Historic city of Saada

The Historic city of Saada is one of the oldest medieval cities in Yemen and the cradle of “Zaidism”, a Shi’a Islamic school of thought founded in the eighth century. The city was constructed in earthen architecture, and includes a 3000-meter wall with multiple watchtowers and gates, a fortress, and several mosques, including the Great Mosque, where early successors of the first Zaidi imam are buried, and a mosque for women. Outside the city is the Zaidi cemetery, the oldest and largest in Yemen; ancient cisterns; rocks engraved with Neolithic carvings of ibex and human figures; and four citadels.