Spectacular mountains of Mahwait [Archives:2007/1076/Culture]
Moiz Ali
For Yemen Times
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Mahwait is one of the most beautiful and attractive tourist spot in Yemen. It is situated at around three hours drive from Sana'a. The route to Mahwait from Sana'a is also very beautiful. Normally Yemen is not known much for its greenery but there are lush green trees and terraces throughout the journey which makes the journey even more interesting. Throughout the journey your neck will keep moving admiring the green mountains and valley plains.
There are also two small dams on the way. Though they are not exactly tourist spots, they are worth watching and taking some pictures. Keeping a look out for dams also keeps you busy and stopping for a few minutes and watching these dams gives you a bit of relaxation during your three hour drive. They also provide you with an excuse to get out of the car and roam a bit here and there.
After these breaks you reach Mahwait which is a city situated on mountains. So you can call it a hill town. There is also a well maintained three star tourist hotel if you want to stay overnight. There are two main beautiful view points which one should not miss. One is a spring in the outskirts of the city. The lush green and wide terraces on the left bank of the stream make it an excellent picnic spot. Here you can sit and have lunch with the sound of water in the background. The spring water is stored at two places where the local children come for swimming and having fun.
The other main tourist spot is Al-Riyadhi. This is a point at the end of the city from where you can see one of the most amazing scenes in the world. This point is situated in between a few mountains and the special feature of all these mountains is that they do not have slopes but after a flat plain they fall almost vertically forming a straight wall. It looks as if some one has cut them with a knife. Very rarely do you see montains falling vertically on one side and having a flat plane on the other instead of a gentle or even steep slope.
These are the beauties of Mahwait which makes it a must visit for all nature lovers.
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