Yemen Today: Mahweet

Mahweet
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Words by Mahwash Badar on 03/01/2010 05:43:00
 
About 110 kilometers northwest of Sana’a lies a conclave of mountains and a
sense of history.
Mahweet is a city that dates back over thousands of years. As the touring van
made its way in and out of the various heights of the Bilad Ghail mountains, the
green and rocky valleys stood like something out of a time capsule.
It started as an early morning journey, with packed lunches and snacks to eat on
the way. A bunch of us settled in the touring van with our journey passes safely
tucked under our guide’s belt. The roads of Sana’a gradually began to end
and we entered sequestered paths that lead to a place that was 2100 meters above
sea-level.
The way to Mahweet is as awe-inspiring as it is thrilling. The valleys that one
passes to reach Mahweet are deeper than the naked eye can process. There is
greenery that is enough to make you wonder how in God’s name the waves of
green could be so perfectly tended. It makes you question nature’s infinite
mysteries of how a city nearby Sana’a is quite dry and arid, whereas the
mountains of Mahweet were lush and filled with plant life.
Once we arrived to Mahweet (after a reasonable three hour drive from Sana’a),
our place to stay was Funduq al Mahweet, which offered comfortable rooms and a
beautiful view. The climate was not only reasonably chilly, it also had a
pleasant wind that blew from every direction, due to the height of the city.
The city of Mahweet offers the foreigner a glimpse into the past. On the way to
the city came Al-Taweelah, another small wonder of time, which stands in the
21st century Yemen as it did thousands of years ago. The buildings,
architecture, the wandering cattle and the attire of the locals were enough to
make you feel as though you’d gone through a time machine.
A overlook is found near Mahweet City – upon which, say the locals, there is a
five-star hotel to be built soon. This small cliff offers a view that clearly
looks beyond thousands of meters and onto the surrounding cities in the Mahweet
governorate.
It is definitely a sight worth seeing. The roads are impeccable, the ups and
downs of the many, many mountains along the way do challenge the expertise and
dexterity of the driver, but the view acquired is simply breathtaking. This is a
must-visit in all manners of speaking.