A visit to Sana'a, Yemen, during the Muslim major Feast of Ramadan

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A trip to Yemen, even today, that means living adventures are between past and present.
The journey begins on board already. The airbus of Yemen is empty and the few passengers on board are all Muslims. After five and a half hours of flight the captain announced to connect the belts because the landing began. At this point the women throughout the flight were in jeans and shirt are covered from head to foot, leaving only the eyes visible.
E 'l'alba, we have not yet emerged from the airport, but immediately got into contact with that world that we have come to look when we see a group of people genuflect repeatedly in a corner on the wall is designed in a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca ... are faithful who pray Allah.
Took a taxi to the Hotel Sinbad along the way to capture our attention is the clothing of the people. The men wear a tunic, generally white, called kandoura or just a skirt. In a few wear the pants, but all wear jackets that resemble those that put us in the days of celebration in the sixties. On his head, as a kind of turban, but often only supported on the shoulders, carry the ghutra, the white handkerchief, a red square or blacks. Finally, life has a luxurious embroidered belt that serves to put the jambiya, disturbing the curved dagger that all Yemenis have always wearing. Because of the long black cape wearing the Abaya, that is what we call Western full veil, women seem to appearances of the left, but have a proud bearing as well as the look, when you can not always see it because the eyes are detected . Many, in fact, carry the burqa, a piece of cloth that covers the face entirely.
From enjoying a beautiful view of Old Sana'a. The faint light of the first rays of sun hitting the highest buildings of the old town. It seems to admire a painting: the hotel is the gallery, the contours of the window frame and part of Old Sana'a is the subject. Immortalize some 'times is a must.
We are eager to immerse ourselves in the Suq al-Mithia, the market made from forty small suq. We Az-Zubayri Street, cross the bridge over the river Sa'ila completely dried up, and we are at the foot of the imposing walls that lined up at Bab el Yemen. Here, seated next to their merchandise, not too far away from each other, we meet the strange street vendors. It is a dozen vendors miswak, chewing sticks, which can metaphorically define toothbrushes Yemenis. Apparently contain fluoride and antibacterial agents, as well as refreshing essences. We stop at a currency exchange office, where we lose a lot of time to count the enormous amount of tickets one hundred rials exchanged a small amount of dollars.
After Bab el Yemen, the main gateway of Old Sana'a, we have an immediate confirmation that the reality is much more than the expectations that there were facts about this city, really unparalleled in the world. Beyond the door, inside the walls, there is Yemen in the past. I am reminded of a phrase by Nino Gorio read before leaving: "Old Sana'a breaks in the third millennium, completely skipping the second." Old Sana'a is actually remained as the passengers saw a time, soon you will exude an exotic and fabulous, thanks to impressive people swarming to the houses and tower, the high clay-colored buildings decorated in white. In addition to buildings constructed of mud bricks are plastered with fanciful ornaments chalk to astonish the eye of a Westerner. Steers, the penthouses that are on the roof of the buildings, because of white decorations reminiscent of lace mats of grandmothers. The windows, once in alabaster, are now made of glass, painted in different colors in the vivacity s'apprezza walking at night, when the light inside the houses the lights of a thousand colors.
In the two and a half days in which we pause to Sana'a, we are that go into this labyrinth of narrow streets where it is easily lost but not lost. The air is full of odors depending on the suq where you are, skins, silver, vegetables, cereals, ceramics, clothes, spices, the qat ... This is what 's more curious. Twigs of qat leaves are scattered everywhere. Requested the leaves of this tree are rich in ephedrine, which is a stimulant, which is why the drug qat is the national and the Yemenis are accustomed to chew for hours and hours. If Sana'a is packed full of shops, Old Sana'a n'è filled: two meters by three, at most, and slightly raised above the ground, surrounded by merchants of merchandise, sitting above the merchandise, more intent, it seems , chewing qat, which is not for sale. Before the walls to be able to ask a young man, who meanwhile had started to follow us to offer himself as a guide, what were those kind of whitish yellow stones, which saw a sell po 'ovunque. It was not of stone, but an aromatic resin, namely the famous myrrh. In the late afternoon to sunset the buildings of Old Sana'a gradually assume the color of bronze, while the white decorations seem to shine its light. After a delicious meal in a restaurant we return to Palestine. A night at 04.00 am, an alarm will sound and remember to be quest'incredibile city. To spread this noise are the muezzin singing the Azzano (the call to prayer) which branches off from the minarets, through the speakers. We are in Sana'a in the Ramadan, the month when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. The day after Friday is a public holiday and shops are closed, including those in Old Sana'a. Now with so few people can wander safely and better appreciate the buildings of the old town, discover charming hidden corners such as gardens and orchards. Turn the whole morning and sensing that it could run indefinitely for the old Sana'a without almost never travel the same path. We are enraptured, fascinated by this sort of medieval enclave, where an elderly person breaks the spell and brings us back to reality because we are recovering eating the meatballs potatoes, among other things here are not permitted to the faithful. In Saudi Arabia we would have been immediately arrested. "Ramadan ...." We try to justify with the elderly, but do not want to know of our apology and continued on his way swearing in Arabic. After the incident lend more attention to not offending people that we are guests.
Tired of walking we stop at Golden Daar Tourist Hotel. From its seven floors are witnessing the sunset after having waited for over an hour sitting on the sofa mafrai to consume a drink. When evening comes, the muezzin from the mosque loudspeakers announced the end of fasting greeted, like every evening, with the beginning of the feast (dell'Eid al-Fitr) and the city suddenly becomes full of life. A bustle of people rushed to eat in the stalls and restaurants in every kind of dish. On the streets are set up real banquet of chance which are taken by assault by the people who rimpinza everything. Collect your luggage left in the custody of the reception and took a taxi to the airport ... we start the journey is over.