Yemen

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Driving in Yemen:
Driving in Yemen is an interesting experience - it's rather like China, where the horn rules - if you honk your horn, and someone hits you, then it's their fault! The good news is most of the vehicles are rather clapped out, so speeds are never that high!

I spent most of my time in Sana'a the capital, but I did take a trip out to Wadi Dhahr which is about 11km west of Sana'a, where there is the Dar al-Hajar, a 'typical' multi storey mud brick building, built on a huge rock! My taxi driver didn't speak any English, so the journey was a quiet one, but he did know where to stop to get good views.

Wadi Dhahr is set at the bottom of quite a deep valley, so the drive down was exciting, and I even saw the Army training recruits on how to abseil down the cliff face (rather them than me).

Dar al-Hajar

The building was used as a Palace at one point, and it's a maze of interconnected rooms, over five floors. The views from the roof across the village and the surrounding valley floor are breathtaking - especially if you've run up to the top!

Above almost every single window is a beautiful stained glass fan light, and these throw some beautiful coloured patterns on the floors and walls.