Jabal Summarrah The Terraces of Jabal Summarrah, just North of Jiblah, are a testimony to the agricultural industry of Yemen. Each steppe has been meticulously constructed by skilled hands. Every square foot of viable land is used.   The bare rock was first prepared with gravel and small stones for drainage. Large stone walls were constructed on the downward side, running perpendicular to the slope. The space is then filled with fertile soil, carried in on mules and camels. The enormous effort in labor is amazing -- these terraces cover thousands of square miles! All through the year, produce is grown in these valleys. I was told that any fruit or vegetable, from squash to berries, could be grown here, regardless of its native climate. The valleys receive rain twice a year in such torrents that it often cascades in waterfalls on its way to the wadi below. The terraces yield two crops a year. Distances are deceiving. What appeared as a cluster of white and gray buildings is, on closer inspection, an entire town, complete with minarets. The highway climbed in elevation and revealed kilometer after kilometer of terraced farmland. It was hard to believe that this was an arid climate. The foresight of Queen Awra and the labor of generations of Yemeni farmers and engineers have transformed a rocky mountainous landscape into a genuine wonder of the world.

Trading the baseball cap for something new, I embraced The Veil The style of the women's veils changed as we entered each new region. Along the Arabian sea [see bottom left] women chose bright almost transparent lengths of cloth. In the cool heights of Jabal Sabre [see top right] women wear veils, of a heavier cloth, that also act as more of a wrap in the cool mountain air. Bedouins [see top left] in the open desert prefer the more casual veil plus burqua. The burqua is a separate piece of cloth which covers only the face. This combination allows the hot desert winds to blow through comfortably. The Sana'a style of veil [see bottom right] seemed to be the most commonly worn. This loosely woven length of cloth was easy to breath through and soft against my cheek. Only rarely, did I complain of feeling stifled or constrained in this foreign head-gear. The adventure was made that much more rich of an experience by this complete detour from my normal bare-headed ways.