Sa'da was founded centuries ago as a remote stopover for the frankincense caravan route. It was once a walled city fortress in the middle of green fields and pastures. The wall still remains but the city sprawl has moved outside to the surrounding land. Most residents live in the mountain region to the West of Sa'da and make the city proper look deceptively uninhabited. This region is fiercely independent and was one of the strongest holdouts and the last to agree to join the present Republic. Tribes here are friendly but guarded. Sa'da is surrounded by desert and is the home to many Bedouins, who have dual nationalities. Since it is one of the closest towns to the Saudi Arabian border, Sa'da's strategic importance is not overlooked. Soldiers are stationed visibly on the roads leading to and from the town and armed escorts were required on the roads leading to Sana'a. The main attraction in Sa'da is the walled city. Old Sa'da is picturesque and contains the best examples of an uniquely Northern form of construction which utilizes mud and straw. There is so little rain in this arid region of Yemen that this type of mud construction lasts for decades. Basic material does not mean that Sa'da homes are simple. Ornate windows, inlaid with alabaster and distinguished with a coat of gypsum, are the norm. There are many large mosques of all shapes and sizes, including the 12th Century Great Mosque of Sa'da which features a dozen cupolas of different shapes and sizes [pictured left]. All of the mosques bear the traditional green paint that identifies the architecture in the region. The old wall was still intact in Sa'da and we could even walk on it. This gave an elevated view of the many shops and houses that were crowded together in the old city interior. We could walk almost the entire parameter but some sections of the wall had crumbled long ago. Life has remained simple inside Sa'da's walls. Sheep, goats and children scurried through the dusty narrow streets. Veiled women in pairs carried bright bundles and ducked inside doorways when our eyes met. Children laughed and called to us, "Surrah!" "Picture!" The people were very friendly and, as long as you asked them before, loved having their pictures taken.

One of the things we had heard about Sa'da was that it hosted a very special market, or suq [see below], on a certain day each month. This suq was special because anything was obtainable there... tanks, anti-aircraft weapons, grenades and a plethora of small arms, rifles and ammo. We managed to schedule our stay in Sa'da to coincide with this suq and we were not disappointed. We watched as these weapons were traded as if they were dates or coffee. The rumble of the suq was periodically shaken by AK-47 fire as customers tested their wares. This suq had car parts, electronic parts, appliances, camels, salt and lots of qat. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. A brief commotion happened when a man was caught stealing from one of the vendors. As we walked past this drama, the guilty man was being punished. The store owner would be allowed to deliver so many blows or punches, while the crowd watched and witnessed the punishment. It was over as soon as the man repented and everyone continued with their routines. We saw little violence in Yemen. And when we did, it seemed justified. We were now headed back to Sana'a. We enjoyed Sa'da. We especially enjoyed the surrounding desert. It is a place to remember and to which we shall return.