| A tour around the old city of Sanaa |
| As part of CALES activity a group of students were given a tour around the old city of Sanaa by historian Ali Al-Theeb. The group began their tour at Bab Al-Yemen (the door of Yemen). Mr. Al-Theeb discussed the construction of this famous landmark. The group then visited the Grand Mosque where they were introduced to the unique décor of the ceiling. There are over forty thousand different decorations inscribed on the hanging wooden ceiling. Mr. Al-Theeb gave a tour of the place where Sam Bin Noah (the son of Prophet Noah who established the city of Sanaa) is buried, as well as the water well and the great palace of Ghamdan (mentioned in the Holy Quran).
The students also visited other places of historical interest such as Mansour Khan, the Historic Hamam (Old Sauna), the Ottoman Parliament house (once an important headquarters for the Ottoman Empire) and the Al-Bukairia Mosque. All of these places were built over a period spanning hundreds of years and still remain intact today. Mr. Al-Theeb was proud to point out that Sanaa was the first capital city to be established in the world and the most ancient one that remains inhabited to the present day. |  |