Yemen

Yemen (Bradt Travel Guide)

The Southern Gates of Arabia: A Journey in the Hadhramaut (Modern Library Paperbacks)

In 1934, a 42-year-old Englishwoman named Freya Stark arrived in the British-governed Protectorate of Aden on a singular mission: to locate the fabled, long-lost city of Shabwa.

Located on the high Hadramaut plateau in what is now Yemen, Shabwa was renowned in antiquity as the source of frankincense. Little visited even then, it was also thought to be a particularly forbidding place; Genesis mentions it as the "enclosure of death," and the Roman geographer Pliny reported that it contained 60 great temples and wealth beyond measure. That was good enough for Stark, who, having not long before made a difficult passage across the badlands of Iran, thrived on improbable adventures. And so, by burro and whatever mechanical conveyances she could find, she ascended the high mountains into a world that was sometimes perilous, but that also sometimes approached fairy-tale dimensions, as when, climbing the Hadramaut, she writes, "The path kept high and open, until gradually the valley clefts narrowed again upon us, and shut us in walls whose luxuriant green made a romantic landscape of the kind usually only invented in pictures."

Stark never reached Shabwa; laid low by measles, she had to be evacuated from territory overrun in any event by warring religious factions and gangs of bandits. Though cut short, her time in the Yemeni highlands yielded this superb travel narrative, full of uncommon vistas and milieus (harems, bazaars, and Bedouin camps among them). Anyone who values tales of adventure well told will find Stark's body of work--and this book in particular--to be full of treasures. --Gregory McNamee

In 1934, famed British traveler Freya Stark sailed down the Red Sea, alighting in Aden, located at the tip of the Arabian peninsula. From this backwater outpost, Stark set forth on what was to be her most unforgettable adventure: Following the ancient frankincense routes of the Hadhramaut Valley, the most fertile in Arabia, she sought to be the first Westerner to locate and document the lost city of Shabwa. Chronicling her journey through the towns and encampments of the Hadhramaut, The Southern Gates of Arabia is a tale alive with sheikhs and sultans, tragedy and triumph. Although the claim to discovering Shabwa would not ultimately be Stark's, The Southern Gates of Arabia, a bestseller upon its original publication, remains a classic in the literature of travel. This edition includes a new Introduction by Jane Fletcher Geniesse, Stark's biographer.

Motoring With Mohammed: Journeys to Yemen and the Red Sea

In 1978 Eric Hansen found himself shipwrecked on a desert island in the Red Sea. When goat smugglers offered him safe passage to Yemen, he buried seven years' worth of travel journals deep in the sand and took his place alongside the animals on a leaky boat bound for a country that he'd never planned to visit.

As he tells of the turbulent seas that stranded him on the island and of his efforts to retrieve his buried journals when he returned to Yemen ten years later, Hansen enthralls us with a portrait -- uncannily sympathetic and wildly offbeat -- of this forgotten corner of the Middle East. With a host of extraordinary characters from his guide, Mohammed, ever on the lookout for one more sheep to squeeze into the back seat of his car, to madcap expatriates and Eritrean gun runners- and with landscapes that include cities of dreamlike architectural splendor, endless sand dunes, and terrifying mountain passes, Hansen reveals the indelible allure of a land steeped in custom, conflicts old and new, and uncommon beauty.

Yemen Map by ITMB (Travel Reference Map)

English-language folded travel map of Yemen. Scale 1:1,400,000. Distinguishes 5 types of road, ranging from primary paved roads to tracks. Legend shows places to stay and places of interest, International airport/airfields, ports, gas stations, hospitals, campsites, markets, border crossings, dive sites, archaeological sites, historic ruins/sites, castles, forts, mosques, oasis, caves, beaches, hiking/trekking sites.

Island of the dragon's blood

Yemen: Jewel of Arabia

Yemen is the land of the half mythic Queen of Sheba and the "Arabia Felix" coveted by ancient Rome. Yemen's history is ancient indeed, and much is still in the process of being discovered about this country and its influence on the ancient world. Both the country and the book help open the mind to new understandings of the growth of Middle Eastern civilization and the myriad influence of the past on the present.

As the traveling world awakens to the extraordinary glories and richness of Yemen, this large format, full-color photography book will surely become the visitor's standard compendium about the country.

Prepared by a husband and wife team, Charles and Patricia Aithie, deeply knowledgeable about Yemen's landscapes, cities, history, art, and archaeology, this book provides the factual grounding that no visitor will be able to do without. The work is wonderfully illustrated by the authors' photographs-and, as one of the most photogenic countries in the world, makes for a visual feast.

Socotra: A Natural History of the Islands and Their People

This richly illustrated book provides the first comprehensive review of the natural history of these islands. The islands became a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve in 2003 and have been nominated as a World Heritage site. While documenting Socotra's geology, biodiversity, ecology, human history and culture, the book also highlights aspects of the islands' biogeography, evolution, and conservation. Thoroughly researched, with contributions from numerous international and local specialists, the book is packed with up-to-date scientific, historic and cultural information. 300 color photos, 10 maps.

Freya Stark in Southern Arabia

A Vision of Yemen

Sheikh Hassan Al Thani is a tireless explorer of the history of southern Arabia. A curious observer who is well acquainted with his subject, he photographs the footprints of this civilization, while pondering the country's future. This work takes the reader progressively deeper into the heart of Yemen to see fascinating landscapes, streets, architecture of ancient towns, cars, satellite dishes, and other signs of modernity. The photographer trains his lens on people who emerge from these photographs to give additional clues to understanding this remarkable and changing land. Shot in color and in black and white, these fascinating images provide unparalleled testimony to the richness of this ancient civilization.

Yemen: Land and People