The Yemen Gate or Gate of Yemen ( ar, باب اليمن, Bâb el-Yemen) is the main gate of Sana's old fortified wall, on the southern extremity of the walled city. Its current appearance dates to the 17th century, having been designed by Sam the son of Noah. Today, it is the most ornate of the gates of Sana's Old City. Passengers travelling southward, ''en route'' to Ma'bar and Dhamar, would depart from this gate. As one enters the gate, one quickly notices the Yemeni architecture, high towering houses made of baked bricks decorated and waterproofed with

lime plaster Lime plaster is a type of plaster composed of sand, water, and lime, usually non-hydraulic hydrated lime (also known as slaked lime, high calcium lime or air lime). Ancient lime plaster often contained horse hair for reinforcement and pozzolan ...

and

qadad ''Qadad'' ( ''qaḍāḍ'') or ''qudad'' is a waterproof plaster surface, made of a lime plaster treated with slaked lime and oils and fats. The technique is over a thousand years old, with the remains of this early plaster still seen on the st ...

, one of the characteristic features of Sana's Old City. Many of the houses make use of decorative windows, designed as

fanlights A fanlight is a form of lunette window, often semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan. It is placed over another window or a doorway, and is sometimes hinged to a transom. T ...

fitted with

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

, enclosed within

muntins A muntin (US), muntin bar, glazing bar (UK), or sash bar is a strip of wood or metal separating and holding panes of glass in a window. Muntins can be found in doors, windows, and furniture, typically in Western styles of architecture. Muntins ...

gypsum plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

and lime-coated

sash A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else running around the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, bu ...

. Windows that are typical of the ''Old City'' of Sana'a are the

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that includes ...

''qamariyyah'', and the stained glass fanlight (''‘aqd mulawwan''). The

Great Mosque of Sana'a The Great Mosque of Sana'a (, ) is an ancient mosque in Sana'a, Yemen, and one of the oldest mosques in the world. The mosque is said to have been founded in the early Islamic period, suggested to be in 633. While the precise date of construction ...

is located about 300 yards from the Yemen Gate. The old city of Sana'a is listed as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

due to its unique architectural characteristics, most notably expressed in its multi-storey buildings decorated with geometric patterns. The brass rings on the left and right columns at the entrance of the ''Yemen Gate'' were made by Jewish artisans during the period of the monarchy under the Imams. Opposite ''Bab al-Yaman'' to the north of the Old City is ''Bab es-Sha'ub''.

Gallery

File:Bab al-Yaman - Yemen - Sanaa.jpg, Bab al-Yaman in Sana'a File:Bab al-Yaman - Yemen - Sana'a.jpg, Bab al-Yaman bazaar File:Chewing qat in Yemen.jpg, Men are chewing khat in Sana'a.

References

{{Tourist attractions in Yemen Gates in Yemen Sanaa