Jabal Haraz town in Yemen is the only place in the world where the rain never fall and cannot fall. The town is situated in a mountainous region above the clouds. Since the rains fall from the clouds it is not possible for the rains to fall in Jabal Haraz town.
Jabal Haraz is situated in the mountainous region in Yemen between Al-Hudaydah and Sana’a. Jabal Haraz located in the highest mountain range in Yemen, Jabal An-Nabi Shu’ayb and the Arabian Peninsula which are part of the Sarawat range. This town was the stronghold of the Sulaihid dynasty in the 11th century and it is still in existence till date.
The location of Jabal Haraz was of a strategic importance to the Sulaihid State in Yemen when it was established in 1037 with a population that were predominantly Ism’aili Muslims.
The town of Jabal Haraz is located in an area which is at the peak of rocky peak mountains which are not easily accessible. The difficulty in accessibility of this down has two advantages to its residence: the terrain act as a defence to the inhabitants against possible invaders and also provide a vast space of crops cultivation.
The buildings in the town are in castle-like in nature which a couple of defensible doors. The buildings were constructed with sandstones and basalt in a pattern which is integrated into the landscape and it makes it very difficult for non-residence to determine the beginning or ending of each of the villages in the town.
The mountainous landscapes are separated into few or more acres of terrace which are separated by walls rising to several metres. Crops such as gat, coffee, lentils, millet and alfalfa are grown in the terrace.
The largest town in this mountainous region is Manakhah which has a market that attracts people from all the nearby villages. Apart from Manakhah, other villages in Jabal Haraz are Banu Mora and Al Hajjara which is a walled village at the western part of Manakhah which was founded by the Sulaihids in the 12 Century.
Other notable villages are Bayt al-Qamus, Bayt Shimran and Hutaib is built on a platform of red sandstone, facing a view of terraced hills which host a score of villages. Here also is the mausoleum of the third Yemeni Da’i al-Mutlaq Hatim al-Hamidi.
Majority of the inhabitants are Bohras who originated from Madagascar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India and other countries. The local Ismailis paved the streets by providing tarred roads for their believers, without making a remarkable changes or damages to the natural landscape.