Sanaa is the capital of Yemen, a country on the southwestern Arabian Peninsula. Situated on high ground in the western part of the nation, Sanaa is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. A massive wall protects the old part of the city. The city's name means “fortified place” or “stronghold.”
Places of interest
The wall that surrounds the old city of Sanaa is as high as 30 feet (9 meters) and has a number of gates. Inside the wall are thousands of stone houses that are 1,000 or more years old. The old city also has many houses several stories high that look much like modern apartment buildings. Old Sanaa is also notable for its more than 100 mosques (Islamic houses of worship). Parts of the Great Mosque date back to the time of the prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. The United Nations has named the old city a World Heritage Site.
Sanaa's more modern sights include the National Museum and a military museum. Sanaa University was established in 1970.
Economy
Sanaa's most important industrial plant makes cotton textiles. It was built with Chinese aid in the 1960s. The city's other industries include the processing of food and leather and the manufacturing of metal products. Many of the city's residents are government workers.
Sanaa is a busy trade center for regional food products such as grapes. A variety of goods are sold in the city's famous marketplaces. Formerly rather isolated, Sanaa now has all-weather roads connecting it to port cities. An international airport is in a nearby town.
History
According to ancient tradition, Sanaa was founded by Shem, a son of the biblical figure Noah. Historians believe that the city has existed for more than 2,000 years. The city was a center for Christians and Jews until its residents were converted to Islam in 632. Sanaa was built up as an urban center but was not always a center of power. From the 12th to 15th centuries a series of conquerors of Yemen set up their capitals in other cities.
The modern history of the city begins with the defeat in World War I (1914–18) of the Ottoman Turks. The Turks had attempted to control Yemen for centuries. When Yemen became independent after the war, Sanaa was made its capital.
In 1948 the imam (Islamic leader) of Yemen moved the capital from Sanaa to the southern city of Taizz. Sanaa became the capital again in 1962, during the revolution that created the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen). In 1990 that country merged with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) to form the Republic of Yemen. Sanaa became the capital of the unified nation. In recent decades the city has grown rapidly, far past the boundaries of the old city. Population (1986 census), city, 427,185; (1995 estimate), metropolitan area, 972,000.