The palace on the rock
Brown and white floors.
Rod Waddington — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Uhooep — CC BY-SA 4.0 · yeowatzup — CC BY 2.0 · yeowatzup — CC BY 2.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 3.0
Dar al-Hajar is a former royal palace on a tall rock in Wadi Dhahr, about 15 km from Sanaa. It is now a museum and one of the best-known images of Yemen, as the tower building with its brown and white floors seems to grow out of the rock itself. The green valley below makes a lovely scene that repays the trip. It was built in 1920 as a summer retreat for Imam Yahya Hamid ed-Din, Imam of Yemen from 1904 to 1948, on top of an older structure of 1786. That first building was put up by the minister Ali bin Saleh al-Amari for Imam al-Mansur Ali bin Abbas. Some accounts place it on the ruins of an ancient Sabaean fortress, a story that cannot be confirmed. The royal family lived here until the civil war of the 1960s. You climb a narrow stairway through successive floors and see halls with coloured glass windows, storerooms and a well cut into the rock. On top is a terrace ringed by walls with openings, looking over the valley and its rocky hills. The rooms show simple furniture and give an idea of life in the old palace. It is about 13 km in a straight line from Old Sanaa and easy to reach by car. The stairs are steep in places, so take care and wear suitable shoes. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to the whole of Yemen and tells anyone there to leave, so check official guidance before making any plans.
Brown and white floors.
The hall windows.
Views over Wadi Dhahr.
Wadi Dhahr, north-west of Sanaa, Yemen
Imam Yahya Hamid ed-Din in 1920, on top of an older building of 1786.
It is said to be a museum, but we could not confirm current hours, so ask before you go.