july 2007
alhotayb. tucked away in the haraz mts, some hours northwest of sana'a, there is an isma'ili shrine perched on a mountaintop. bohra isma'ili pilgrims travel from as far away as pakistan and india year-round to visit the 12th century tomb of the isma'ili scholar hatim ibn ibrahim al-hamidi.
farhad daftary has written an informative book on the history of the isma'ilis -- for a very general overview of isma'ilism and its various sects, you can also click here.
*********
if you look closely at my first photo, you can find a protruding rock towering over the town. on top of this rock is a small white building above the other buildings. that is this very small mosque perched at the mountain top, where one can assume alhamadi would sit and reflect on isma'ili jurisprudence.
*********
if you climb to the top, the view is the reward for coming all the way to yemen. i can't say i've seen anything quite like this. did the animators for disney's *Aladdin* know that the arabian peninsula could look like this?
*********
my g-units sure cloud hopped a long way from the sneaker outlet on 69th st.
[thanks a.]
**********
almunthaar alkhallaba. yemenis can buy property here for about $5000 USD.
***********
you don't need an armed escort to go hiking in syria. this one seems to be protecting me from some menacing looking shrubs.
**********
wild aloe.
*********
wild lizards.
***********
wild donkeys?
**************
and mountain goats.
*******