Al-Hajjarah: Ancient Village on a Cliff

Yemen had been in the news in the past years because of its civil unrest. Yet little attention has been paid to the country itself – particularly its rich and surprising architectural heritage. So little known outside the country, this remarkable architecture has survived hundreds of years. Take a look at the 'secret cities' of Yemen.

We will start in the town of Al Hajjara, so little known that even Wikipedia only has a tiny, recently added entry. Situated at the heart of Yemen in the Al Bayda Governorate of the country, the town boasts one of the most unusually situated structures you will ever see. The residence of the Imam Yahya Muhamamd is perched atop a rocky outcrop. Imam Yahya was famous for stabilizing the north of the country and for his benign attitude towards minorities, particularly Yemenite Jewry. In order for his country to be recognized as independent he made many treaties, most notably the Ital-Yemeni Treaty of 1926 which gave Yemen full sovereignty. The country joined the United Nations in 1948 – a year before his death.

The Imam’s residence, grand and ornate belies the poverty in which many of the country’s population exist. The country itself is just over half a million square kilometers. Although it is on the Arabian Peninsula many would not think of a country like this having islands but, in fact, Yemen has over two hundred. It is the only republic in the area – and one of eight in total in the Arab World. It is thought that around twenty percent of the population live on just over one US dollar a day. It is, then, a poor country, but not one without its advantages.

Surprising to western eyes, the town of Al Hajjara is one of multi-story building, hundreds of years old. Unexpected of course, but not if you consider that the town is built on a precipice of very limited square mileage. The huge care that was taken in decorating these towering structures indicates a sophisticated and advanced civilization – in fact, the oldest copy of the Qur’an has been found in this area. The engineering that must have gone in to the construction of these beautiful domiciles was advanced enough to easily rival that of Europe at the time. Many of the buildings are up to four hundred years old.

A view from another angle gives us a direct look at the breath-taking achievement of architects hundreds of years ago. The town literally hangs off the cliff face. Yemen and its history has so long been overlooked – or possibly even ignored – by Western countries and their media that to a greater extent that is how these places could easily be described. 

Source: Kuriositas