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Travelling to Yemen: what to know before you go

Yemen, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, has some of the most extraordinary architecture in the world, from Sanaa's decorated tower houses to the mud-brick high-rises of Shibam, as well as terraced mountains and the otherworldly island of Socotra. The country has been affected by armed conflict for more than a decade, and most governments advise against all travel; readers must check their government's current travel advice. This guide describes Yemen's heritage, landscapes and culture respectfully, for those planning for the future.

Where to go

• Old City of Sanaa. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with thousands of multi-storey tower houses of stone and brick decorated with white gypsum friezes and stained-glass qamariya windows.
• Shibam, Hadramawt. A walled city of tightly packed mud-brick tower houses, some rising to many storeys, in the Wadi Hadramawt valley.
• Socotra. An island in the Arabian Sea with a high proportion of plants found nowhere else, including the umbrella-shaped dragon's blood tree and the swollen desert rose.
• Haraz Mountains. A range west of Sanaa with villages built on rocky ridges, such as Al-Hajjarah, and steep agricultural terraces where coffee and other crops have been grown for centuries.

Best time to visit

In more settled times, the cooler months from roughly October to March were the most comfortable for travel, especially in the lowlands, on the coast and in the Hadramawt. The highlands around Sanaa are milder in summer but cold at night in winter.

Staying online in Yemen

Mobile networks exist in cities and towns, but infrastructure has been damaged during the conflict, networks are split between different areas, and outages and slow speeds are common. Power cuts are frequent, and many people rely on solar power and generators. Coverage in the mountains, deserts and on Socotra is limited. Do not rely on mobile data for essential communication; satellite communication is commonly used by organisations working there. If networks are available on your route, install an eSIM before you travel and switch it on when you arrive, as one of several options.