Wadi Dhahr and Dar al-Hajar Rock Palace
Journey to the stunning Wadi Dhahr valley north of Sanaa, dominated by the extraordinary Dar al-Hajar palace built atop a natural rock pinnacle, surrounded by terraced farms and lush palms.
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Dar al-Hajar Approach
Approach Dar al-Hajar, the Rock Palace, along a valley road revealing the extraordinary sight of a multi-storey mansion perched impossibly atop a volcanic rock pinnacle rising from the valley floor.
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Rock Palace Exterior
Photograph the iconic facade of Dar al-Hajar, built in the 1930s as a summer retreat for the Yemeni Imam, its painted windows and decorative friezes echoing the architectural vocabulary of Sanaa tower houses.
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Palace Interior Rooms
Climb through the palace interior rooms carved into the living rock below the superstructure, exploring the cool stone chambers used for storing food and water by the royal household.
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Wadi Dhahr Valley Views
Look out over the lush Wadi Dhahr valley, an oasis of terraced orchards, date palms, and grape vines surrounded by the dramatic brown mountains of the Haraz range under a blazing Yemeni sky.
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Traditional Village
Walk through the traditional village below the palace where local families cultivate qat, grapes, and pomegranates on ancient terraced fields and live in tower houses identical to those of old Sanaa.
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Valley Viewpoint
Reach a high viewpoint above the valley for a sweeping panorama over the Wadi Dhahr oasis with Dar al-Hajar pinnacle rising at its center, mountains receding in all directions to the horizon.