Jabal Haraz

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Jabal Haraz is a rugged, mountainous region in Yemen, located between Sanaa and Al-Hudaydah in the Sarat range. It includes Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb, the highest mountain in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula. Its position between the coastal plain (Tihamah) and Sanaa has made it strategically important for centuries.

In the 11th century, Haraz was the stronghold of the Sulayhid dynasty, and many of their buildings still stand today. The people here have long been Ism’aili Shi’ite Muslims.

Haraz is famous for fortified villages that cling to nearly impossible rocky peaks. The village houses form walls with one or two defensible doors, built from sandstone and basalt and blending into the rock. The region uses terraces cut into the mountains, separated by tall stone walls. On these terraced fields, crops include alfalfa for livestock, millet, lentils, coffee, and qat. It is one of the main areas where Mocha coffee grows.

Nearby places include Bani Murrah and other villages along the ridge above Manakhah, which is the heart of the range and a busy market town. To the west is Al Hajjara, a walled village with a citadel founded in the 12th century by the Sulayhids. Other communities are Bayt al-Qamus, Bayt Shimran, and Hutaib, which sits on red sandstone with terraced hills. The mausoleum of Hatim ibn Ibrahim is also in the area.

Bohras from India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and other places gather here.

In 2002, Yemen added Jabal Haraz to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, in a mixed cultural and natural category, recognizing its outstanding universal value. It has not yet become an official World Heritage site.