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The Glossary
Wadi Hadramawt Travel Guide
A wadi (valley) snakes its way through the craggy mountains of Yemen, skirting around the cliffs and culminating in Wadi Hadramawt, considered as "mini-Manhattan" for its collection of skyscraper-like houses, a triumph of vertical architecture before the time of sophisticated machinery.
This region is bordered by an ocean, a high plateau that shuts it in and an extended forest that straddles the land of the Hadramis. Wadi Hadramawt conjures an image of a legendary green paradise blooming in the midst of a wasteland. The fertility of the soil and the sufficient water supply available in the ancient times made the original inhabitants settle here for many centuries. To them the rich loam soil of Hadramawt is a virtual "Garden of Eden." The elaborate system of dams and irrigation channels gave rise to the luxuriant groves of incense trees that were imported to as far as Rome. Today, the plants and scents of the crops of the valley still astound tourists. Their delight is heightened by the bare sandstone of the endlessly varied cliffs behind them and the awareness of the vast "Empty Quarter."
West of the wadi comes the site of the legendary city of Shabwah ruled once by Saihad, now an empty desert - a country where crows rule. The highlight, however, of Wadi Hadramawt are the famous towns of Tarim and Shibam, which display the breathtaking architectural achievements of mankind - the towering houses and palaces of Hadramawt. They rise like skyscrapers above the date-palm plantations.
Throughout Wadi Hadramawt are towns and other enclaves, which are hawta, (sacred) protected from tribal disputes. The beehive-shaped dome freshly painted with whitewash every year adds grandeur to the landscape. One can see the sites where once, tribes met to barter and buy essential goods.
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