SANA'A

Sana'a is the capital city of Yemen.  During the first and last week of our visit, we stayed at AIYS, the American Institute for Yemeni Studies, which lies only a few blocks away from the heart of the modern city.  The Old City is a bit further from where we stayed, but still within walking distance.

Here is the main wash separating the older part of the city (R) from the newer section (L).  The wash was paved just within the last 2 yr:

This photo was taken from atop one of the older hotels in the Old City:

Houses in the longer older parts of town have been in use for more than 400 yr.

The suqs or local markets are always fun to peruse:

We also visited a qat suq. This market is supposedly one of the best:

We were in town during the celebration of Eid al-Adha, or "Feast of Sacrifice".  Unfortunately the city was all but shut down at this time--little browsing and shopping was possible.  The first day of Eid signals the begin of the Hajj, the month of pilgrimage.

Here is a site highlighting other on-going archaeological projects in Yemen:
        Projects in Yemen (American Institute for Yemeni Studies site)
        University of Chicago