Dar al-Hajar

Dar al-Hajar, the "Rock Palace" or "Stone House", is a former royal palace in Wadi Dhar, about 15 km from Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. It was built in 1920 as a summer retreat for Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, who ruled from 1904 to 1948. Its foundation, built in 1786 for the scholar and imam al-Mansur, is older.

The palace sits on top of a tall sandstone rock and looks like it grew out of it. It is a classic example of a Yemeni tower house, with several floors and windows framed in white. Today it is a museum.

Long history on one rock

Historians tell that the palace was built in the late 18th century for Imam al-Mansur Ali, who asked his minister, Ali bin Saleh al-Amari, to design a summer palace in Wadi Dhahr. Some say the rock once held an older Sabaean fortress.

The stories about how it was built vary, and some say it was destroyed many times and always rebuilt.

The imam's retreat

Imam Yahya decided to restore the palace and add several floors made of fired bricks and new rooms. The royal family lived there until the North Yemen Civil War.

The valley around it forms a garden and orchard, which is one reason rulers liked the spot. After one of the imams died, later imams were nervous about living in the palace, until Imam Yahya changed his mind and restored it.

On the globe

The model shows a five-storey tower house on a sandstone pinnacle, with white gypsum windows.