Today is the Islamic New Year. Stephanie and I decided to take another walk through the old city and try some new streets.
Above this store you can see a picture of Yemen's president, Abdullah Saleh: it's rare to see him in a photo where he's not wearing sunglasses...
To get to the old city from our residence, you cross a highway that doubles as a river bed during the rainy season. The highway cuts through the center of the city, running north/south.
As you can see, Sana'a is much like NYC. Most of the vehicles are taxis. The yellow and white ones don't have meters in the cab, while the yellow ones (which are pretty rare) do.
Stephanie on the bridge that crosses into Old Sana'a. We enter into the city from "Bab al-Sabah," or the "Morning Gate." The gate no longer exists as it and all other gates (except the Bab al-Yemen) were destroyed during the war against the Imamate in the 1960s as the gates personified Imamic rule.
More shots of the old city and the highway/riverbed.
Entering into the old city from the Bab al-Sabah entrance.
A mosque in the distance. Outside of about 1000 Yemeni Jews, the entire country is Muslim. It is contended that the Yemeni Jews are the oldest communty of Jews in the world.
One of many minarets in the old city.
An alleyway. The old city is full of character wherever you look.
A couple shots of the old city from the balcony of a hotel, the Dawood.(visit them at http://www.dawoodhotel.com/)
A courtyard in the old city.
A few shots of Stephanie and I taking a break in the heart of the old city.
Classic old Sana'a architecture.
The main market street (the Suq) in old Sana'a.
An alleyway onto another street.
The women were out in numbers today!
Heading back to the house...
A courtyard in the old city.
A few shots of Stephanie and I taking a break in the heart of the old city.
Classic old Sana'a architecture.
The main market street (the Suq) in old Sana'a.
An alleyway onto another street.
The women were out in numbers today!
Heading back to the house...
Walking past the Dawood....
Another domed mosque.
A neighborhood with hotels that cater to Westerners.
Stephanie caught these children playing soccer in the street.
We came out onto a square. It seems that kids are kicking soccer balls around wherever you look.
A fruit stall in the Bab al-Sabah quarter of the old town.
The convenience store across the street from our house. Children mostly run the shops on our street (the 26th of September Street).
Happy Islamic New Year from Sephanie and me!
Another domed mosque.
A neighborhood with hotels that cater to Westerners.
Stephanie caught these children playing soccer in the street.
We came out onto a square. It seems that kids are kicking soccer balls around wherever you look.
A fruit stall in the Bab al-Sabah quarter of the old town.
The convenience store across the street from our house. Children mostly run the shops on our street (the 26th of September Street).
Happy Islamic New Year from Sephanie and me!
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