Shaharah

Shaharah
شهارة
Village
Shaharah
Shaharah
Shaharah is located in Yemen
Shaharah
Shaharah
Coordinates: 16°11′1″N 43°42′12″E / 16.18361°N 43.70333°E / 16.18361; 43.70333
Country Yemen
Governorate'Amran
DistrictShaharah
Elevation
2,600 m (8,500 ft)
Time zoneUTC+3 (Yemen Standard Time)

Shaharah (Arabic: شهارة Shahārah) is a large mountain village and seat of Shaharah District of the 'Amran Governorate, Yemen. The village "lies at 2600 metres and overlooks mountainous bulging swells to the south and shimmering hot plains to the north."[1] It lies on top a sharp mountain of the same name, Jabal Shaharah,[2] which is a spur of Jabal al-Ahnum, with its sides and top under extensive cultivation.[3] The village consists of several old stone houses and a cistern. The area is noted for its limestone arch footbridge, constructed in the 17th century by a local lord to connect two villages across a deep gorge.[4][1]

Although historically Hashid territory, Shaharah and al-Ahnum is today Bakil territory.[5] Shaharah has three gates: Bab al-Nahr, Bab al-Nasr, and Bab al-Saraw.[5] The historical fortress of Shaharat al-Fish is located to the east.[5] The town is also called Shaharat al-Ra's due to its location at the mountain's summit.[5]

  1. ^ a b Walker, Jenny; Butler, Stuart (1 October 2010). Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula. Lonely Planet. p. 464. ISBN 978-1-74179-145-7. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  2. ^ Mackintosh-Smith, Tim (8 December 2011). Yemen. John Murray. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-84854-696-7. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  3. ^ Wilson, Robert T.O. (1989). Gazetteer of Historical North-West Yemen. Germany: Georg Olms AG. p. 206. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Bridge". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d Smith, G.R. (1997). "SHAHĀRA". In Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P.; Lecomte, G. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. IX (SAN-SZE) (PDF). Leiden: Brill. p. 201. ISBN 90-04-10422-4. Retrieved 13 June 2022.