There can’t be many places left in the world that could make God smile, but Yemen is one of them.
Inhabited almost forever Yemen is, in many ways, the birthplace of all our lives. In days past, the sons of Noah knew it as the land of milk and honey, Gilgamesh came here to search for the secret of eternal life, wise men gathered frankincense and myrrh from its mountains and, most famously, a woman known simply as Sheba said Yemen was her home.
Yet since the book of mythology was closed, Yemen has remained largely locked away in a forgotten corner, oblivious to the world that was oblivious to it. Today, like a spring tortoise emerging from hibernation, Yemen is awaking from its slumber and slowly revealing its face. And what a face it is. Sitting at the crossroads of two continents, this country has a little of everything. With its shades of Afghanistan, reflections of Morocco, flavors of Africa and reminders of Arabia, Yemen is utterly unique and deeply romantic. To travel in this most traditional of Islamic countries, surrounded by a people whom the Prophet once described as ‘the most gentle-hearted of men’, is a privilege you will not quickly forget. But never mind what we have to say about it, let’s leave the last word to the man who made it.
Legend tells how one day God decided to check out how his creation was fairing: London, he decided, had changed a lot, Egypt was nothing like he remembered it, but Yemen, ‘Well’, he smiled, ‘that hasn’t changed since the day I created it’.
Climate & when to go
Climatically, Yemen can be divided into three main zones: the Tihama (the Red Sea coastal strip); the central highlands (including San’a); and the desert areas of the east and the far north.
The best time to visit the Tihama is between November and February (summertime can be suffocating hot). The twice-yearly monsoons bring some rain to the region between mid-March and mid-April, and particularly July to September. Temperatures range from around 21°C in December and January to as high as 40°C in June. Humidity is also high.
The central highlands (which range from 1500m to 3500m) enjoy a temperate climate for most of the year, though it can get hot at noon and chilly at night (particularly between October and February). The monsoons are light in San’a, but heavy (up to 500mm rainfall) in the southwest and can continue into May. San’a ranges in temperature from a minimum of 5°C (from November to January) to a maximum of 25°C (in July).