Haddah Explained

Haddah
Native Name:حدة
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Yemen
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Yemen
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Yemen
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Name1:Sanaa
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Sanhan
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population Blank1 Title:Ethnicities
Timezone:Yemen Standard Time
Utc Offset:+3
Coordinates:15.2929°N 44.1636°W[1]
Elevation M:2418

Haddah (Arabic: حدة) is an affluent suburb of Sanaa, Yemen,[2] located about 8 km southwest of central Sanaa in Sanhan District of Sanaa Governorate.[3] [1] It has been described as "the Beverly Hills of Sanaa" — a first-world enclave in a third-world city, with its avenues lined by palatial mansions belonging to the country's rich and powerful.[4] Its buildings mostly tend to emulate the architecture of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.[4]

History

Since the time of al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya, the first Imam of Yemen, Haddah was often used as a base of operations against Sanaa.[3] It was also frequently attacked from Sanaa.[3] An early mention in the Ghayat al-amani of Yahya ibn al-Husayn records that Haddah was the site of a minor battle in November or December of 901 CE (Dhu'l-Hijjah, 288 AH).[5] The battle was won by forces loyal to Imam al-Hadi.[5] The following year, al-Hadi sent a force, led by his son Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad and his own brother Abdullah, to Haddah and nearby Sana' (not the same as Sanaa).[5] They were attacked, but they were victorious and their attackers were routed.[5] Historical texts mention that Haddah's trees were cut down as punishment on multiple occasions.[3] One was in 1273 or 1274 CE (672 AH), when the Rasulid sultan al-Muzaffar Yusuf I razed Haddah and Sana' and cut down their trees.[5] Haddah still had many trees through the mid-20th century,[2] and was described in 1962 by Husayn ibn Ali al-Waysi as a favored picnic spot for Sana'nis,[5] but most of the trees were cut down in the 1980s as Haddah was built up into a suburb of Sanaa.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Geonames.org. Ḩaddah. 12 February 2021.
  2. Book: Dresch . Paul . A history of modern Yemen . 2000 . Cambridge University Press . Cambridge . 167–8 . 9780521794824 . 15 February 2021.
  3. Book: Wilson . Robert T.O. . Gazetteer of Historical North-West Yemen . 1989 . Georg Olms AG . Germany . 132 . 9783487091952 . 12 February 2021.
  4. Book: Clark . Victoria . Yemen: Dancing on the Heads of Snakes . 2010 . Yale University Press . 978-0-300-11701-1 . 124, 182, 260–3 . 26 January 2022.
  5. Book: Eagle . A.B.D.R. . Ghayat al-amani and the life and times of al-Hadi Yahya b. al-Husayn: an introduction, newly edited text and translation with detailed annotation . 1990 . Durham University . 148, 180–1, 183, 187 . 12 February 2021.