Hodeidah: History, Beauty And The Sea
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www.yementimes.com Hodeidah is a unique pearl on a wonderful string shaped by the Creator. It is the bride of the Red Sea and the jewel of Yemeni cities. Looking from across the Red Sea, the city looks more marvelous.
Now, Hodeidah is awaiting you to tour it and enjoy its diverse topography, including coastal pains, highlands, green islands and fascinating beaches. If you visit the city for the first time, surely you will make another visit to purify your concerns in the sea and taste Hodeidah’s unparalleled fragrance.
Hodeidah is a historic area rich with ancient ruins, sights and attractions. Antiquity team reports indicate that the city enjoys many ancient sites, such as the Mastour Mountains and libraries in Hees, Bajel and Zabid, which date back to the Himyarite era.
In olden times, Hodeidah was known as “Tihamat Al-Yemen,” as the city stretches along the Red Sea coastline, as well as due to its heat and motionless air. The term “Tihama,” meaning mountain, was included in ancient Yemeni inscriptions.
In the 14th century, Hodeidah was a travelers rest station and it later developed into a small village inhabited by fishermen. As fishermen settled in the village, it became a station to guide international ships.
In the final years of the 18th century, it grew into a medium-sized town. Yemeni sailor Ibn Majed referred to Hodeidah in his book entitled, “Profits of Sea Principles and Bases,” while famed historian Ba Makhrama gave an explanation about the town in his 1920 book, “Aden Mouth.”
This term stands for the Old City of Hodeidah and today is known as the zone inside the wall, which is considered one of the city’s oldest zones. Touring Old City lanes makes you feel as if you are in another world. The city’s unique buildings with their high floors, wood ceilings and doors decorated with distinctive geometric shapes bewitch your sight.
The wall surrounding the Old City with four gates was destroyed except for Mashraf and Al-Qala’a gates. The zone inside the wall features many ancient sights that still tell about the greatness of a city that never accepted defeat despite the challenges of time.
This is an old fortress on the old wall in Bab Mesharraf zone. Built of red brick and painted with white plaster, the two-story fortress was built by Hussein Bin Ali when he dominated the area in Hijra year 1256. Bab Mesharraf Fortress still exists today but is used as a police station.
This is one of the city’s oldest zones and its gate is what remains from among four gates that were part of the wall surrounding the Old City. Bab Mesharraf zone includes ancient buildings built more than a thousand years ago, with its buildings, lanes, roads and markets resembling those in the Old City of Sana’a. When touring Bab Mesharraf zone, you will see popular markets merchandizing all that is ancient and old.
Situated within the walled zone, the Great Mosque is one of Yemen’s most ancient, dating back to the 12th century Hijra. It was built in Hijra year 1111 by a charitable woman named Fatma Bint Ahmad Al-Razzaq, daughter of a Hodeidah merchant who came from Oman.
The mosque was expanded throughout different stages until Hijra year 1294, when it was demolished completely and reconstructed. At 31 meters long and 18 meters wide, its exterior walls were built of colored stones and its interior walls painted with white pebbles. The mosque’s windows and arches are shaped evenly, adding more beauty to it.
Religious symposiums and sessions are held daily at the mosque, in addition to interpretations of Sahih Al-Bukhari in the month of Rajab every Hijra year.
Among the city’s ancient ruins are cisterns that were used to store drinking water that passed through ditches from north of Hodeidah. The cisterns are said to be built by the Ottomans with rigid stone brought from Al-Salif and Kamaran Island. Built underground, citizens used to descend to the cisterns via stone stairs. The cisterns also had domes built of mud and stone.
Cisterns existed in different areas of the city, but only a few remain. Some were built in the vicinity of mosques, such as the one near the Great Mosque, which provided water for prayers and neighborhood locals. This cistern still exists today.
Hodeidah and the sea are two natural elements. The sea calls you to stand on its sands where the tide plays with you. You can see white seagulls hovering over the sea and at sunset, one can observe a fascinating view of the sun, which is difficult for skilled artists to imitate. The sunrays melt into the color of the sea tides, reflecting the glory of the Creator.
Many parks, hotels and restaurants dot Hodeidah’s coastline, with resort and restaurant projects under construction in Al-Kuttayeb area. In this area, one can voyage to any nearby island.
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Taz - Yemen
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