids (ca. 250 CE) were the last major non-Islamic Semitic migration northward out of Yemen. They revived the Semitic presence in the then Roman -controlled Syria . They initially settled in

1311-524: The Azd group which invaded Oman, the 'Amila - Judham group of Palestine, and the Hamdan - Madhhij group who mostly remain in Yemen. The Kahlan branch includes the following tribes: Azd ( Aus and Khazraj , Bariq , Ghassan , Khuza'a and Daws ), Hamdan , Khath'am , Bajila , Madhhij , Murad , Zubaid , Ash'ar , Lakhm , Tayy ( Shammar ), and Kinda . Early Semites who developed civilizations throughout

1380-648: The Haraz Mountains . The Sulayhids were aligned with the Ismaili Muslim -leaning Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt, rather than the Baghdad -based Abbasid Caliphate that most of Arabia followed. Al-Sulayhi ruled for about 20 years but he was assassinated by his principal local rivals, the Zabid -based Najahids. Following his death, al-Sulayhi's daughter, Arwa al-Sulayhi , inherited the throne. She withdrew from Sanaa, transferring

1449-717: The Hauran region, eventually spreading to Palestine, and Jordan , briefly securing governorship of Syria away from the Nabataeans . Between the 7th and 14th centuries, the Qahtanites became involved in the Arab conquests , migrating to the newly conquered territories and intermingling with the local populations. In the Umayyad era, a blood feud broke out between Qahtanites and the Adnanite tribes of Qays , which continued in various forms and degrees till

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1518-642: The Zaydi imams from 1323 to 1454 and outside the former two dynasties' rule. The Mamelukes arrived in Yemen in 1517. The Ottoman Empire entered Yemen in 1538, when Suleiman the Magnificent was Sultan . Under the military leadership of Özdemir Pasha , the Ottomans conquered Sanaa in 1547. With Ottoman approval, European captains based in the Yemeni port towns of Aden and Mocha frequented Sanaa to maintain special privileges and capitulations for their trade. In 1602,

1587-408: The 10th-century writer Al-Hamdani , the mountain was the site of an iron mine, although no trace of it exists today; he also mentions a particular type of onyx which came from Nuqum. Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi described a dam located at Nuqum; its location is not known. This dam probably served to divert the waters coming down from the western face of the mountain and prevent them from flooding

1656-526: The 10th-century, the Persian geographer Ibn Rustah wrote of Sanaa, "It is the city of Yemen; there cannot be found ... a city greater, more populous or more prosperous, of nobler origin or with more delicious food than it." In 1062, Sanaa was taken over by the Sulayhid dynasty led by Ali al-Sulayhi and his wife, the popular Queen Asma . He made the city capital of his relatively small kingdom, which also included

1725-626: The 19th century in what has become known as the Qays–Yaman rivalry . Sana%27a Sanaa , officially the Sanaa Municipality , is the capital and largest city of Yemen . The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate , but is not part of the governorate, as it forms a separate administrative unit. According to the Yemeni constitution , Sanaa is the capital of the country, although

1794-476: The 3rd century CE, as ṣnʿw . In the present day, a popular folk etymology says that the name Sanaa refers to "the excellence of its trades and crafts (perhaps the feminine form of the Arabic adjective aṣnaʿ )". The 10th-century Arab historian al-Hamdani wrote that Sanaa's ancient name was Azāl , which is not recorded in any contemporary Sabaean inscriptions. The name "Azal" has been connected to Uzal ,

1863-540: The 8th-century Islamic jurist and founder of the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence, visited Sanaa several times. He praised the city, writing La budda min Ṣanʻāʼ , or "Sanaa must be seen." In the 9th–10th centuries, it was written of the city that "the Yem separate from each other, empty of ordure, without smell or evil smells, because of the hard concrete [ adobe and cob , probably] and fine pastureland and clean places to walk." Later in

1932-570: The Ayyubids built one of their palaces. However, Ayyubid control of Sanaa was never very consistent, and they only occasionally exercised direct authority over the city. Instead, they chose Ta'izz as their capital, while Aden was their principal income-producing city. While the Rasulids controlled most of Yemen, followed by their successors, the Tahirids , Sanaa largely remained in the political orbit of

2001-530: The Houthis and forces loyal to former President Saleh, who was killed. On May 17, 2022, the first commercial flight in six years took off from Sanaa International Airport as part of a UN-brokered 60-day truce agreement struck between the Houthis and the internationally-recognized government the prior month. Sanaa is located on a plain of the same name, the Haql Sanaa , which is over 2,200m above sea level. The plain

2070-471: The Old City was composed of several quarters ( hara ), generally centred on an endowed complex containing a mosque, a bathhouse , and an agricultural garden ( maqshama ). Human waste from households was disposed of via chutes. In the mountain air, it dried fairly quickly and was then used as fuel for the bathhouse. Meanwhile, the gardens were watered using gray water from the mosque's ablution pool. Al-Tahrir

2139-693: The Sulayhid capital to Jibla , where she ruled much of Yemen from 1067 to 1138. As a result of the Sulayhid departure, the Hamdanid dynasty took control of Sanaʽa. Like the Sulayhids, the Hamdanids were Isma'ilis. In 1173, Saladin , the Ayyubid sultan of Egypt, sent his brother Turan-Shah on an expedition to conquer Yemen. The Ayyubids gained control of Sanaʽa in 1175 and united the various Yemeni tribal states, except for

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2208-481: The Yemeni capital, was the centre of the Yemeni Revolution , in which President Ali Abdullah Saleh was ousted. Between May and November, the city was a battleground in what became known as the 2011 Battle of Sanaa . On May 21, 2012, Sanaa was attacked by a suicide bomber, resulting in the deaths of 120 soldiers. On January 23, 2013, a drone strike near Al-Masna'ah village killed two civilians, according to

2277-527: The Yemenis who had migrated to the Gulf states had worked in construction, where they had become well-acquainted with Western and Egyptian techniques. When they returned to Yemen, they brought those techniques with them. New construction consisted of concrete and concrete block houses with multi-lite windows and plaster decorations, laid out in a grid pattern. Their amenities, including independence from extended families and

2346-528: The Yoqtan ( Joktan ) son of Eber ( Hūd ) in the Hebrew Bible (Gen. 10:25–29). or genesis 25:2-3 that Qahtan is the similarly named Jokshan son of Abraham and Keturah. Among the sons of Qahtan are noteworthy figures like A'zaal (believed by Arabs to have been the original name of Sana'a ), Hadhramaut and Jurhum whose descendants formed the second Jurhum tribe from which Ishmael learned Arabic. Another son

2415-570: The battle, this is when battle turned in the King's favour. During the battle Al Ajman ambushed King Abdulaziz and nearly killed him with a sword hit that slashed his abdomen and succeeded in killing King Abdulaziz brother Sa'ad Bin Abdulrahman. After the victory they were summoned by King Abdulaziz and asked them for whatever they desired. Their Sheikh requested the land they reside on to be theirs (from ain Dar all

2484-402: The city (Ring Road and Sittin) is extremely active, with a high population density and very busy souks. These areas are crossed by major commercial thoroughfares such as al-Zubayri and Abd al-Mughni Street , and are extensively served by public transport. Particularly significant districts in this area include al-Hasabah in the north, Shumayla in the south, and Hayil in the west. Al-Hasabah

2553-462: The city of Sanaa. Such a flood is known to have happened in 692 (73 AH), before the dam was built, and it is described as having destroyed some of Sanaa's houses. Despite its proximity to the city, Jabal Nuqum does not appear to have been fortified until 1607 (1016 AH), when a fort was built to serve as a lookout point to warn of potential attackers. The main mountain stronghold during the Middle Ages

2622-592: The city's Jewish population emigrated to Israel. Ahmad began a process of gradual economic and political liberalization, but by 1961, Sanaa was witnessing major demonstrations and riots demanding quicker reform and change. Pro-republican officers in the North Yemeni military sympathetic of Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt 's government and pan-Arabist policies staged a coup overthrowing the Imamate government in September 1962,

2691-552: The city, the Shabab al-Amr bil-Maruf wal-Nahian al-Munkar, called for a nahda ("renaissance") in the country as well as the establishment of a parliament with Islam as the instrument of Yemeni revival. Yahya largely repressed the Shabab and most of its leaders were executed following his son Imam Ahmad 's inheritance of power in 1948. That year, Sanaa was replaced with Ta'izz as capital following Ahmad's new residence there. Most government offices followed suit. A few years later, most of

2760-500: The development of these areas. The Old City of Sanaʽa is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old fortified city has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years and contains many intact architectural sites. The oldest, partially standing architectural structure in the Old City of Sanaʽa is Ghumdan Palace . The city was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1986. Efforts are underway to preserve some of

2829-832: The eastern village of Al Ahsa'a. Their current shiekh is Nasser Bin Hamoud Bin Sahfi Bin Salim Bin Shafi Bin Safar Bin Mohammed Bin Shaba'an. Some of them ventured into Qatar and resided there since, the majority of them are in Saudi Arabia across various regions such as South and Eastern regions, Mount Ladam from the north and al Saaa'dani from west. They are considered Nomadic Bedouins, though some of them have moved to cities and settled. They held government offices and facilities specifically in their new home town "Ain Dar", Salasil, Yakrub, Fouda, Al Sharmiah, Al Asidiah, Al Fardaniah, Aboukola, Al Rafiah, Al Nasibiah and others. They were given

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2898-481: The highest mountains in the Arabian Peninsula and one of the highest in the region . Sanaa has a population of approximately 3,292,497 (2023), making it Yemen's largest city. As of 2020, the greater Sanaa urban area makes up about 10% of Yemen's total population. The Old City of Sanaa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site , has a distinctive architectural character, most notably expressed in its multi-story buildings decorated with geometric patterns. The Al Saleh Mosque ,

2967-556: The highest point between the two plains, although in medieval times the main route went to the east of the mountain. Sanaa's Old City is renowned for its tower houses , which are typically built from stone and fired brick and can reach up to 8 stories in height. The doors and windows feature are decorated with plaster openings. They traditionally housed a single extended patrilineal family, with new floors being built as sons married and had children of their own. (New buildings would also sometimes be built on adjacent land.) The ground floor

3036-409: The largest in the country, is located in the southern outskirts of the city. During the conflict that raged in 2015, explosives hit UNESCO sites in the old city. Sanaa has been facing a severe water crisis , with water being drawn from its aquifer three times faster than it is replenished. The city is predicted to completely run out of water by around 2030, making it the first national capital in

3105-469: The local Zaydi imams led by Imam al-Mu'ayyad reasserted their control over the area, and forced out Ottoman troops in 1629. Although the Ottomans fled during al-Mu'ayyad's reign, his predecessor al-Mansur al-Qasim had already vastly weakened the Ottoman army in Sanaʽa and Yemen. Consequently, European traders were stripped of their previous privileges. The Zaydi imams maintained their rule over Sanaa until

3174-462: The mid-19th century when the Ottomans relaunched their campaign to control the region. In 1835, Ottoman troops arrived on the Yemeni coast under the guise of Muhammad Ali of Egypt 's troops. They did not capture Sanaa until 1872, when their troops led by Ahmed Muhtar Pasha entered the city. The Ottoman Empire instituted the Tanzimat reforms throughout the lands they governed. In Sanaa, city planning

3243-474: The most popular attractions is Suq al-Milh (Salt Market), where it is possible to buy salt along with bread, spices, raisins, cotton, copper, pottery, silverware, and antiques. The 7th-century Jāmiʿ al-Kabīr (the Great Mosque) is one of the oldest mosques in the world. The Bāb al-Yaman ("Gate of the Yemen") is an iconized entry point through the city walls and is more than 1,000 years old. Traditionally,

3312-411: The new development was concentrated around central areas like al-Tahrir, the modern centre; Bi'r al-Azab , the Ottoman quarter; and Bab al-Yaman , the old southern gate. However, this soon shifted to the city's outskirts, where an influx of immigrants from the countryside established new neighborhoods. Two areas in particular experienced major growth during this period: first, the area along Taizz Road in

3381-460: The north and northwest of the city. This was accompanied by the destruction of several of the old city's gates, as well as sections of the wall around it. After the end of the civil war in 1970, Sanaa began to expand outward. This was a period of prosperity in Yemen, partly due to the massive migration of Yemeni workers to the Gulf states and their subsequent sending of money back home. At first, most of

3450-558: The northern mountains controlled by the Zaydi imams, into one entity. The Ayyubids switched the country's official religious allegiance to the Sunni Muslim Abbasids. During the reign of the Ayyubid emir Tughtekin ibn Ayyub, the city underwent significant improvements. These included the incorporation of the garden lands on the western bank of the Sa'ilah, known as Bustan al-Sultan, where

3519-440: The old city, but there was no way to pipe it out, resulting in huge amounts of groundwater building up in the old city. This destabilized building foundations and led to many houses collapsing. Following the unification of Yemen , Sanaa was designated capital of the new Republic of Yemen. It houses the presidential palace, the parliament , the supreme court, and the country's government ministries. The largest source of employment

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3588-454: The old city. Most new residences built in Sanaa, though, use newer styles of architecture. The most common are "new villas", which are low-rise houses with fenced yards; they are especially common in the southern and western parts of the city. The other main archetype is smaller, "Egyptian-style" houses, which are usually built with reinforced concrete. These are most commonly found in the northern and eastern parts of Sanaa. Generally, Sanaʽa

3657-601: The oldest buildings some of which, such as the Samsarh and the Great Mosque of Sanaʽa , is more than 1,400 years old. Surrounded by ancient clay walls that stand 9–14 metres (30–46 ft) high, the Old City contains more than 100 mosques, 12 hammams (baths), and 6,500 houses. Many of the houses resemble ancient skyscrapers, reaching several stories high and topped with flat roofs. They are decorated with elaborate friezes and intricately carved frames and stained-glass windows. One of

3726-444: The plain, nestled between Jabal Nuqum to the east and the foothills of Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb, Yemen's tallest mountain, to the west. The mountain's peak is 25 km (16 miles) west of Sanaa. Because of this position, with the city sandwiched between mountains to the east and west, most of Sanaa's expansion in recent decades has been along a north-south axis. Jabal Nuqum rises about 500 metres (1,600 feet) above Sanaa. According to

3795-453: The possibility of owning a car, attracted many families from the old city, and they moved to the new districts in growing numbers. Meanwhile, the old city, with its unpaved streets, poor drainage, lack of water and sewer systems, and litter (from the use of manufactured products, which was becoming increasingly common), was becoming increasingly unattractive to residents. Disaster struck in the late 1970s — water pipes were laid to bring water into

3864-552: The seat of the Yemeni government moved to Aden , the former capital of Democratic Yemen , in the aftermath of the Houthi occupation . Aden was declared the temporary capital by then-president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in March 2015. At an elevation of 2,300 metres (7,500 ft), Sanaa is one of the highest capital cities in the world and is next to the Sarawat Mountains of Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb and Jabal Tiyal , considered to be

3933-481: The south, and second, a broader area on the west side of the city, between Bi'r al-Azab and the new avenue called Sittin. A new ring road, built in the 1970s on the recommendation of the United Nations Development Programme , encouraged land speculation and further contributed to the rapid expansion of Sanaa. Sanaa's new areas were physically different from the quarters of the old city. Many of

4002-481: The title of "Khaznat Thafar" or the Vault of Victory by King Abdulaziz Al Saud for their Bravery in Al Ahsa'a Battle Against Al Ajman, in 1333 AH (1914 or 1915 AD). King Abdulaziz headed to Kanzan in Al Ahsaa to stop the atrocities of Al Ajman against civilians as they pillaged and hijacked anyone who crosses their path, as King Abdulaziz called other tribes to his aid few joined him, until the Al Hajri tribe led by Shafi bin Salim Al Sahfi Al Hajri and his tribesmen joined

4071-404: The wars." Sanaa is referred to in these inscriptions both as a town ( hgr ) and as a maram ( mrm ), which, according to A. F. L. Beeston, indicates "a place to which access is prohibited or restricted, no matter whether for religious or for other reasons". The Sabaean inscriptions also mention the Ghumdan Palace by name. When King Yousef Athar (or Dhu Nuwas ), the last of the Himyarite kings,

4140-519: The way to the border of Qatar also known as "Jouf Bani Hajer" and also for none of their tribesmen to be beheaded or to have their hands amputated "in case one of them killed or stole". All their requests were granted by King Abdulaziz and also gave them the title of " Khaznat Thafar" or the Vault of Victory. Qahtanite Qahtanite ( / ˈ k ɑː t ə n aɪ t / ; Arabic : قَحْطَانِي , romanized :  Qaḥṭānī ) refers to Arabs who originate from modern-day Yemen . The term "Qahtan"

4209-432: The world to do so. Access to drinking water is very limited in Sanaa, and there are problems with water quality. According to Islamic sources, Sanaa was founded at the base of the mountains of Jabal Nuqum by Shem , the son of Noah , after the latter's death. The name Sanaa is probably derived from the Sabaic root ṣnʿ , meaning "well-fortified". The name is attested in old Sabaean inscriptions, mostly from

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4278-425: Was Jabal Barash , further to the east. Parts of the Sanaa plain have signs of relatively recent volcanic activity (geologically speaking), with volcanic cones and lava fields. One such area is located to the north, on the road to the Qa al-Bawn , and the next plain to the north, located around 'Amran and Raydah . The modern route between the two plains passes to the west of Jabal Din , a volcanic peak that marks

4347-413: Was Qahṭān b. al - Hamaysa ' b. Tayman b. Nabt b. Ismā'īl b. Ibrāhīm. Wahb ibn Munabbih and Hishām b. Muhammad al-Kalbi held this genealogy (as true). Hisham ibn al-Kalbi quoted his father as saying that he had been contemporaneous with [older] scholars and genealogists who traced Qahțān's pedigree in this way. Other [genealogists] argue that the [name] was Qahţăn b. 'Abir b. Shalakh . Qahtan with

4416-427: Was designed as the new urban and economic hub of Sanaa during the 1960s. It is still the symbolic centre of the city, but economic activity here is relatively low. In the 21st century, development here pivoted more towards making it a civic and recreational centre. An old Ottoman and Jewish quarter of Sanaa located to the west of the old city, Bi'r al-Azab was first mentioned in historical sources in 1627 (1036 AH), in

4485-612: Was in power, Sanaʽa was also the capital of the Axumite viceroys. Later tradition also holds that the Abyssinian conqueror Abrahah built a Christian church in Sanaa. From the era of Muhammad (ca. 622 CE) until the founding of independent sub-states in many parts of the Yemen Islamic Caliphate , Sanaa persisted as the governing seat. The Caliph 's deputy ran the affairs of one of Yemen's three Makhalif : Mikhlaf Sanaʽa, Mikhlaf al-Janad , and Mikhlaf Hadhramaut . The city of Sanaa regularly regained an important status, and all Yemenite States competed to control it. Imam Al-Shafi'i ,

4554-471: Was initiated for the first time, new roads were built, and schools and hospitals were established. The reforms were rushed by the Ottomans to solidify their control of Sanaʽa to compete with an expanding Egypt , British influence in Aden , and imperial Italian and French influence along the coast of Somalia , particularly in the towns of Djibouti and Berbera . The modernization reforms in Sanaa were still very limited, however. In 1904, as Ottoman influence

4623-432: Was positioned at the crossroad of two major ancient trade routes linking Ma'rib in the east to the Red Sea in the west. Appropriately enough for a town whose name means "well-fortified", Sanaa appears to have been an important military center under the Sabaeans. They used it as a base for their expeditions against the kingdom of Himyar further south, and several inscriptions "announce a triumphant return to Sanaa from

4692-643: Was typically used as grain storage and for housing animals. Most families no longer keep either animals or grain, so many homeowners set up shops on the ground floor instead. (This often leads to conflict with building inspectors, since doing so is prohibited by law.) Meanwhile, the uppermost story, called the mafraj , is used as a second reception room and hosts afternoon qat chewing sessions. Tower houses continue to be built in Sanaa, often using modern materials; often they are built from concrete blocks with decorative "veneers" of brick and stone. These "neo-traditional" tower houses are found in newer districts as well as

4761-449: Was waning in Yemen, Imam Yahya of the Zaydi Imams took power in Sanaa. In a bid to secure North Yemen 's independence, Yahya embarked on a policy of isolationism, avoiding international and Arab world politics, cracking down on embryonic liberal movements, not contributing to the development of infrastructure in Sanaa and elsewhere and closing down the Ottoman girls' school. As a consequence of Yahya's measures, Sanaa increasingly became

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