Bayt Baws, a crumbling ghost town crowning a rock island 7 km south of Sanaa, provided a well protected home when it was a living city years ago. The single entrance, a massive stone gate, is still intact, though the wooden door, once closed at dusk, is long gone. Closely packed, multistoried homes of stone are built to the very edge of sheer cliffs, surely an insurmountable barrier.
No locks or guards or signs prevent intrepid explorers from exploring the numerous abandoned buildings. Climb the narrow stair cases of the old homes to the roof for good views. Inspect the ruins to see the building process: thick walls of stone, cut laboriously into blocks, fit closely together and covered with a smooth layer of mud mixed with chopped straw, frosted with once white plaster.
Note the lovely architectural details. Niches carved into the thick walls, delicate arched windows deeply set, white washed shelves. Look above or below to see collapsing ceilings and floors built of slim tree trunks and branches and dried mud.
A few women and children still live in Bayt Baws, but the city is mostly abandoned. Though an old woman followed us quietly, and two young men asked to have their photo taken, we wandered about freely, unmolested by children, guides or shopkeepers.
After exploring the town, walk up the wadi along the path that follows the cliffs. Cross over and walk back on an expanse of smooth rock for lovely views of the town, as well as of Sanaa, far below.
Bayt Baws lies within the Sanaa perimeter so travel permission is not required. To get there, head south of 50 Meter Rd. Bayt Baws will be on your right after you pass 14th October / Sabien St. There are no signs so you must feel your way. Look for the shaggy outline of Bayt Baws up high. You can drive up a narrow dirt road that eventually widens enough to park. To get to the town you’ll walk through a cluster of homes, a Jewish community before the Jews were forced to flee Yemen in 1949.
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