Sana'a (Yemen): Asia's highest-rising capital
Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, rests about 2,250 metres above sea level - it ranks as Asia's loftiest capital. The height keeps summers gentle and winters sharp plus it shields the town from the coastal heat. The cool, dry air earned the place a name as a healthy spot long ago and the nearby hills grow many kinds of plants. Yet the thin air tires lungs of visitors who arrive from sea level towns.
People have lived in Sana'a for more than two but also a half thousand years without a break - it counts among the planet's oldest still occupied cities. Caravans once stopped here on the roads that linked Arabia to Africa and the Levant. The town is known for its Islamic style - houses of sun dried brick rise several floors, their fronts carry white gypsum tracery as well as old mosques stand close together inside the walls. UNESCO listed the Old City because those buildings carry the marks of the Sabaean besides Himyarite kingdoms and of later eras.
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Sana'a still beats as a living centre of custom. Souks form the heart of each day - stalls sell Yemeni coffee, thick honey or cloth stitched by hand. Families keep tight bonds and gather for songs, dances also dishes such as Salta or Fahsa. Those habits anchor who the townsfolk are and pass identity to the next generation.
Yet war has hit the city hard. Fighting has wrecked water lines, power grids next to clinics and the high valley sits far from ports - trucks must haul most goods uphill. Even so, the people hold on. They patch roofs, guard old books plus teach children the old songs. The stone towers still rise above the dust and the town stands for stubborn life waiting for calmer days.
