The villages
Climbing the valley walls.
Dan from Brussels, Europe — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dan from Brussels, Europe — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hans Gebhardt @ Deutsch-Jemenitische Gesellschaft — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ljuba brank — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dan from Brussels, Europe — CC BY-SA 2.0
Wadi Do'an is a desert valley in Hadramawt Governorate and one of the main tributaries of the great Wadi Hadramawt. It is much narrower, hemmed in by high sandstone and limestone cliffs, with villages of tall mud houses clustered along its sides. The valley is known for its mudbrick architecture and its honey, as Do'an honey is among the most famous in Arabia. Its best-known villages include al-Hajarayn, Budah, Hadun, Khoreibah and Rabat Ba'ishin. Yemen's Ministry of Culture has proposed protecting it as a national park for its scenery and buildings. The houses are built of sun-dried mud, many storeys high, and seem to climb the valley walls side by side. Some are painted white or in bright colours, including a large colourful palace in the village of Khaylah that catches the eye from afar. Green palm groves run along the valley floor between the cliffs, and the view from the plateau rim is one of the finest in Hadramawt. Shibam is about 58 km away in a straight line. These are lived-in homes, so dress modestly and ask before taking photos. 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.
Climbing the valley walls.
On the valley floor.
A view from above.
West of Wadi Hadramawt, Hadramawt Governorate, Yemen
Tall mud houses and its sidr honey.
A local driver who knows the roads and villages is best.