or SANAA, a large, populous, and handsome town of Asia, capital of Arabia Felix, is situated in Proper Yemen, at the foot of mount Nikkum, on which are still to be seen the ruins of a castle, which the Arabs suppose to have been built by Shem. Near this mountain stands the castle; a rivulet runs upon the other side; and near it is the Buttan el Metwokkel, a spacious garden, which was laid out by Imam Metwokkel, and has been embellished with a fine garden by the reigning imam. The walls of the city, which are built of bricks, exclude this garden, which is inclosed within a wall of its own. The city, properly so called, is not very extensive: one may walk round it all in an hour. The city-gates are seven. Here are a number of mosques, some of which have been built by Turkish pashas. Sana has the appearance of being more populous than it actually is; for the gardens occupy a part of the space within the walls. In Sana are only 12 public baths; but many noble palaces, three of the most splendid of which have been built by the reigning Imam. The palace of the late Imam El Manzor, with some others, belong to the royal family, who are very numerous.

The Arabian palaces are built in a style of architecture different from ours. The materials are, however, burnt bricks, and sometimes even hewn stones; but the houses of the common people are of bricks which have been dried in the sun. There are no glass windows, except in one palace, near the citadel. The rest of the houses have, instead of windows, merely shutters, which are opened in fair weather, and shut when it is foul. In the last case, the house is lighted by a round wicket, fitted with a piece of Mucovy glass; some of the Arabians use small panes of stained glass from Venice.

At Sana, and in the other cities of the East, are great smelters or caravans for merchants and travelers. Each different commodity is sold in a separate market. In the market for bread, none but women are to be seen; and their little shops are portable. The several classes of mechanics work, in the same manner, in particular quarters in the open street. Writers go about with their desks, and make out briefs, copybooks, and instruct scholars in the art of writing, all at the same time. There is one market where old clothes are taken in exchange for new.

Wood for the carpenter's purpose is extremely dear through Yemen; and wood for the fire at Sana is no less so. All the hills near the city are bleak and bare, and wood is therefore to be brought hither from the distance of three days' journey; and a camel's burden commonly costs two crowns. This scarcity of wood is particularly supplied by the use of a little pit-coal. Peats are burnt here; but they are so bad, that straw must be intermixed to make them burn.

Fruits are, however, very plentiful at Sana. Here are more than 20 different species of grapes, which, as they do not all ripen at the same time, continue to afford a delicious refreshment for several months. The Arabs likewise preserve grapes, by hanging them up in their cellars, and eat them almost through the whole year. The Jews make a little wine, and might make more if the Arabs were not such enemies to strong liquors. A Jew convicted of conveying wine into an Arab's house is severely punished; nay, the Jews must even use great caution in buying and selling it among themselves. Great quantities of grapes are dried here; and the exportation of raisins from Sana is considerable. One sort of these grapes are without stones, and contains only a soft grain, the presence of which is not perceptible in eating the raisin.

In the castle, which stands on a hill, are two palaces. "I saw (says Niebuhr) about it some ruins of old buildings, but, notwithstanding the antiquity of the place, no remarkable inscriptions. There is the mint, and a range of prisons for persons of different ranks. The reigning Imam resides in the city; but several princes of the blood-royal live in the castle. The battery is the most elevated place about these buildings; and there I met with what I had no expectation of, a German mortar, with this inscription, Jurg Selas Gofmick, 1513. I saw also upon the same battery seven iron cannons, partly buried in the sand, and partly set upon broken carriages. These seven small cannons, with six others near the gates, which are fired to announce the return of the different festivals, are all the artillery of the capital of Yemen."