Buraa Forest In Yemen A Possible World Heritage Site

The Buraa forest is listed as a possible UNESCO World Heritage site which will promote tourism in the area. The habitat at Buraa is almost unique in Arabia and the best example of valley forest where there is continuous woodland for about a kilometer. It has till now avoided serious disturbances by man.

The rural communities living adjacent to the Buraa forest comprise two distinct and quiete different communities. The mountain people (Jabali) inhabiting the mountain tops and higher slopes and growing coffee, qat and barley. The Tihamis on the plain are growing sorghum as their main crops. The mountain agricultural area mainly has ample rainfall. While mists and clouds conserve the humidity of the field, plains have limited rainfall. The populat6ion of the area is estimated at 10.121.

The floods for centuries coming down from the mountains have watered the central Tihamah. Buraa is also the best example of valley forests where there is continuous woodland for about a kilometer. Buraa is also one of a few examples of a natural vegetation climax found in Yemen partly in their role as a place of refuge for many African savannah species. This is particularly the case with trees.

THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TO SEE
Some 12 km south east of Marawiah lies a huge archeological site AlKadra. It used to be one of the main stops on the road from the south to Najran – and the north. In 1357 both Fashal and AlKadra were sacked and razed to the ground. They both never really recovered. It is a huge site that covers an area roughly three by three kilometers. The site is very rich in surface finds. These include a majority of Rasulid wares, and some porcelain, some celadon, etc. The Tihama plain in Yemen may yet reveal significant terraces of settlements from several centuries.