Western Asia · Asia

Yemen

Discover Yemen - the ancient Arabia Felix where mud-brick skyscrapers defy gravity, coffee was first brewed, and the Queen of Sheba once ruled a legendary kingdom.

Where Is Yemen?

Yemen is a country in Western Asia. Sana'a is the official capital, while Aden serves as the provisional capital.

Where Yemen isWestern Asia · Capital Sana'a (provisional: Aden)

Capital Sana'a (provisional: Aden)
Population 41.8M
Area 527,968 km²

Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. The Romans called it Arabia Felix - Happy Arabia - because its mountains caught the monsoon rains that the rest of the peninsula missed, creating green terraced highlands in a region otherwise defined by desert. This rain made Yemen rich long before oil was discovered anywhere on the Arabian Peninsula. The ancient kingdoms of Saba (Sheba), Himyar, and Qataban grew wealthy on the incense trade, exporting frankincense and myrrh along caravan routes to Rome, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. The Queen of Sheba, who visited King Solomon according to the Bible and Quran, is claimed by Yemen as one of their own.

Yemen's architecture is unlike anything else on Earth. The old city of Sana'a, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a forest of mud-brick tower houses rising six to eight stories high, decorated with white geometric patterns that make them look like enormous gingerbread buildings. Shibam, in the Hadhramaut valley, is known as the Manhattan of the Desert - a cluster of 500 mud-brick towers built in the 16th century that constitute one of the earliest examples of vertical urban planning. And it was in Yemen that coffee was first cultivated and brewed as a drink. The word mocha comes from the Yemeni port of Al Mokha, from where coffee was exported to the world.

Yemen today carries the weight of conflict and humanitarian crisis, but its cultural heritage, architectural wonders, and the resilience of its people remain extraordinary. The Yemeni diaspora has carried the country's distinctive coffee culture, cuisine, and traditions across the globe.

At a glance

Language

Arabic

Currency

Yemeni Rial (YER)

Calling Code

+967

Drives On

Right

Internet

.ye

Timezone

AST (UTC+3)

Script

Arabic

Government

Unitary Presidential Republic

Independence

1990

By population

Largest cities in Yemen

Sana'a

Capital with a UNESCO-listed old city of towering mud-brick houses decorated in white geometric patterns, inhabited continuously for over 2,500 years

3,000,000

Aden

Major port city built in the crater of an extinct volcano on the Gulf of Aden, historically one of the most important harbors in the world

1,000,000

Taiz

Cultural and intellectual capital on a mountain plateau, known as the city of knowledge, with a rich tradition of arts and education

600,000

Shibam

The Manhattan of the Desert - an ancient walled city of 500 mud-brick tower houses rising up to eight stories, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

7,000

People

Famous people from Yemen

Queen of Sheba (Bilqis)
Politics
Legendary queen of the ancient Sabaean kingdom whose visit to King Solomon is recorded in the Bible, Quran, and Ethiopian tradition
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Politics
Longest-serving president who unified North and South Yemen in 1990, ruling for over three decades through a complex web of tribal alliances
Tawakkol Karman
Politics
Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2011, the first Arab woman to win the prize, honored for her nonviolent struggle for women's rights and democracy

Food

Traditional cuisine of Yemen

Saltah: Yemen's national dish - a bubbling stone pot of meat stew topped with fenugreek froth called hulba, scooped up with fresh flatbread
Mandi: Tender lamb or chicken slow-cooked in a tandoor pit with fragrant rice, spices, and dried limes, a festive dish for celebrations
Bint al-Sahn: Layers of paper-thin pastry dough drizzled with honey and ghee, a beloved sweet dish served at weddings and special occasions
Yemeni Coffee: The original coffee - light-roasted beans from ancient terraced farms, often brewed with cardamom and ginger in the traditional preparation

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Yemen

Socotra IslandIsland: The most alien-looking place on Earth, with dragon blood trees, bottle trees, and wildlife found nowhere else - the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean
Haraz MountainsMountain: Dramatic highland region of terraced coffee farms, ancient stone villages, and misty peaks where Yemen's finest coffee is grown
Rub al KhaliDesert: The Empty Quarter extends into eastern Yemen, the world's largest contiguous sand desert with dunes reaching hundreds of meters
Gulf of Aden CoastCoast: Yemen's southern coastline stretching along the Gulf of Aden, with volcanic beaches, fishing villages, and important maritime history

Sport

Sports in Yemen

Football: By far the most popular sport in Yemen, with passionate local rivalries and the national team providing rare moments of national unity
Camel Racing: Traditional Bedouin sport practiced in Yemen's desert and highland regions, a cultural tradition spanning generations

Facts

Did you know?

Yemen is the birthplace of coffee - the word mocha comes from the Yemeni port of Al Mokha, where coffee was first exported to the world
Shibam's mud-brick skyscrapers, some over 500 years old and eight stories tall, are the earliest example of vertical urban planning
Socotra Island has been isolated for so long that a third of its plant species are found nowhere else on Earth, including the iconic dragon blood tree
The old city of Sana'a has been continuously inhabited for over 2,500 years and contains more than 6,000 houses built before the 11th century
Yemen was one of the first countries outside of Ethiopia to cultivate coffee, with terraced coffee farms dating back to the 15th century
The ancient Marib Dam, built around 750 BC by the Sabaean kingdom, was one of the engineering wonders of the ancient world

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