Sanaa was first described in writing as a city in the 1st century. Although the area was certainly settled earlier, but these settlements could not yet be called a “city”. Today’s capital Sanaa is located at an altitude of 2200 meters at the western foot of the famous Nokum Mountain and has a very eventful history behind it. Allegedly, the city of Sanaa was founded by the Sabean king Sha’r Awtar in the 2nd century – this is evident from the traditions of Muhammad al-Hasan al-Hamdani from the 10th century. According to another legend, Shem, the son of Noah, is said to be the real founder of Sanaa.


Sanaa – a city with an exciting history
In the 6th century, around the year 520, the city of Sanaa was the capital of the Himyarites. A city in constant war between Persia and Abyssinia, during the subsequent reign of the Abyssinians, the now very well-known and probably largest cathedral south of the Mediterranean was built. When the Prophet Muhammad himself allegedly gave the starting signal for the construction of the first mosque in the year 628, Yemen completely fell for Islam. In 1517, due to the occupation of the Pashas from Egypt, the city of Sanaa was appointed an autonomous sultanate. From the years around 1850, the city was then ruled by elective sheikhs instead of imams.
Places of interest in Sanaa
Not only the history itself is very interesting, the architecture of these different eras is also extremely worth seeing. The city wall, for example – it covers the entire old town. Interrupted by 7 gates, this ancient wall consists of thousands of tower houses, several hundred years old. These typical buildings are made in traditional clay construction and sometimes several floors high. There are also numerous museums and various bazaars in the old town for the trade in silk, silver, jewelry and leather goods. UNESCO added the city of Sanaa to the World Heritage List in 1988.
Which country is Sanaa Yemen?
What is Sanaa Yemen known for?
Can you see the animals at night at Sanaa?
Is Sanaa inside the animal kingdom?