I started the day with a visit to the Ashrafiya mosque. The mosque currently is going through massive renovations with the help of a foreign team. Interesting how the Government is now looking into preserving these old monuments for posterity.
Ashrafiya mosque at a distance, Taizz.
The caretaker of the mosque.
Renovation work goes on.
Ali, my driver dressed in "Futa" complete with "Jambiya" (the ceremonial knife).
Then onwards to Al-Quahira or Cairo Castle which sits on a hill. It is a historical site and the last occupants having been the army. Today, there's no army and the place is going through massive renovations as this has been declared a historical site worth preserving.
From Taizz, we headed to the Red Sea Coast. Plan was to drive down to Mokha and then via coastal road to Khokha.
A mosque that I saw as we drove through Mokha.
Small fishing village Mokha.
Boys will be boys! Yeminis showing off their fishes!!
We stopped enroute where the Yeminis were extracting salt from the Red Sea. Fascinating as I had never seen such a thing before. Small round holes were made and where the sea water got collected when the tide was high. Later as the water dried, it would leave the salt behind.
And then we hit the road once again onwards!
One of the typical Tihama village that we passed by where real poor Yeminis lived.
And I was surrounded by all these children in seconds as I got out of our car!
Down in Khokha
Place where people can swim!
By afternoon we reached Zabid. This is one of the oldest towns in Yemen. It was the capital of Yemen from the 13th to the 15th century and a centre of the Arab and Muslim world due in large part to its famed University of Zabid and being a centre of Islamic education. Zabid has now been declared as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
We stopped at this small Tourist House for lunch and it was fabulous. The place was being run by a friendly Yemini woman by the name of Fatima. I don't speak Arabic and she didn't speak English but via my guide we talked. She even wanted a picture of herself taken with me!
The lovely restaurant where we had our lunch….typical Yemini food!
Fatima and myself!
Zabid University
Zabid Mosque
The house of Pier Paolo Pasolini, the Italian Director during his days in Yemen.
After lunch we departed for Hudaydah….with more chewing of "Qat"! We stopped at the Hudaydah beach quite popular with the locals as well as visiting tourists. Of course once again it was "sura" photo time! Loved that the Yeminis liked to be clicked! Never met such friendly people in all my travel anywhere in the world!
An Arab woman swimming in the sea…fully clothed in her hijab/abaya!
This guy was busy talking on the phone while all the time digging a small pool!
Later we headed to our hotel, Taj Aswan Hotel where I was going to be staying for the night. My guide insisted that tonight's dinner was on him as it was my Birthday! We were going to have fish as that's what I eat. No meat! So, we went to the market to first shop for the fish. They (my driver and my guide) bought some fish and gave to one of the roadside restaurants to cook the fish!
This was my Birthday Dinner! Grilled fish!! Some Yemini bread with sesame seeds, some lovely dip and salad! Simple…but fresh and absolutely yummy!!
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