Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
snow-white camel up to the far end of the wadi, where he eluded his pursuers by riding straight into the cliff face
which parted for him and all of his camel but its hump, which was instantly turned to stone.
It's said that Hud is the father of all south Arabians and his tomb, where the camel's hump can still be seen, is
the location of an annual three-day pilgrimage. Aside from these three days, though, the tomb and its surrounding
town is utterly deserted and lifeless, haunted, it's said, only by ghosts.
Not far away is rumoured to be the mysterious Well of Barhut, a bottomless well whose walls are lined with
scorpions and snakes. It's said to be the place where fallen angels and the souls of infidels end their days.
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Wadi Daw'an
06
It is hard to imagine how anywhere in the Yemeni desert could be more spectacular and
mysterious than the Wadi Hadramawt, but sitting quietly on the sidelines, there is one
such place. The Wadi Daw'an might only be small, but it packs one hell of a punch -
everything you thought breathtaking about the Wadi Hadramawt is here in force, but un-
like the camouflaged mud villages of the main wadi, these villages come in a lush patch-
work of shades and colours.
Some of the wadi's most attractive villages, in a north to south direction, include
Al-
Mashhad
, which, with the 15th-century
Tomb of Hasan ibn Hasan
, is a local pilgrimage site and
a near-deserted village. Next down the line, and clambering up the side of a cliff, is maybe
the most impressive village of them all,
Al
-
Hajjarayn
, which is also among the oldest vil-
lages in the region. One of the biggest villages in the wadi is
Sif
, whose pastel-fringed
houses sprawl across the wadi bed, and whose old quarter sits proudly atop a knuckle of
rock.
Al-Khurayba
is the final village in the wadi and is famous for its massive acid-trip
'palace' of rainbow-coloured squares. It was built by a Saudi businessman with roots in
the area, who is also responsible for a wave of new schools, clinics and roadworks.
The valley is currently unsafe for westeners to visit and is closed to tourists.
