Sayoun: City of scholars [Archives:2002/33/Culture]

BY ISMAEL AL-GHABARI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Sayoun is one of the most attractive tourist towns in Yemen. With its ancient history dating back to the sixteenth century after Hijrah and with its buildings unique architecture, Sayoun located in Hadhramout Valley south east Yemen- is the destination of thousands of foreign tourists who come to explore the beauty of the city and find the hidden treasures of history.
Wherever you walk in the lanes of Sayoun, you will find smiling faces, hospitable people, ancient sites, beautiful buildings and mosques, and signs of wisdom and knowledge. Once you see them, and perhaps walk into them, you will never forget those skyscrapers, which are the first of their kind on this planet, and which mark the towns rich human history.
Unlike todays skyscrapers, those of Sayoun are made of mud and mud only. The innovation and greatness of old Yemenis can be clearly seen in this spectacular town. But the town is mostly famous for the different dynasties of scholars and religious men (Ulama), who graduated from its mosques and schools and left the country to teach others thousands of miles away. The town was and still is the place where tens of scholars and poets come from.
In recent year, Sayoun just as the case with many other Yemeni historic towns have received care and attention from the government and other concerned local and international bodies to preserve its uniqueness and natural beauty. The town had its share of development projects in all human sectors. Commercial activities and expansion in residential areas have also been taking place in the last decade, but the main concern of the people lies in the need to preserve the towns purity and nature. There are currently certain plans to install modern infrastructure and provide the town with needed requirements to catch up with the rest of the world but without disturbing the delicate environmental balance.
Tourists have always sensed something different in Sayoun. The difference seems evident in the way people communicate, think, and study. The city is the homeland of hundreds of thousands of Hadhrami scholars and intellectuals who traveled to South East Asia and Africa to spread Islam, knowledge, and wisdom. The city stands proud as the source of generations of inspired scholars who did not spare any effort to represent Yemen in the best way possible on a global scale.


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