Jabal Haraz
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Jabal Haraz () is a mountainous region of
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
, between Sanaa and Al-Hudaydah, which is considered to be within the Sarat range. In the 11th century, it was the stronghold of the Sulaihid dynasty, many of whose buildings still survive today. It includes Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb, the highest mountain in Yemen and the
Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...
.


History and location

Because of its location between the Tihamah coastal plain and Sanaa, this mountainous area has always been strategically important. A caravan stopping point during the
Himyarite Kingdom Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qataban, Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According ...
, the Haraz was later the stronghold of the Sulayhid dynasty, which was established in Yemen in 1037. Then and subsequently the population has been Ism'aili Shi'ite
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
s. Haraz is as famous for its fortified villages which cling to nearly inaccessible rocky peaks. Their imposing architecture meets two needs: defending the villagers, while leaving plenty of space for crops. Each town is built like a castle; the houses, themselves, form the wall, equipped with one or two easily defensible doors. Constructed from sandstone and basalt, the buildings are integrated into the landscape and it is difficult to tell where the rock and the village begins or ends. The mountain is divided into terraces of a few acres or more, separated by walls sometimes several meters high. On these terraced fields grow alfalfa for livestock, millet, lentils, large areas for coffee, and qat. It is one of the main growing areas of Mocha coffee beans. Within a day's journey are Bani Murrah and other villages located on the ridge overlooking Manakhah. Manakhah is the heart of the mountain range, a large town whose market attracts villagers from the entire neighborhood. Al Hajjara, to the west of Manakhah, is a walled village whose citadel was founded in the 12th century by the Sulayhids. From there, other villages are accessible, such as Bayt al-Qamus and Bayt Shimran. The village of Hutaib is built on a platform of red sandstone, facing a view of terraced hills that host a score of villages. Here also is the mausoleum of the third Yemeni ''
Da'i al-Mutlaq (; pl. , ) is the most senior spiritual rank and office in Tayyibi Isma'ilism. The Da'i al-Mutlaq has headed the Tayyibi community since the occultation (Islam), seclusion of the 21st Tayyibi Imamate in Ismaili doctrine, Imam, at-Tayyib Abu'l-Q ...
'' Hatim ibn Ibrahim. Bohras from
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
,
Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
and other countries gather here.


World Heritage Status

This area was added to the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Tentative List on July 8, 2002, by the State Party of Yemen in the mixed (cultural and natural) category, as a site that has "outstanding universal value". The site has not yet been voted by the World Heritage Committee as an official World Heritage site.


Gallery

File:Manakha 01.jpg, Manakhah in Sanaa Governorate File:Kawkaban -68 (353668857).jpg, Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb, the highest mountain and peak in the Arabian Peninsula, as viewed from Kawkaban, Al Mahwit Governorate File:منتزة القادسية - panoramio.jpg, Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb is behind the mountain in the background, facing west of southern Sanaa City File:Haraz Mountains, Yemen (12633745063).jpg, Terraces File:Haraz Mountains, Yemen (14616928081).jpg, Fortified settlement amid the mountains


See also

* Ad Dahrah, located in the Haraz, the stronghold of the Sulaihid dynasty, many of whose buildings still survive to this day * Geology of Yemen * Hajhir Mountains *
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
*
Near East The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...


References


Lonely Planet


External links


Architecture Revived: Architectural Beauty out of Poverty, Jabal Haraz Yemen

Med-O-Med: Cultural landscapes: Jabal Bura and Jabal Haraz, Yemen

Jabal Haraz
(
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
)
Yemen - Haraz Mountains

Yemen 2008 Jebel Haraz
{{Mountains in the Arabian Peninsula Mountain ranges of mainland Yemen World Heritage Tentative List