Yemen

At the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, this country - significantly larger than California and more than twice the size of the United Kingdom - is a trove of amazing culture, history, architecture, and even nature, but sadly, the brutal civil war - fed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States - that has raged here since 2014 has created a humanitarian disaster that has all but halted tourism.

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8 of Yemen´s most compelling destinations

Dan Significantly bigger than California and more than twice the size of the United Kingdom and this wedge of a country of 24 million on the Arabian Sea and running along the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula is troubled, to say the least – one of the world´s poorest countries and embroiled in a bitter, brutal civil war that makes it off limits to tourism for the moment. But it´s still well worth showcasing some of the wealth of historical, cultural, and natural riches Yemen has to…

An interesting video look at capital Sana'a' old city

Put together by UNESCO, here's a presentation of the World Heritage ancient quarter - dating back some 2,500 years - of Yemen's capital and largest city. Pretty impressive, I must say.

Yemen on Tripatini's Instagram

One of nature's more dramatic flora, the dragon's blood tree is endemic to Yemen's Socotra archipelago, and named for its dark-red sap. And while Socotra has managed to remain largely insulated from the brutal fighting in the rest of Yemen, these days these amazing trees are still increasingly under threat from climate change and development pressures driven by the United Arab Emirates, which have become an increasingly heavy-handed presence here. Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkuOV3PjE4M/.

Comments

María José January 6, 2026 at 12:07pm

Well, well, and this after we´ve been hearing for some time now that Socotra has been pretty much unaffected by the conflict and strife in the rest of the country. Sad. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/5/hundreds-of-tourists-stuck-...

Hundreds of tourists stuck on Yemeni island as tensions simmer on mainland

Hadramout governor says ports, airports will soon be in action after Saudi-backed forces ousted rebels from south.
Riccardo R January 5, 2026 at 1:39pm

Among its last round of additions to its listings of Intangible Cultural Heritage several weeks ago, UNESCO added Yemen´s seventh: Hadrami Dan, an annual event that combines spontaneous poetry, music and dance, held across Hadhramaut Governorate; which is on the coast a 12-hour drive and nearly seven by air from Sana´a. They´re held at various times of year, during Muslim observances of Ramadan and Eid al Fitr as well as local festivals: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/hadrami-dan-gathering-02232

Hadrami Dan gathering - UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

Hadrami Dan is a traditional performance and community gathering that combines spontaneous poetry, music and dance, widespread practiced across Hadhr…
Dave Acton January 21, 2025 at 8:40pm

Another item in the British press about the paradox of travel to Yemen https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/1959950/incredible-remote...

The island open to tourism despite being in the 'world's most dangerous country'

The island is so unique it is designated as a world heritage site, but current UK government guidance warns against all travel to the region.
Dave Acton December 5, 2024 at 1:02pm

A pretty good explainer from The Guardian about Yemen in recent years and up to the present, including a bit about its tourism: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/20/yemen-enchanting-comp...

Yemen: enchanting, complex, and much misunderstood

After years of self-isolation from Yemen, the west’s fight is based on limited information – and even less understanding
José Balido April 11, 2023 at 9:31pm

Norbert, the Puerto Rican travel blogger whose site Globotreks.com covers some pretty cool stuff, earlier this year wrote about how yeah, Yemen is a mess but Socotra island has largely managed to avoid much of the strife: https://www.globotreks.com/destinations/yemen/traveling-socotra-isl...
Riccardo R January 26, 2023 at 11:16am

Sadly, UNESCO just added three sites to its "endangered" list, including Yemen's civil-war-threatened archaeological sites - showing the remarkable achievements of the Kingdom of Saba from the 1st millennium BCE to the arrival of Islam around 630 CE - in Ma'rib, a 2½-hour drive east of capital Sana'a: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/unesco-world-heritage-sites-...

Three sites 'in danger' added to UNESCO World Heritage List

The historic center of the Ukrainian port city of Odesa was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List as well as its list of sites "in danger" on Wednesd…
Wissam Al Khoury July 29, 2022 at 4:58pm

Socotra Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its unique fauna and flora - especially the endemic, dramatic dragon's blood tree - and actually a bit closer to Somalia than Yemen. It had managed to stay largely insulated from Yemen's brutal civil war but has just been seized by the Southern Transitional Council, separatists who want to restore the independence of South Yemen. I guess for the time this pretty much drives the last nail into the coffin of tourism hereabouts, sadly. And just yesterday the Boston Globe ran a piece about Socotra which took note of two even more profound threats to the island's ecosystem: development by the United Arab Emirates and global warming: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/otherworldly-beauty-in-the-ba...

Otherworldly beauty in the balance in the Galapagos of the Middle East

An archipelago in Yemen is home to stunning biodiversity. Civil war, geopolitical wrangling, and climate change threaten all of it.
Max Pesling February 11, 2022 at 12:56pm

Here's a reminder of the amazing heritage present in such a small country: it has no fewer than four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the historic town of Zabid, the old quarter of capital Sana'a, the old walled city of Shibam, and one natural site, the Socotra Archipelago. So sad that all this marvelous cultural and natural wealth is largely off limits until further notice, but anyway, to read more about this remarkable sites, click here: https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/ye

Yemen - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Yemen - UNESCO World Heritage Centre