Located in the historical Hadramaut region, the Wadi Doan valley is one of the most beautiful places in the Arabian Peninsula and a time capsule to the Olde Arabia.
Our Mainland Yemen tour focuses on the Hadramaut region, which is not affected by the current conflict occuring west of the country. Even though we cannot visit Sanaa, this is a trip not to be missed for the fans of history and beautiful landscapes.
After landing in Seiyun and visiting the historical port of Mukallla, our Yemen tour itinerary takes us to the towns of Wadi Hadhramawt. We always stop at the base of a mountain, after exiting Mukalla, where there is the opportunity to buy some fresh coconuts. The road then quickly rise 600m, bringing us to the Abd al-Gharib Pass.
A drive through deserted land brings us to the Haid Al-Jizil resort, a true hidden gem – definitely the kind of place that would be full with tourists in better circumstances: not only does the hotel look good and the food is amazing, but also it boasts the most beautiful panorama in the Yemen and one of the most beautiful in the Middle East – up in the list with the Edge of the World.
The House of Bin Laden, a quirk of our Yemen tour
After a bit of rest – and to avoid the hottest hours of the day – we like to a one-hour hike down the canyon to the village of Hawfah, before driving to the huge boulder where the ruins of the abandoned village of Haid Al-Jizil still stand.
Not far is the village of Buqshan, famous for its colourful palace. The whole area is under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah Ahmed Bugshan, who opened schools, built roads, had electricity provided to the region, etc., after building one of the largest empires in Saudi Arabia.
The village of Bugshan is officially called Khaylla, but everybody now calls it Bugshan in honour of the region’s benefactor. It is famous for the Beit Bugshan, the colourful palace, built at the end of the 19th century by Bugshan for his family. For a best view of it, we like to climb to the 8th floor of a former hotel, built in 1955. By the way, this is the highest mud-building in the world. Pretty cool, right?
Our exploration of the valley of Wadi Doan continues through villages and towns, until we reach Qoreh Bahamish, a picturesque village at the end of the valley. This is the opportunity to mingle with locals, especially children who will be surprised to see you and won’t hesitate to ask for pictures!
On the way, we stop at Ribat to see the former house of the Bin-Laden family. Ossama’s father was born here around 1908, but his family emigrated to Saudi Arabia before the First world war. If the guardian of the (now abandoned) house is there, we can get a sneak peek inside the gardens and grab some lemons. It’s now everyday that you can boast about eating a fruit from Bin Laden’s allotment!
Another beautiful spot of the valley is Qarn Majid, with the unmistakeable Husn Fort, built in 1812, that towers above the village, balanced atop a gorge. A lot of those villages also have palaces, built on the higher spot of the area, for the local sultans.
This full day of visit in a place where time stood still ends in Shibam, the “Manhattan of the Desert”, with a gorgeous sunset view. We visit the city itself, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the following day. Another one of the beautiful days you can experience on our mainland Yemen tour!
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