http://www.yementourism.com/ If you think of Arabian heritage, Petra might spring to mind.  But, according to UNESCO, Jordan ‘s not the cultural capital of Arabia, as it has only three World Heritage Sites.  Since UNESCO's World Heritage committee met in Canada on 8 July Yemen has had four internationally recognised sites.  No other country in Arabia has more. 

 The Old Walled City of Shibam in Wadi Hadhramaut, inscribed by UNESCO in 1982, just two years after Yemen joined the world heritage organisation, is known as the ‘Manhattan of the Desert', because of its ‘skyscrapers' that literally rise out of the sand.  surrounded by a fortified wall, the 16^th Century City is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction anywhere in the world.  New Yorkers would feel at home here!

 The ancient Old City of Sana'a at an altitude of more than 7,000 feet has been inhabited for over two and a half millennia and was inscribed in 1986; the historic buildings that are seen today were built before William the Conqueror crossed the English Channel. Sana'a became a major Islamic centre in the 7^th Century and the 103 mosques, 14 hammams (traditional bath houses) thousands of  houses that survive all date from before the 11^th Century.  Visitors will be mesmerised by the history that surrounds them.

 Close to the Red Sea Coast, the Historic Town of Zabid, inscribed in 1993, was Yemen's capital from the 13^th to 15^th Century, and is an outstanding archaeological and historical site.  It played an important role in the world for many centuries, because of its university, which was a =cntre of learning for the whole Arab and Islamic world.  Algebra is said to have been invented there in the early 9^th Century by the little known scholar al-Jaladi.  But you won't need to be a mathematician to count the number of other tourists that you're likely to meet here.

 The latest addition to Yemen's list of World Heritage Sites is the Socotra archipelago.  Often described as the ‘Galapagos of the Indian Ocean' and mentioned by Marco Polo in the 13^th Century, this remote and isolated Archipelago consists of four islands and two rocky islets near theGulf of Aden.  The site is of universal importance, because of its rich biodiversity.  37% of Socotra's 825 plants, 90% of its reptiles and 95% of its snails are unique and do not occur anywhere else in the world.  With 192 bird species, 253 species of coral, 730 species of costal fish and 300 species of crab and lobsterSocotra is a naturalist's paradise.  With an incredible range of Aloes and the iconic Dragon's Blood Tree Draecaenia cinnabari), Socotra also has a rich cultural heritage, which includes the unique Soqotri language.