Secrets of Ancient Sana'a: Exploring Yemen's Capital's Mysterious History

Have you ever wondered how Sana'a is? And what is its history? Did you catch your attention the urban details that flood the entire country, with its distinctive details, the amazing genius in design and the striking urban beauty that the city has retained over the years!

In this article, we will go through a journey full of interesting events about the ancient history of Sana'a, who is she? And how was it? And we'll know some of the city's mysterious secrets.

How is Sana'A?

Sana'a - The irresistible city, with its ancient history and psychological civilization, has always been an inspiration to historians and poets, and for 3,000 years Sana'a has always been a precious box of mysteries and secrets... It is the one in which historians said that it is the oldest city after the flood!?

Sana'a is based on archaeological research dating back more than 1.6 million years, and it is said that the construction of the city itself began with Shem, son of Noah, peace be upon him. Some say it was the city built by Hulk Amr, king of Sheba and the Redans, in the years 140-150 of the Sheba calendar, or 1070-1080 BC.

Because of its strategic location, Sana'a controlled trade routes between the Kingdom of Sheba in Marib and the city of Tihama on the Red Sea coast, and by the second century AD Sana'a had become the seat of power and the capital of the ancient kingdom of Yemen.

Sana'A under the jurisdiction of the Abbasid Caliphate

Until conflicts between states in the region led to the entry of Sana'a under the Abbasid Caliphate (749–1258), the Abbasid Caliphate played an important role only in the beginning. Where Sana'a witnessed the rotation of eighteen governors between the years (765 AD - 800 AD)

In the Abbasid Caliphate's attempt to assert control over the city, Harun al-Rashid sent Hammad al-Barbari to Sana'a, part of his quest to expand the caliphate's influence in the region, contributing to the city's prosperity.

Then, in 819, Caliph al-Ma'mun appointed al-Hakim ibn Ziyad to restore order in the coastal plain and founded the city of Zabid, which became the capital of Lower Yemen and a permanent cultural center.

The state of Bani Ziyad "Zaidi dynasty" also emerged after that, and continued to rule until about (819-1018) AD, and for them the city of Sana'a represented a strong start to control all of Yemen, while on the other hand, the Rasulid dynasty (1229-1454) viewed the city as a crucial strategic camp for its soldiers, reflecting the importance of the city in that period.

The Yazafari dynasty, which broke away from the Abbasid Caliphate after a series of battles with the Ziyadi forces in 819 CE, considered Sana'a as its capital, and its jurisdiction extended from Yemen to Hadramawt and its rule lasted until about 1000 AD.

The impact of the Abbasid and Umayyad Caliphates on the architecture of the old city of Sana'a

During this period, architecture in the city of Sana'a was very greatly affected, as it appeared with an ancient Islamic character influenced by the Abbasid Caliphate and the Umayyad Caliphate that preceded it, and the first thing that was built was the Great Mosque, and then the cemetery and the Eid chapel, and the city walls were restored and seven entrances were added to it, and the city expanded more and more from the west in the Ayyubid era, where the Sultan's orchard and the ruler's residence were built on the southern bank of the two rivers.

The Great Mosque in Sana'A. A milestone in the development of Islamic architecture in Yemen

Mosques are one of the Islamic architectures that if Muslims conquer any country, they immediately start establishing mosques in it, to consolidate their Islamic values and beliefs in this country.

In Sana'a, the Great Mosque is one of the oldest mosques, as it was built at the beginning of the spread of Islam, and it was said that Marwa bin Misk Al-Muradi or Iban bin Saeed bin Al-Aas founded it, and this mosque remains a witness to the beginnings of the spread of Islam in Yemen, and is considered an important milestone on the development of Islamic architecture in the region.

The mosque began simply and developed over time, and witnessed multiple stages of renewal and expansion during the rule of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs, and the mosque is characterized by its simple and rectangular structure, and is characterized by its beautiful architectural and decorative design, which gives it great importance in the mosques of Yemen.

The mosque also contains Kufic and naskhi writings, and sophisticated decorations, making it one of the most important mosques in Yemen in terms of architecture and culture.

Another era lived by Yemen and its influence remains until now Ottoman era

Yemen lived under the rule of the Ottoman Empire as it lived before under the Umayyad and Abbasid rule, and during the period that extended between the first between 1539 to 1918 AD, the Ottomans sought to liberate Yemen from the Portuguese occupation and develop infrastructure.

Hospitals, schools and educational institutions have been established, in addition to the construction of castles and cities and the restoration of mosques. Yemeni students were also sent to study at a private school in Istanbul, called the Arab Tribes School. The students were educated for 5 years, during which they were provided with the services and expenses they needed.

Among the notable landmarks built in that period were Dar al-Sanayeh, the Command and Staff College, the Ardhi Complex, which today serves as a building for the Ministry of Defense, and built the ghetto – present-day Souq al-Sabbah – and other beautiful neighborhoods in the east and west.

This great and enormous legacy of historical architecture in the old city of Sana'a has preserved its cultural and architectural fabric over the years - thus providing the city of Sana'a as a living example of Islamic cities with its striking beauty and charming decorations, and what distinguished it are the homogeneous colors, prominent geometric shapes and other details that we will learn about in the next paragraph.

Details and secrets in the high-rise old buildings of Sana'A. Get to know her now!

In the center of Sana'a, there are many and varied aesthetic details, which still retain their different and unique architectural character, and this mastery tells stories, secrets and tales that are difficult for the visitor to know, as each stone has a history and each color has a story that extends over 700 years old.

The first secret: the use of yagore stones (small size, red color)

The most important characteristic of ancient Yemeni architecture is the multiplicity and diversity of building resources, which in turn led to the spread of different techniques and methods of construction, and the most important of these resources is the Yajur stone, which is considered lighter compared to other stones.

It is also one of the secrets of building wonderful houses in "Old Sana'a":

● Facilitates the construction of additional floors.

● It is characterized by its ability to trap heat during the day, which makes the house warm on cold nights.

● Plaster is also used in construction operations to resist fragmentation, decomposition and dredging due to rain, and to cover the roofs of houses with plaster and plaster to facilitate the process of draining water.

The Yemenis' love for architecture made them master building using traditional materials, and created wonderful paintings that do not lose their luster with the passage of time, and modern technologies have not been able to compete with their beauty or splendor until now, and Sana'a has remained committed to its art and splendor, to tell future generations an inspiring story about the unique Yemeni civilization, history and architecture.

The second secret: the houses are interconnected, in a distinctive urban style.

Old Sana'a was characterized by an elaborate system of gypsum decoration, in prominent parts such as: frames, doors, windows, and boundaries between floors and each other, and the city was characterized by its interconnected and overlapping houses, which form a unique urban style, carefully designed according to social, security, climatic and economic factors.

The nature of the climate of this city played a major role in its construction orientations, as the nature of the climate was hot in summer and relatively cold in winter, and this led to directing the people of the city to build their homes contiguously to protect the exposure of their external surfaces to the burning sun rays for a long time, and on the other hand, pedestrians benefit from the narrow formation of streets to avoid sunlight.

The windows opposite the seating areas, the maqayel and the mafaraj (a room built above the house) are designed to the south to receive warm winds in winter, while the service areas are designed to the north to expose them to cold air.

The third secret: the building materials used live for a long life!

The Old City of Sana'a was characterized by the combination of four main types of houses:

● Double-storey houses.

● Three-storey houses.

● Four-storey houses.

● Finally houses ranging from four to eight floors.

Especially the latter, which stands out for their unparalleled beauty and splendor - in this style, the first floors are built using stone, while the upper floors are created using yajur, which is charred brick that tends to redden, giving these houses a special charm and uniqueness in appearance. We talked about it earlier!

In the external construction, basalt stones such as jaam are used in the foundations, and turkey and black stone in the corners and decoration. On the upper floors, yajur is used because of its beauty, light weight and strength, which allows the facades of buildings to be shaped in different and distinct shapes.

The city's building has been influenced by these local materials over hundreds of years, which led to a remarkable harmony and harmony in the general view of the old houses of Sana'a, and gave the city a distinctive and harmonious character, the impact of which remains to this day.