The governorate of Hajja, northwest of Sana’a and al-Mahwit, is among the largest in Yemen and stretches from nearly the Saudi border in the mountainous north to the northern Tihama. The city of Hajja is a relatively modern town and is home to one of the first traffic lights in Yemen. Historically the region was famous for its numerous forts, citadels and castles, which unfortunately through the wear and tear of time have been reduced in most cases to a pile of rubble. Today most people come to see the Hajja region’s majestic natural beauty, characterized by countless peaks and terraced mountain slopes in the heart of the Yemeni highlands. The governorate of Hajja is famous for its handicrafts made both by hand and with traditional machines. Some of the most distinctive products are the Hizrani hat and the special clothing of the area. They are also famous for woven cloth and ceramic wares. The handicraft trade has been passed down from generation to generation and each little area within the region specializes in its own handicraft style.
About a four and a half hour drive northwest of Sana’a, visitors will find pleasant weather throughout the year; during the rainy season the city is covered in a blanket of fog in the afternoons. Travelling from Sana’a to Hajja visitors pass the village of Kuhlan, a charming old village built into a steep mountainside. From the top of the peak in Kuhlan visitors look down on the new Sana’a to Hajja road, one of the greater engineering feats of recent Yemeni times, built into the side of a granite peak. As they drop down towards the Tihama, visitors pass through a lush valley called Wadi ‘Ain Ali. Terraced farms grow coffee and high-quality qat. There are some old mosques and many natural springs throughout the region. Locals say these waters ease arthritis and skin problems.
Hajja is the homeland of the Hamdan tribe, one of the largest tribes in the Middle East, and also found in Iraq and Syria. They are originally from the town Beni Hashid.
Despite its apparent modernity Hajja is an old settlement first mentioned in historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries AD. The main attraction in Hajja (besides the scenery) is the Qahera Fortress (Qula’at Al Qahera) which was built in the 11th century during the reign of the Sulayhid Dynasty. The fortress is in the eastern part of the town located on top of the highest peak in the city. The main remaining building is three stories tall and is an Ottoman style building. It was part of a network of forts that defended and protected the city and its surrounding areas for many years. The fort also provided security along the lucrative Hodeidah-Hadhramout trade route, an objective of the Ottoman occupation as well. It was also the headquarters for the grandchildren of the Imam Qasim and was passed on from Zayedi Imam to Zayedi Imam. Imamic rule depended heavily on the custom of taking hostages from rebel tribes, who were housed in the citadel’s large underground prisons. It was also used as a prison for the most important revolutionaries who were fighting against the Imam Ahmed bin Yahia Hamed Addin.
Hajja owes its importance to its strategic location, well-positioned to control the heavily cultivated and populated mountains in the Attur basin along Wadi Mawr in the Tihama area. The inhabitants have paid dearly for this privilege. Once the capital of the Zayedi state, it was often defeated during the Ottoman occupation of Yemen, although the Ottomans also contributed greatly to the development of the town. Some older houses feature decorations in the Turkish style, while newer sport some very bold color combinations on their facades unique in Yemen. The Al Howra Mosque was built in the final phases of the Ottoman occupation and was completed in 1907. With no domes and a minaret only 9 meters high, it is uncharacteristic of an Ottoman mosque. The mosque has both a male and a female section.
In more recent political history, the Imam Ahmed took refuge in Hajja during the revolution in 1948 and based his effort here to surround Sana’a and destroy the Constitution Movement. He either executed or jailed all important men from the liberation movement. One of the most important of these men was Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Wazeer. Others were Hussein Al Kibsi, Abdurahman Al Iriyaniand and others.
During the last years of the imamate Hajja was both a stronghold of the Zayedi dynasty and a center for dissenters so it is no surprise that the town was heavily bombed during the civil war of the 1960’s. Most of the city was constructed after the revolution of 1962. Later on during the1962 revolution the Imam Mohammed Al Badr also sought refuge in Hajja, but died of a heart attack upon arrival.