While Ibb is an important town for the region, the historic and touristic value of the area is actually at Jibla about 30 mins away by van.
It was a nice hillside town. It is famous for its museum which was the Palace of Queen Arwa (1048–1138). She was reputed to be a wise woman and ruled Yemen for 40 years.
We visited with two boys as guides. We continued to the Queen Arwa mosque nearby. From the Imam’s house, we got a good view of the city.
The boys invited us to their home for tea. It was a small place upstairs (as usual in Yemen). He speaks five languages and his sister seven!
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- JIbla.
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- Jibla.
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- Buildings in Jibla.
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- Buildings in Jibla.
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- Wandering around Jibla.
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- Wandering around Jibla.
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- Wandering around Jibla.
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- Wandering around Jibla.
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- Wandering around Jibla.
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- Queen Arwa’s Mosque.
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- With our guides.
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- Jibla.
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- Queen Arwa’s Mosque.
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- Jibla and Queen Arwa’s Mosque..
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- Queen Arwa’s Mosque.
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- Inside Queen Arwa’s Mosque.
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- Inside Queen Arwa’s Mosque.
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- Ceiling of Queen Arwa’s Mosque.
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- Mausoleum of the Queen inside the Mosque.
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- Queen Arwa’s Mosque.
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- Wandering around Jibla.
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- Jibla.
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- Wandering around Jibla.
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- Wandering around Jibla.
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- Wandering around Jibla.
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- Flower for sale.
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- Tea at home with our guides.
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- Schoolgirls.
Returning to Sana’a
We returned to Ibb in order to catch a taxi back to Sana’a. It took a while for the car to fill. And when we eventually did fill it, one person opted not to go. So we all chipped in an extra YER100 to buy the YER400 empty seat.
We got back to Sana’a in the evening near Bab Al Yemen and walked back to school.
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- Local transport; we had seats in a Peugeot station wagon.
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- Scenery on the way back to Sana’a.
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- Shops along the way.
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- Sleeping passenger.
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- Our driver.
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- Scenery on the way back to Sana’a.
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- Scenery on the way back to Sana’a.
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- Scenery on the way back to Sana’a.
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- Scenery on the way back to Sana’a.
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- Scenery on the way back to Sana’a.
Farewell dinner
As it was my final night in Yemen, a group of us went out for dinner at an Iranian restaurant along Hadda Street. Thinking that I needed a little more Yemeni rials to see me through till tomorrow, I tried changing USD10.
The money changer laughed at me and tried to give me a bad rate. Even though Yemen is a poor country, people carry lots of money. The money changers at the market stalls may have stacks of USD100 notes behind him with no security or walls!
We finished the night with dates and Arab sweets on the rooftop. I was sad that this would be my last view of Sana’a skyline by night.
Farewell dinner with friends.