SANAA, Nov. 27 (Saba) -Taiz is an Arabic city situated in the country Yemen and is located near the port city of Mocha on the Red Sea, Taiz is the 3rd largest city in the country, king, Almaddhafar in 1288 declared it as their capital and thus it became the second capital of the Rasulid Dynasty after Zabid, then on 1332 Ibn Battutah arrived in the city and described it the largest and most beautiful cities of Yemen.

The city can be found in the Yemeni Highlands. It is not far from Red Sea’s Mocha Port, it is an elevated spot 1,400 m above sea level, the Taiz International Airport serves it, besides a direct flight, you can get there from any of the major cities, this is possible because its roads are connected to them.

The city is famous for its many ancient quarters, it is also known for its white mosques. Among the most famous mosques in Taiz City in Yemen are Mudhaffar, Muctabiya and Ashrafiya.

The city is also known for the Governor’s palace and the ancient citadel, you can see this on a mountain some 450 m high, there is also a Muslim madrass which is recognized as a university. During its early history, the city was fortified with defensive walls, it would remain that way until 1948, that year, Imam Ahmed declared it Yemen’s second capital, this permitted the city’s expansion beyond its walls.

The governorate has many other tourist attractions, some of the more popular recreation spots are Wadi Al-Barakany and Wadi Adh-Dhabab, the Al- Musaimear valley is also a well known tourist destination.

First time visitors to Taiz City in Yemen should know that temperatures rarely go over 32 C. The amount of rainfall is 760 mm yearly.

The city also consists of some amazing attractions.

Al-Quahira Castle: the beautiful attraction of the city is located on the northern slope of Mount Sabr.Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Sulayhi who was the sultan of the Sulayhids brought this castle into existence in the 12th century and is also considered as the nucleus of the city, it is also considered the most amazing attraction of the city which is visited by many tourist people well at the local people who hinself resides in the city.

al-Qahirah Castle has a pervasive presence in modern Yemeni literature, especially in the novel The Hostage (published in 1984) by the novelist Zayd Mutee Dammaj (1943–2000). The novel documents the history of the Yemeni people’s struggle against the imams who used the castle as a prison to hold hostages, today history repeats itself, as the castle witnesses the conflict between the people and the new imams.

The castle is also mentioned in Yemeni songs, by musicians such as Ayoub Tarish Abassi, who sings: “Oh Nour, Oh Musk, Oh Beautiful Ones, Oh Khawla... Put the roses and basil and light the candle... Embellish the crown of the castle with lights.” Here, the castle is a social landmark that merges with the night-lights that signal the joy of the city and its inhabitants.

Shajarat Al Ghareeb: also called the mother of trees, is another major attraction of the city.This tree is almost 2000 years old and it is huge in size like an elephant body and branches are also coloured like an elephant, it is 50 km away from the main town of Taiz, and while going tourists find many beautiful landscapes of mountains and fertile villages.

Mudhaffar Mosque: it is located in the main centre of Taiz.This mosque came into existence in the 13th century and is one of the largest mosques which exists in the country.

Written by Mona Zaid