A Day Above Yemen - Hardcover

"A Day above Yemen" is a magnificent pictorial tribute to one of Arabia's most photogenic countries. It captures the breathtaking beauty of the Yemen landscape and the life of its warm and hospitable people. It gives the reader an opportunity to view this ancient land from a modern perspective. From above, the deep canyons and majestic mountains of Hadramaut, seem even more dramatic than when viewed from the land. We can marvel at the impressive architecture of the Hadramawt valley towns and wonder at the ruggedness and difficulty of journeys taken long ago by those enterprising merchants. We are able to follow their route along the coast taking in the towns of Mukalla with its main landmark of Hosn al Ghuazi and the bustling ports of Al Hudaydah and Aden. The dark volcanic coastline around Aden is particularly impressive. Travelling north, we come to the capital Sana'a with its bustling streets and imposing, picturesque, multi storied buildings. The long tradition of Sana'a as a trading centre continues to this day. The hustle and bustle of this busy city is best experienced in the dark and mysterious lanes of the old suq. Here merchants and craftsmen have traded their goods for centuries and stepping through the Bab Al Yemen (The Gate of Yemen) is like stepping back in time. People here are busy going about their daily lives, buying, selling, meeting and greeting in much the same way as their ancestors before them. The pungent vegetables and spices add an exotic aroma to this fascinating experience. The area around Sana'a is rich with agriculture; farmers and their families can be seen working their fields through out the day light hours still using traditional methods to work their land. To the east, on the coast of the Red Sea, lies Mocha, the home and origin of the coffee industry. Further north, the landscape changes and, like travelling into another world, the fields of green give way to the barren desert of this inhospitable region that is known as the Empty Quarter, the Ar Rub Al Khali, the largest sand desert in the world. Offshore in the Red Sea lie the Kamaran and Hunaysh groups of islands while some 250 km south west of Al Mukalla is a unique island location called Socotra.

Yemen is a land of such contrasts and beauty that it is impossible to capture all its facets in one book. "A Day Above Yemen" does however give us a fascinating glimpse into and over many of its varied regions.