The single arch
Limestone over the gorge.
Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 3.0
Shaharah Bridge is a limestone arch footbridge spanning a deep gorge near the mountain village of Shaharah in Amran Governorate. It is among the best-known sights in Yemen, seeming to hang in the air between two steep cliffs. The village stands at 2,600 m, looking over rolling mountains to the south and hot plains to the north. The bridge was built in the 17th century by a local lord to connect two villages across the deep gorge. Shaharah itself is a village of old stone houses and a cistern on a sharp peak of Jabal Shaharah, with its slopes and summit heavily farmed. It has three gates, Bab al-Nahr, Bab al-Nasr and Bab al-Saraw. You go down a long stone stairway before reaching the bridge, and see its single arch over a deep chasm, with dark rock walls on either side. The stairway on the far side climbs to the other village. It mostly lacks high railings, so walk with care and do not stand at the edge, above all in wind or rain. It is about 107 km in a straight line from Old Sanaa, along a long mountain road that usually needs a four-wheel drive and a local driver. Bring a warm layer, as the air is cold at this height. 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.
Limestone over the gorge.
A long way down to the bridge.
Stone houses and three gates.
Shaharah, Amran Governorate, Yemen
It is an old walkway mostly without high railings, so walk with care and avoid it in wind or rain.
By four-wheel drive with a local driver, as the mountain road is long.