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ARCHITECTURE AND HABITAT: Yemen, the Sheba queen land have still live many ways and customs. Some areas of the country are still governed by local tribes who have strong customs. It’s impossible to describe the beauty of each villages and towns as all so different and interesting to visit. In each area you will see different architecture according the weather, the customs, the history of the place, people living there…

when finish to see the different houses just see the decorations , the windows and the doors who are typical for each kind of architecture. These houses so beautiful can’t be modernized and so to not be abandoned UNESCO protects a large part of Yemen.

WOMEN: they are visible for the men but for us women you will have contact with them so don’t be afraid to stop when you meet a group of women going on work on the fields or going downtown… they are as much interested as you to discuss with you and understand how you live. If you have the opportunity to be invited by your driver Ali, his wife’s friends will come to visit you and will take of their veils and surely you will live wonderful moments with them.
MARKETS: you must absolutely go on the old town on Sana’a and see the market. All markets are interesting and don’t miss the best one on Bay El Fahid only on Friday.

DAY	MARKETS	TOWNS
Saturday	Souq at-Taleh ***	North of Saada
Saturday	Souq Amran **	Amran
Sunday	Souq Ouadi Dhabab ***	Near Taez
Monday	Souq at-Taouilah **	Going for Ouadi Sourdoud
Friday	Souq de Bay El Faqid *****	Going for Hodeida- Taez

The island id a paradise for the friends of the endemic nature but the island can be expensive. Hadibu, the capital is not interesting at all as not clean at all. The island is big 140km per 40km look like a rugby ball, and to visit it you just have choice between walking or renting a jeep. But you have to think also if walking to camping equipment, food…
To visit Socotra you can ask to local agencies as cheaper and so you will give work to local people. You can ask to: www.socotraadventure.com or ask directly to NADER who is a guide English speaking and can help you to organize a trip in Socotra: tel: ++ 967 777 66 11 93. Also you can ask to Ali who can for surely cheaper organized for you a trip in Socotra especially if you decide di make an extension tour in Socotra during your tour in jep with Ali. He has several good contact there. Ali can make the guide in Socotra with the driver he will rent on the island. Contact Ali: http://site.voila.fr/yementours or www.marcellogambini.it/Ali%20Zamil.htmtel: ++ 967 733 74 91 72 ANSWER ONLY ITALIAN AND ARABIC, WRITE IN ENGLISH: alizamel25@yahoo.com (someone will translate for Ali) Compare different agencies before to decide!

Guides and drivers in Socotra have received a special education to show to tourist their island. It’s obligatory to rent a jeep with driver and guide to visit the island.

Better to reserve as now tourism increase and so only basic organization can offer Socotra and so you can risk to not find a jeep, a guide…

Strong wind from April to September-October no permitted to go in Socotra easy. The best moment to go to Socotra is January and February but from mild Deecember to February school holidays many tourists.
1.30-2.30 (150€ - 2009 price) to reach Socotra by plane from Al Mukhala or sana’a. daily flight with the new company Air Felix and 2 fights per week with Yemenia (cheaper) same price if taken in Europe or in Sana'a
You can take a boat from Al Mukhalla and reach in 2-3 days Socotra.
Only 8 hotel in Socotra (2009) all in the capital Hadibu. Small hotel but clean. The last is Taj Socotra. On the island you will picht your tent or go to some funduk

FOOD: do not expect to French cooking but some good surprises also in small restaurants far away of our standards. You will eat many fresh or dry vegetables. Fresh fish only near the sea and on Sana’a. the basis of the alimentation is the bread make with different flours: corn, wheat, Indian millet, barley, millet… you will eat also the famous soup called salta , beef, sheep, goat, chicken and others dishes prepared with vegetables. On the restaurants you will never meet women except if the restaurants as a room only for women , so don’t be surprise if people will look at you! You will find everywhere mineral water and sodas. Tea is a national beverage often perfumed with different spices. Yemenite people are fond of qishr who is made with a part of the coffee grain.
On Yemen it’s strictly forbidden to drink alcohol. NEVER drink alcohol or beer on the streets, this will be considered as a lack of respect, but inside your room in your hotel you can drink if you want.
Prices are from 1-2 € person for a dish in small restaurants to 7-10€ in luxury restaurant for a meal. The small restaurants are full of people, noisy and sometimes even people are nice it’s difficult to understand each others to order the meals.
The menu are often with: chicken, fish, rice, salta, eggs, foul, meat, and the Yemenite bread who is used as a fork, of course you can ask for a fork and spoon.
Drinks: mineral water- tea- pepsi-soda

CRAFT: as not so many tourists you will have difficulties to find crafts make for tourism. If you want to buy antiques just follow the rules.

DJAMBLIA: this traditional dagger is the most important part of the traditional Yemenite clothes. The price depends if antique or not, of the handle ( ivory, silver, precious stones…) and of the scabbard and the belt who can be decorated also with precious stone, silver… you can find the best one on Sana’a, Saada and Taez. Prices are from 10€ to one million.

ANTIQUES AND SILVER JEWELRY: difficult to find them once upon a time Jude fabricated them but now Yemenite women prefer gold items

SEMI PRECIOUS STONES: just have a look on a jewelry and you will find as on Ali Baba cavern!

MORE: basket-making, big hat from Hadramaout and Tihama areas, antique coins, woven, alabaster oil lamp, spices, incense, myrrh…

DJAMBLIA AND KALACHNIKOV: the djamblia is the most important thing on the traditional Yemenite clothe, also a dance is consecrated to this dagger. The djamblia is the symbol of the passage to the adult life and it has still a special place on the Yemenite society: if you do a misdeed the police will take it time you pay for your fault. The djamblia sign the social position on the Yemenite society and give prestige to one who wear it: the djamblia will be decorated according the possibilities of the owner and his social ascension. Now the djamblia must leave some place on the heart of Yemenite people to the kahchnikov and so often you will meet people with arms going everywhere, Police thinks there are 6 millions of arms for 18 millions of habitants!

QAT: when you means Yemen you means also qat! It’s a mild drug who is used by 50 to 90% of the Yemenite men and by 30 to 50% of the women, also more than 15% of children used this drug. For the government it’s really hard and difficult to fight this problem also because forbidden to grow qat means many people without work. You must go in to the souq in Sana’a to see qat business.

CLOTHES: Yemen is a muslin country not so used of tourism and the women wear the veil. Just take some clothes like trousers and decent clothes so will have more opportunities to have contact with the local people
PHOTO: don’t worry if you can take picture , sometimes the men will say yes sometimes no or only for the children. Always send the pictures when you come back or take with you a Polaroid camera. Take with you a lot of memory cards as you can’t find everywhere memory cards.

If you are invited in a house just be ready to eat in the same plate with RIGHT hand, just have a look to the other people before to start and do like them
Take out your shoes anytime you enter in a house, or a mosque
Do not insist if you can’t go inside a mosque or another monument
Forget your motion of the time and so follow their rhythm which can be really slow
The men can’t have opportunities to see women but the women can have many opportunities to enter in houses as even inside only women.
NEVER drink alcohol outside as it’s a sign of no respect.
Go to your nearest consulate to register and tell about your trip
MARIB. No interest now to go and stay there for night, you will not be able to go out from your hotel as situation change ask when you are in the country
WADI DOAN: ask to your driver to drive Jawal Rihab and you will have a wonderful view to the wadi. You can pitch your tent (moschitos and cold nights)
ADEN: go an hotel in Crater quarter, it’s where you can find mmore life even all hotel for tourists are in Ma’alla or At Tawahi quarters. You can have a look on the souk in Khormaksar quarter
TAEZ: if you come inside the souq by Bal al Kabir, take the first road on your left and go to a restaurant . climb to Djebal saber until the top: wonderful view
THULLA: don’t buy nothing more expensive than in Sana’a, clothe come from India
AL KWAKHA: you can rent a boat, the boat don’t so far and if the sea is hot it isn’t limpid and no fish to see
BIR ALI: buy your fish in the village and go to the restaurant to cook it
KHAKHABAN: when you are in front of the main entrance of the village. Take the first way on your left, arrived on the road, walk 100 meters on your left and you can go down to Shibam walking 30-40 minuts.
SHAARAJH: it will as war between people who will help you to go there.
DJEBEL BURA: interesting to stay there one or more days to make some trekking. No funduk but you can sleep in the school
SHIBAM HAMADRAOUT: for sunset go to the djebel in front of the town, wonderful view