| Arabian Waxbill Tour Along the Incense Road. (15 days, Landcruiser and Caravan) Grand Yemen Round Trip with Camel Riding in Wadi Hadhramawt Drive by landcruiser from Sana'a to the legendary Wadi Hadhramawt which was difficult to access until 1990. Continuing through the port cities of Mukalla and Aden and back into mountainous Yemen via Taizz. In the eastern Wadi Hadhramawt we will be travelling 3 days with camels, getting a feeling for the old times when heavily loaded caravans were travelling along the “Incense Road" up to the Mediterranean Sea. Any man or woman who is healthy and also likes to walk a little bit can take part in this trip. The physical conditions are not very demanding, however it can be still quite hot during daytime in autumn and spring.During the caravan tour we are travelling some three hours in the morning and in the afternoon each. You can ride or walk according to your wish. The (most of the time invisible) car will be at your disposal during noon or in the evening if you should have problems with the camel ride (which is rarely the case). Day 1: Sana'a You will experience sunrise above the Red Sea and the Arabian Desert and land should arrival time be in the morning to Sana'a Inter. Airport, 2200 m above sea level on a high plateau. Meet and assist at the airport and transfer to a hotel in Sana'a city. After taking a short rest, we go to Wadi Dahr (15km outside Sana'a) a green valley in the middle of rough mountains. Every Friday, wedding parties meet here and dance the traditional dagger, or djambiyah dance called Bar'a. Afterwards we drive down into the valley and take a look at the former summer palace of Imam Yahia; it is built on the top of a solitary rock. The view of the Old City with its decorated houses, which tower up to six storeys, and the slim minarets is fascinating even to hard-baked globetrotters. This historical part of the city was declared a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO; since 1985 several houses have been restored already. Behind the historical city gate Bab Al Yemen, another world begins - the Souk of Sana'a. Money changers and flying merchants are here and not far away camels with blindfolded camels are turning the old sesame mills. The range of commodities reaches from pottery to video recorders but the old Arabic market atmosphere has not changed. Mostly men with their curved daggers, the djambiyahs, are dominating the scene. The Souk al Milh (the former salt market) has changed into a giant supermarket cut into numerous small sales boxes. Passing by the Grand Mosque we reach the spice market - one of the largest of the whole Arab World - which activates all our smell nerves pleasantly. Not far away is the silver market; your tour guide will help you to distinguish Yemeni jewellery from the imports from India. Overnight at Hilltown 4-star or Hadda 4-star hotel in Sana'a. (B) (L) (D) Day 2: Sana'a - Marib Our motorised little "caravan' - two to four landcruisers depending on the size of the group - will leave Sana'a after breakfast. We will cross over the first pass - deeply fissured rock, seemingly very far away from the capital. A serpentine road leads 800m down into the wide desert of the Ramlat as Sabatein - "Sand of the two Sabas" - between the historic places of Saba and Shabwa. Going through a black basalt desert with light sand dunes formed by the wind we come to Marib. There we first see a number of new buildings, tank vehicles - but we soon discover along to the yellow horizon, the beginning of the immensely large Rub al Khali Desert, the "Empty Quarter" with 2000 sqkm of sand. After taking our lunch at a local restaurant and rest at our hotel we take a look at Marib, once the world and religious capital of the Sabean Kingdom. For the Queen of Sheba - Bilquis - no proof has been found, but more so there are legends. It is however a fact that she visited King Solomon in Jerusalem in around 950 BC, which is recorded in the Bible in 1 Kings 10 and in Chronicles 9 as well as in the 27th Sura of the Koran. The riches of Marib came from the Incense Road and the gigantic irrigation systems. For over 2600 years, artificial irrigation has been going on. We marvel at the still intact stone walls of the Southern sluice and look over the wadi to the Northern sluice. The dam had a length of 600 m. The top velocity of the water flow measured at the Wadi Adhana equals that of the Rhine at Basel! The first break of the dam is recorded at around the middle of the 4th century. After repairs done with the help of some 10,000 workers, other breaks occurred and Marib was finally been abandoned in 570 AD. In 1986 a new dam was opened, financed by Sheikh Zaid of Abu Dhabi who considers himself a descendant of the Sabeans. With the water collected by the 230 m long dam, 10,000 hectares of land are to be irrigated. The remains of the temples are astonishing with their pillars built of exactly hewn stone blocks, for example at the Awwam Temple, where nowadays boys are demonstrating their climbing skills. This temple was excavated by an American archaeological team under Wendel Philipps in 1951/52 but has been covered up with sand again; many stones were also stolen. Since 1990 German archaeologists are excavating the temple Arsh Bilquis with its 5 columns. The old city of Marib was badly damaged during the civil war of 1962 to 1969 by the Egyptian airforce. Many houseowners have incorporated antique stones in their buildings. Dinner & overnight at Bilquis Marib 4* hotel in Marib city. (B) (L) (D) Day 3: Marib - Shabwa In the beginning, we drive through a sandy desert basin, framed by the black, bizarre erosion forms of Djebel Sahi. Behind Harib we cross the former border between North and South Yemen. Soon we see a solitary, long-deserted watch tower: here the German music ethnologist Hans Hellfritz had been held captive during his secret travel from Hadhramawt and on to Sana'a. Behind the modernised town of Bayhan a road leads to the antique Timna which is not known under this name any more in the area. But it had been the capital of the Kingdom of Qataban until it was destroyed in 120 AD by Hadhramawt. The bastions of the Southwest gate are sticking out of the sand covered with rich inscriptions. On a (new) asphalted road we continue passing single acacia trees and viewing the first blue lines of the table mountains, which will accompany us closely all during our entire trip through Wadi Hadhramawt. From Ataq to Shabwa we'll have to drive another 120 km and then pitch our tents there - in the vicinity of the ruins of the antique capital of Hadhramawt, which has been excavated by French archaeologists since 1975: the gigantic site with a double city wall, the ruins of a citadel, the king's palace and three deserted villages, where up until a few years ago still salt has been extracted. In our camp, not far from here, one may well meditate about the transitory nature of political power - here the city was attacked by Kinda nomads during the second century. The inhabitants fled and founded Shibam in Wadi Hadhramawt. Archaeologists also discovered artefacts of Hellenistic origin - parts of bronze statues, depictions of lions and horses. Overnight Camping with beduine nearby the old ruins of Shabwa (Tents will be provided). (B) (L) (D) Day 4: Shabwa - Shibam - Seiyun We drive through a monotonous wadi, the table mountains still far away - as well as alongside some burning gas torches of the oil fields; heralds of a new, but not necessarily better time in Yemen. After travelling some 100 km we suddenly strike a somewhat bumpy, plastered road - route of the former sultan, who was driven around in a high-wheeled automobile in as early as the 1930ies. We have now reached the Wadi Hadhramawt. It is a deeply-cut valley in east-westerly direction and measuring some 200 km in length and cut into the completely barren high plateau of the Djol, which we will cross later on our way to Mukalla. Many Hadhramis - the inhabitants of Wadi Hadhramawt - have settled as merchants in Indonesia since the late 19th century and become wealthy there. The architecture of some palaces and large buildings shows this influence. Palm trees are growing in the valley (the harvest of dates is in June and July during the hottest season). Through irrigation from wells (motor pumps) sorghum, wheat, sesame, tobacco and vegetables are grown. The national (but during communist times in South Yemen forbidden) light drug Qat is not growing here; these shrubs only grow well in the Yemeni and Ethiopian highlands. After the town of Al Qatn, our excitement is growing, since we advance to Shibam - until suddenly it appears in front of our eyes like a "Fata Morgana". The "Manhattan of the Desert" consists of some 500 clay tower houses; most of them are more than 400 years old and up to 9 storeys high. The conglomerate of houses closely linked together makes Shibam look unreal like an overdimensional termites' nest; a place not of this world. Only the upper parts of the houses are whitewashed, giving it a look of being sprinkled with new snow. Tomorrow we will take an extensive look at the city. For now we proceed to the nearby Seiyun. Although only 30,000 people are living here Seiyun is the political and economic centre of Hadhramawt and is dominated by the vast Sultan's Palace from the 16th century in which now the folklore museum is located. After the Socialist take-over in 1967, the last Sultan, Hussein Bin Ali, fled with his family to Saudi Arabia. We will visit Seiyun and also the museum tomorrow; from the roof of the palace we'll have a grand view of the inner city, the outskirts with its palm trees, the graveyard with tombs of saints and the almost vertical cliffs of the wadi. Overnight in Seiyun at Samah 4-star hotel. (B) (L) (D) Day 5: Seiyun - Shibam - Tarim Tarim lies some 38 km further on and is the religious centre of Hadhramawt. On the way, we see the saint's tomb of Ahmed Ben Aissa on a hill to our right-hand sight. In the lower grave his son is buried and in front of it there is a mosque. Ahmed came to Hadhramawt from which is today Iraq in the year 848 of our counting in order to lead the Hadhramis back from the Charidian to the Sunni branch of Islam. He is the ancestor of all Sadah - the religious nobility of Wadi Hadhramawt. In the month of November, his grave is the destination of a great yearly pilgrimage in which thousands of believers take part. Tarim is the holy city of Hadhramawt. Between the 17th and the 19th century more than 354(number of days in the Islamic year) mosques and Medresen (Quran schools) existed here. The old splendour has vanished, but important buildings and mosques give us an idea of how it once was - so the Al-Midhar Mosque with its minaret of 50 m height, the highest in South Arabia; thin, square and with Indonesian elements. Tarim is also famous for its libraries. The Al-Ahqaf Library harbours some 5,000 hand-written books which are up to 400 years old. The past wealth shows itself in the some 20 old merchant houses with stucco facades and elements from South East Asia. From the top of a steep rock we have a nice view of Tarim with houses under palm trees, the Sultan's Palace and the big cemetery. As we already said, we will again visit the cities of Seiyun and Shibam. There is no strict plan; and this short description is not meant to replace a traveller's guide, that's why we advise you to read the relevant literature. Casual strolls have their special charm - e.g. in the midst of the "termite city" of Shibam. From a hill opposite the city especially in the late afternoon, we obtain photographic views of great magnificence. In the morning, the Hadhrami women are working on the fields - with huge straw hats. They are wearing the deep black coats (the Sharshaff) - also the head is completely veiled - and even during field work they wear black gloves. It is quite strange: for hundreds of years the Hadhramis have been in contact with other countries - from Africa to India and Indonesia - but at home they are so deeply conservative that make even the Saudis shudder. We go back to our hotel and eat in the beautiful dining room - the last time for a few days at a table, because tomorrow our caravan tour begins. Overnight in Tarim at Qubba Palace Hotel. (B) (L) (D) Day 6: Camel Tour in Wadi Hadhramawt Day 6 - 8: As the first and so far only agency we travel like in the old times along a small piece of the historic Incense Road - with Bedouins and camels. These two and a half days are also a pleasant change from driving in Land Cruisers. Babylonians and Persians used incense and myrrh from the middle of the 6th pre-Christian century; also the Egyptians knew the fragrant resin of the incense tree and the Romans were very keen on it. The Queen of Sheba brought “a very large quantity of spices and precious stones" to King Solomon in the 10th century BC. It was the beginning of the Incense Road from South Arabia to Petra (today in Jordan), on to Persia and the Mediterranean. Soon an almost complete infrastructure with water and food stations, markets and caravanserais existed. Out of necessity for the protection of the caravans from attacks, cities and kingdoms were founded during the 8th century BC: Qataban and Hadhramawt in the South, Saba and Ma'in in the interior. The peak of the incense trade was between the 5th century BC and the 1st century AD. The much sought-after resin stemmed mostly from the province of Dhofar (Oman) bordering to Hadhramawt, from northern Somalia and from India. Back to today. Toyotas, Nissan cars and (on asphalted roads) prestigious limousines with a star have taken the place of the camel for the modern Arab. But we have had enough of travelling by car. We will surely appreciate the following quiet days. Who travels slowly sees more - and so the steep, reddish rock walls of a side valley look especially impressive. We will take turns in riding and walking for two to three hours each morning and afternoon - it is up to you how you will change. We have cold meals for lunch, in the evenings we will cook. A landcruiser travels in front of us and the guides will prepare the camps at noon and in the evening. Also during the camel tour you will get enough mineral water or prepared drinking water. The camps will be on scenic spots under palm trees in the vicinity of gardens; therefore there will be enough water for washing. In the evenings we will sit together for a while at the camp fire until each one will go to his sleeping place in the “hotel of the millions of stars". Probably we will not reach Gabr Hud with the camels and will take the rest of the way by car. In the splendid white tomb a prophet is buried. It is the destination of a big yearly pilgrimage. On the 8th day - the afternoon of the third "camel day" we drive back to Seiyun for an overnight at a hotel. (B) (L) (D) Day 7: Described above (B) (L) (D) Day 8: Described above (B) (L) (D) Day 9: Seiyun - Mukalla Today we depart early with the Land Cruisers and pass once again by Shibam. Soon the road turns up to the high plateau of the Djol - there are only stones as far as the eye can see- and again and again deeply carved, but mostly dead-dry valleys. Caravans need at least six days to overcome this stone desert; but we need only two hours. The sight of the Indian Ocean is as breath-taking as the view of the old city of Mukalla from the sea. After checking in at our hotel and take a short rest, we will have the exceptional view of Mukalla from the sea in the afternoon and take a boat for this purpose. This view has already been praised by Freya Stark who arrived here in 1935. Afterwards we visit the old city; during dusk the men are sitting here playing domino or smoking the waterpipe. Overnight in Mukalla at Hadhramout 4-star Hotel. (B) (L) (D) Day 10: Mukalla - Bir Ali In the morning we visit the Sultan's Palace built in 1929. In Mukalla the Quaiti Sultans reigned from 1888 until the communist take-over in 1967. The palace harbours a small museum with discoveries of the Hadhramawt and other objects. In the upper floor we can marvel at the plush splendour of the conference room with candelabras and armchairs from India. Soon after Mukalla, capitalism, despised until 1990, has already taken off fully: modern holiday bungalow sites have been constructed; probably soon the Club Méditerrané will come here as well. Then the tour becomes lonely and romantic: a fantastic coastal landscape with jagged black volcano mountains which partly reach up to the sea and the street going by "dream bays" under which the ocean is branding in turquoise colours on the rocks or the sand beaches. Then the landscape changes again: sickle dunes of yellow sands reach up to the coastal strip and create unexpected, strong contrasts. Not far from our resting point we get to Bir Ali - a small place with simple, partly ruined stone houses. We take a rest at the imposing Vulcan Husn al-Ghurab, which pushes into the sea like a peninsula, the "Raven's Mountain". From its top we get the best view on the ruins of Qana excavated partly in 1974, the antique incense port. Probably we will grill some fresh fish here by the sea. A footpath leads to the flat top of the "Raven's Mountain", which ends in crumbly lava. You should only climb the top if you have a good constitution and following your guide. Overnight in tents camping along the beach of Bir Ali one of the best beaches of Yemen. (B) (L) (D) Day 11: Bir Ali - Habban - Aden Before going on we will watch the fishermen taking their catch out of the small colourful boats and distributing it. Then we will go on - again a longer trip, but interrupted by nice breaks. We will also have a camp again at a dream beach. Soon again yellow sand is shining and 40 km after Bir Ali we seem to be in the middle of the Sahara: here, the picturesque little coastal oases Irba Rabat is lying under palm trees in front of beautiful dunes. The road continues to the north west away from the sea into the wild mountains. Villages with strong clay houses in white wadis sometimes appear on the way - partly they remind us of the Moroccan kasbahs. Habban is a place in former South Yemen with high, closely built-together clay houses situated in front of rugged mountains. A “photo stop" here is obligatory.When the dusk starts to draw its veil over the city of Habban,with its closly built, high clay houses standing out against the majestic back drop of the mountains, one is reminded of a dream from a thousand and one Arabian nights. Then the - partly bumpy road - turns again and comes back to the sea. Overnight in Aden at Cresent 4-star Hotel. (B) (L) (D) Day 12: Aden - Taiz We have time for an extensive morning bath in the warm waters of the Gulf of Aden. Parts of Aden lie in a crater and Aden is always hot. If possible, we will visit the old city quarter of Crater and the 17 cisterns between steep rocks with a capacity of 90,000 cubm built probably at the foundation of the city around the birth of Christ and restored by the British colonial power in 1858 - or better modernised in order to make use of the historic facilities again. From Aden to Taiz we cover a distance of about 180 km - a curved road winds up to Taiz in mountainous Yemen. The bustling city has sprawled over the entire mountain ridge and is with its 280,000 inhabitants the third-largest city - after Sana'a and Aden - and the “secret capital" of the country (officially it was so from 1848; and only in the beginning of the 70s, the foreign diplomats had to move again to Sana'a). After visiting Hadhramawt we will notice in the souk (with interesting silver wares) that many women here are unveiled. They come daily from Djebel (= mountain) Sabir to offer their goods here. Overnight in Taiz city at Taj Shamsan Hotel. (B) (L) (D) Day 13: Taiz - Jiblah - Sana'a Before going on we take a look at the museum and the beautiful Ashrafiya Mosque with its two minarets. In contrast to most sacred buildings in the country, here, most of the time, a visit of the big prayer room with its fine wall decorations is possible; provided you are wearing proper clothing - for women a head scarf, which should also be carried in the cities and the souks. From one of the brick minarets a nice view of with its countless mosques Taiz opens up. The minaret, however, is not open any more. Not far from the Ashraffiya lies the Muttabiya Mosque from the 13th century which has 20 domes. The Sunnite Taiz is said to be the city of the saints. We continue our travel and take a look at the mountain village of Jiblah which lies like a castle in the mountain. Over a stone bridge we reach the old city. Passing by Ibb (the city with the highest precipitation of the country) and Dhamar we drive through a wild and romantic landscape with terraced mountains back to Sana'a. Overnight at Hilltown or Haddah 4-star Hotel. (B) (L) (D) Day 14: Sana'a After breakfast we visit the National Museum of Sana'a. In a historic house of some 5 storeys, displaying the Yemeni history of pre-Islamic and Islamic times impressively. One room is dedicated to the excavations of the Awwam Temple in Marib; like other excavation sites in the area, most of it has again been covered with sand. In the afternoon, we again stroll through the souk of the old city. If you like to go there alone, it is no problem. This is surely the last chance to buy some silver jewellery, spices or something else. Overnight in Sana'a at Hilltown or Hadda 4-star Hotel. (B) (L) (D) Day 15: Departure In the early morning something takes place which you have so far surely not thought about and not wished for: the trip to the airport and the flight back. We offer you the possibility to postpone your flight and to prolong your trip with the coastal strip of the Tihama and mountainous Yemen "at your own wish" Wishing you a wonderful trip and unforgettable memories: The Team of ViewZone Tours. (B) (L) Note: Tour and Tour Information are subject to change. Tour Prices: Single Person $1590; Double Occupancy Per Person Price $1480 Airfare is not included in the tour price. Notes : Prices given are per person in USD currency and include the followings:- - Transportation: airport transfers & all ground travels in Yemen (in 4-seat Toyota Land Cruisers). - Accommodation based on 4-star hotels in the main cities. Elsewhere the best available hotels will be used. In the countryside and mountainous areas/villages overnight will be spent in a clean local inn (Funduk). Tents will be provided where camping is applicable. - Meals on full-board basis in the best available restaurants. Sealed mineral water will be served all through the trip. - Services of a bilingual local tour guide (Arabic and English, German, French or Italian speaking tour guide. - Entrance fees to all attractions visited.
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