Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, has existed for more than 3,000 years. People claim it is one of the oldest cities where life never stopped. Some say Shem, Noah's son, founded it - others name Hulk Amr king of Sheba. The city sits on trade roads that link the Red
Sea to the interior of Arabia - trade and royal power grew there as early as the second century AD.
Between 749 plus 1258 the Abbasid Caliphate ruled. Harun al-Rashid sent an envoy to restore order - after that the city saw steadier rule and new building. Later the Ziyadids, Yazafaris besides Rasulids held power in turn. Each dynasty left behind buildings but also systems that lasted.
The old quarter of Sana'a carries work from Umayyad or Abbasid times. The Great Mosque, founded soon after Islam arrived and enlarged century by century, stands at the heart of Yemeni religious building. Kufic script as well as geometric patterns on the walls show how Islamic culture took root in Yemen.
From 1539 - 1918 the Ottomans governed - they laid out new roads, barracks and mosques and sent Yemeni students to Istanbul. Buildings like Dar al-Sanayeh or the current defense ministry still display Ottoman lines and stone.
In the old city, houses join wall-to-wall. Builders coat surfaces with gypsum also shape them to cool the rooms. Red Yajur bricks form the walls - the bricks store daytime heat and release it after sunset. Builders add basalt, Turkey stone next to blackstone for trim - those stones resist weather and give contrast.
Houses rise from two to eight levels. The ground floor is stone - upper floors are brick. The mix gives the streets a single rhythm and keeps the look that Yemenis recognize as their own.
Arabic cooking on YouTube now gives food lovers a lively place to find real, simple and varied recipes. The leading Arabic channels give clear steps, draw dishes from every part of the Arab world plus help both new and practiced cooks.
Manal Al-Alam, a Jordanian chef who has worked for
more than thirty years, runs one of the most trusted Arabic channels. She has over 2.5 million subscribers and posts many traditional dishes that are easy to repeat at home. She appears often on television but also in print, keeps up with current food trends and still highlights classic Arab recipes.
Fatima Abu Hatti has earned a place among the top Arab chefs through friendly, practical clips. She pairs classic Arabic tastes with new ideas as well as millions now visit her channel for guidance. Her popularity also spreads to Instagram besides Facebook and viewers praise her for showing that gourmet food is possible in an ordinary kitchen.
Egyptian chef Heba Abu al-Khair left law to cook turning a childhood hobby into a large YouTube following. Her calm style or warmth attract more than four million subscribers. She films both heritage dishes and fresh inventions, serves Arabic also international palates and gives steps that beginners can follow.
Fatafeat belongs to the most watched Arabic food channels, with over 1.3 million subscribers and billions of views. It presents many chefs from the region - Manal Al-Alam, Hala Fahmy, Shady Rabie, Bassem al-Sisi, Nour Stephanie - who mix local classics with present day methods.
Zainab's Arabic Cooking Channel puts Iraqi food in the spotlight. With more than three million subscribers, she posts recipes, kitchen tips next to product tests in a personal tone. Knowledge handed down through her family gives viewers advice that is both familiar and useful for today's kitchens.
Language learning once belonged to hobbyists - now it is a basic requirement in a world where work crosses borders. The internet links buyers and sellers who speak different tongues - a résumé that lists only English no longer stands out.
When you speak a second language, more job adverts
become open to you. Hotels shipping firms, call centres and government offices often list “bilingual” as a line in the vacancy. Staff who handle orders or clients in two languages move up the ladder faster plus win assignments abroad.
On the road, simple sentences in the local speech turn a spectator into a participant. The work of learning those sentences trains the brain - you hold numbers in your head longer, ignore distractions more easily and trust yourself to speak first and apologise later. Each new grammar point shows how another people view time, family or courtesy.
Job boards currently show the greatest demand for English, Spanish, Chinese, French besides German. English still serves as the default for world trade. Spanish opens doors from Los Angeles to Lima. Chinese matters because buyers but also suppliers in every port negotiate with firms headquartered in China. French or German run through Brussels summits and factory floors from Hamburg to Marseille. Arabic climbs the list as Gulf economies expand - contracts in Dubai or Riyadh arrive faster when you draft them without a translator.
You no longer need cash to start. Memrise next to Italki give lessons at zero cost. YouTube teachers post daily videos - public libraries stock grammars - sites like Coursera or Open Culture host full university courses that you attend from your phone.
Pick one clear target - “order food in Tokyo in six months” or “pass the B1 exam next May” - study the language that serves that target. Read the news aloud, text friends, swap voice memos, watch films, keep a diary, sit in conversation clubs. Errors will appear every day - treat them as data, not failure and schedule practice at fixed hours so that skill accumulates week by week.
