Architecture of Yemen

WARNING: Terrorist threats continue in Yemen, please read this travel warning before going!

Yemen has no early structures today and much of what is visible is the result of modern construction. Despite this, the historic styles and building techniques are still used today and what may appear to be hundreds, if not thousands of years old in Yemen, many have been completed last year. As a result of this, nearly all architecture, old and new appears similar and is essentially in the same style, although there are vast differences within the style and from building to building depending on each's purpose.

Most buildings in Yemen, in the past and today, are made from stones, clay, bricks, and mortar. Houses and mosques are the most noticeable structures, especially in cities, like Sana'a. However there are also numerous walls and forts in the countryside, often built by the Imams in times of war. Among these, numerous buildings, and even cities as a whole are built on mountain tops, such as the city of al Hajjara.

The mosques are similar in style to mosques elsewhere in the Middle East, but their construction makes them quite unique in appearance, despite the similar features and layout. Housing though, is very unique in Yemen as Sana'a has some of the world's first multi-story buildings, many of which are housing or commercial structures.

The capital of Sana'a is the country's architectural highlight as it appears to be hundreds of years old, but much of it is quite new. The style is represented of the people and the materials they have available.

This page was last updated: July, 2012