The Expanded Narrative
Thula is a walled historic town whose roots go back to pre-Islamic times, flourishing especially in the middle Islamic centuries.
A natural fortress carved in the mountain
Thula is a walled historic town whose roots go back to pre-Islamic times, flourishing especially in the middle Islamic centuries. Built on a mountaintop in a strategic way that makes it naturally fortified, it became famous as an important commercial and administrative centre on the caravan route between Sanaa and the northern regions. Its massive wall and guarded gates made it a safe place for its inhabitants across the ages.
Features of architecture and organisation
- A high stone wall encircling the whole town with firmly closed main gates.
- A network of narrow alleys and stone steps adapting to the mountain slope.
- Tall adjoining stone houses built of carefully dressed local stone.
- An advanced water system of rock-hewn cisterns (mawajil) collecting rainwater and channels distributing it.
- Historic mosques and public squares at the heart of the town.
Roots going back to pre-Islamic timesBuilt on a naturally fortified mountaintopA stone wall with guarded gatesA water system of rock-hewn cisterns
