Dar al-Hajar, Royal palace in Wadi Dhar, Yemen
The five-story Dar al-Hajar palace stands on a natural rock formation, featuring traditional Yemeni architectural elements with white-painted walls and brown decorative details.
Built in the 1930s for Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, the structure incorporates elements from an earlier palace dating back to 1786 for scholar al-Imam Mansour.
The palace design reflects Yemeni architectural traditions with separate rooms for water cooling, guest quarters, Turkish baths, and a special reception area called Mafraj.
Visitors can reach the palace by taking route 313 northwest from Sanaa, maintaining the straight path when the road branches toward Thula.
The palace contains seven distinct levels that follow the natural rock formation, with a 700-year-old talouqa tree marking its entrance.
Location: Sanaa
GPS coordinates: 15.44120,44.12530
Latest update: May 27, 2025 13:27
Yemen offers photographers subjects ranging from the ancient mud architecture of Sanaa to volcanic craters and the geological formations of Socotra. The Old City of Sanaa presents multi-story tower houses decorated with white gypsum patterns, while Shibam in Hadhramaut displays mud-brick high-rises dating from the 16th century. The fortress of Kawkaban sits atop a high plateau, the village of Hababah demonstrates traditional mountain architecture, and Shaharah Bridge connects two mountain peaks at an elevation exceeding 8,500 feet (2,600 meters). Socotra features Detwah Lagoon, dragon blood trees and limestone caves within its distinct ecosystem. The crater of Haradha Damt is an extinct volcano near Damt, the Marib Dam represents Sabaean engineering from antiquity, and the ruins of Arsh Balqis mark an ancient temple site. Wadi Dawan cuts through Hadhramaut with palm groves and mud villages, Jabal al-Nabi Shu'ayb reaches 12,028 feet (3,666 meters) as the highest peak on the Arabian Peninsula, and Zabid preserves its role as a historic center of Islamic scholarship. Sira Fortress in Aden occupies a volcanic rock above the harbor, Dar al-Hajar in Wadi Dhahr is an 18th-century palace built on a rock outcrop, and Al Saleh Mosque in Sanaa dates from 2008.
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