Jibla

Jibla was made the capital of the Sulayhid state in the eleventh century by Queen Arwa, who ruled Yemen for some fifty years and is remembered across the country as one of its most capable rulers, and the mosque she built there, with her tomb inside it, still stands above the town. Jibla sits on a ridge between two valleys in the green southern highlands, and its stone houses run down both sides.

What you actually see

• Queen Arwa's mosque - the eleventh-century building with her tomb inside.
• The ridge setting - the town running down both sides of a spur.
• The Sulayhid capital - the seat of a state that ruled much of Yemen.
• The green highlands - the well-watered country around Ibb.

When to go

October to April is the cool season. The southern highlands get more rain than the rest of the country, mostly in summer. Nights are cool at altitude.

Honest expectations

Non-Muslims may not be admitted to the mosque interior. The town's lanes are steep and stepped. Access to mainland Yemen requires arrangements made well in advance.

Nearby

Ibb is north, and Taiz is south.