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Route Map through YEMEN. Covered approx. 3,000km on the motorcycles.
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March 17, 2006. Rub'al-Khali - Empty Quarter |
500kms of desert riding. |
From Shahan/Al-Mazunah to Tarim. No-mans Land. |
March 18, 2006. Camping with the Military in the desert.
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Typical Gas Station. Leaded Fuel Only. |
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Local Yemeni. |
First view of Wadi Hadramawt. |
A huge canyon opens up. |
Riding along the rim. |
New pavement. |
Incredible views all along the Wadi Masila. |
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Wadi Hadramawt stretches 200kms in length. |
First civilization - Qabr Nabi |
Mud houses. |
These ruins are still home to some locals. |
A different way of constructing houses. |
Every rain fall takes away some more of history. |
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Due to the mud construction the houses blend in with the surroundings. |
Entrance to Shibam. |
First walk through the ancient city. |
Live is still simple in Yemen. |
Yemen is famous for its decorative doors. |
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Toilet. |
Storage Room. |
Huge wooden carved doors. |
Kitchen. |
Dinning Room. |
View from on of the mud high rises... |
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...into the streets of Shibam. |
This door was built in ... |
...1336. |
Life in Shibam has not changed... |
Shibam is a World Heritage Site... |
Souq at the main entrance. |
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Looking through the main gate unto the new town of Shibam. |
Skyscrapers made out of mud. |
We walked up this mountain to get a better view of the ancient city at sunset. |
Shibam is also called the Manhattan of the Desert.
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March 19, 2006. Making yummi bread. |
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Market/souq in Sayun (Seiyun) |
Eating a weird looking... |
Orange. |
Oranges seem to be a bit disformed. |
Local 125cc motorcycles loaded with qat. |
Sultan's Palace in Sayun. |
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Al-Haddad Mosque. View from the Sultan's Palace. |
Sayun souq. |
Views of Sayun and surrounding landscape. |
Creating mud bricks to build houses. |
Mud brick labours. |
Stacking of dried mud bricks. |
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Yards of mud brick storage. |
Straw, which is incorporated into the mud bricks. |
A side visit to the local town. |
Cruising through main street. |
Temperature soaring to 47.7 Deg Celsius. |
A view of Shibam. |
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Walking up the adjacent mountain to the ancient city. |
New portion of Shibam. |
An appreciation of the size of this 4th century town. |
Mike and the walled city. |
Scrambling up the mountain. |
Tougher in a Dishdasha. |
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High above ... |
...Sultan's Palace, built in about AD 1220. |
Better view of the Sultan's Palace and Al-Jama'ia Mosque. |
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Mud Skyscrapers as high us seven or eight storeys. |
Incredible view as the sun sets. |
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Walking along the mountain. |
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Ruby with the walled city in the back ground. |
Mike blends in with the local attire. |
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Our return walk down the mountain.... |
...as the sun sets. |
Stopping at the local store for some Pepsi Diet. |
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More desert riding..... |
Where the hell are we???? |
From Sayun to Ma'rib. Another 400 kms of nothingness. |
Ma'rib - Mahram Bilqis. |
Also called the Bilqis Temple or Awwam Temple. |
...built before 800 BC. |
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Dedicated to the sun god. |
Escavation still in process. |
We were not allowed access to the actual work site. |
Some of the artifacts discovered. |
Arsh Bilqis |
Also called the Bilqis Palace or Bilqis Throne. |
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Posing with our new found friends... |
...our military escorts. |
Bases of the columns. |
Famous five and a half columns. |
Palace was linked to the Queen of Sheba. |
Carvings exposed. |
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Temple was built in 2000 BC. |
Marble benches. |
Sacrafical Altar. |
Notched Base of Column. |
Archaeologists believe that the temple was dedicated to the moon. |
Some marble carvings at the site. |
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We purchased some ancient artifacts from the Arsh Bilqis site.
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The eerie silhouette of Old Ma'rib. |
Dating back to the 1st millennium BC. |
Ruby hanging out with the local school girls. |
The old town of Ma'rib was bombed in 1962 civil war. |
We tour the remains of what is left. |
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A glimpse of the construction of a mud house. |
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Broken pillars are scattered around. |
Climbing out of the desert into the mountains surrounding the city of San'a. |
A local biker and friends stop to chat with us. |
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Scenery as we approach Sana'a. |
Climbing to an elevation of 2300m. |
Sana'a. Staying at the Felix Tourist Hotel. |
First view from the roof top of our hotel... |
...looking east into the walled city of Sana'a. |
...looking east into the walled city of Sana'a. |
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Sana'a skyline at sun set. |
Spice souq in old Sana'a at night. |
Our hotel room on the 3rd floor. Amazing decorated windows.
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View of the Sailah Wadi and the Felix Tourist Hotel. |
Camel used to grind grains in old Sana'a. |
Architecture of Sana'a. |
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Beautiful old houses. |
Life in the center of San'a. |
Metal Souq. |
Souk al-Milh. |
Preparing Jambia and Belt for Mike. |
Customize fit for Mike. |
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Food Court. |
Spice Souq. |
At the entrance of Bab al-Yaman. |
Locals selling bread. |
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Only standing gate of the walled city. |
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Yemini's love to get their picture taken. |
Even Ladies. |
Ruby chatting with local women. |
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Long overdue oil change... |
...infront of a local garage. |
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Local kids giving a helping hand. |
Sana'a at sun rise... |
...and blue sky. |
Proceed to Page 2 for more pictures of Yemen. |
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