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Sanaa - Quiz
Contributed by: Hilton
  • 1. In which city do most theatre performances in Yemen take place?
A) Aden
B) Taiz
C) Al Hudaydah
D) Sanaa
  • 2. What was the Cultural Center in Sanaa originally designed to be?
A) A library
B) A sports arena
C) An auditorium
D) A cinema
  • 3. Who is mentioned as one of the most popular female playwrights/directors in Yemen?
A) Katherine Hennessey
B) Mohammad Khaled
C) Fatima Al-Zahra
D) Nargis Abbad
  • 4. On what date is World Theatre Day held?
A) January 1
B) March 27
C) April 15
D) December 20
  • 5. Which organizations sponsored the national theatre competition in 2012?
A) The Sanaa University Art Department
B) Equal Access Yemen and Future Partners for Development
C) The Houthi Ministry of Culture
D) The Yemen Tourism Board
  • 6. In what year did the Houthis gain control of Sanaa?
A) 2012
B) 2014
C) 2020
D) 2010
  • 7. Who directed the theatre performance held in Sanaa in December 2020?
A) Nargis Abbad
B) Ali Muhesen
C) Katherine Hennessey
D) Mohammad Khaled
  • 8. What is the most popular sport in Sanaa?
A) Wrestling
B) Football
C) Volleyball
D) Basketball
  • 9. What is the seating capacity of the Ali Muhesen Stadium?
A) 50,000
B) 5,000
C) 10,000
D) 25,000
  • 10. Where were the lions at the Sanaa zoo actually from, based on genetic testing?
A) Ethiopia
B) Yemen
C) India
D) Eastern and Southern Africa
  • 11. How did Katherine Hennessey contrast Sanaa's theatre scene with Qatar or Saudi Arabia?
A) Sanaa has no women participating in plays
B) Sanaa has strictly segregated audiences
C) Sanaa has a stronger theatrical tradition and less gender segregation
D) Sanaa has fancier facilities and more resources
  • 12. How many rounds did the 2012 national theatre competition have?
A) Two
B) Three
C) One
D) Four
  • 13. How many stories can a traditional Sanaa tower house reach?
A) Up to 20 stories
B) Up to 8 stories
C) Up to 3 stories
D) Up to 15 stories
  • 14. What is the name of the uppermost story in a traditional tower house?
A) Mafraj
B) Souk
C) Al-Qadeemah
D) Al-Jadid
  • 15. What is the primary function of the mafraj in a Sanaa tower house?
A) Grain storage
B) Hosting afternoon qat chewing sessions
C) Retail shop space
D) Housing livestock
  • 16. Why do many modern homeowners in the Old City face conflict with building inspectors?
A) Because they renovate the exterior without permits
B) Because they set up shops on the ground floor
C) Because they use forbidden building materials
D) Because they build too many stories
  • 17. What material is typically used for 'Egyptian-style' houses in Sanaa?
A) Fired brick
B) Cut stone
C) Reinforced concrete
D) Traditional mud bricks
  • 18. When did the significant development of the new city ('al-Jadid') begin?
A) The 1960s
B) The 1920s
C) The 1940s
D) The 1980s
  • 19. How is the development of newer districts and suburbs in Sanaa generally characterized?
A) Built entirely by the national military
B) Designed primarily for tourism
C) Strictly zoned by government planners
D) Unplanned by central authorities
  • 20. What has been an especially important factor in the development of new hubs in Sanaa?
A) Government administrative offices
B) Railway stations
C) Public parks
D) Souks
  • 21. What is the primary source of employment in Sanaa?
A) Tourism
B) Agricultural farming
C) Governmental civil service
D) Oil extraction
  • 22. Which organization named Sanaa the 2004 Arab Cultural Capital?
A) UNESCO
B) United Nations
C) World Health Organization
D) Arab League
  • 23. What major event occurred in Sanaa in 2011 involving Ali Abdullah Saleh?
A) He retired voluntarily
B) He signed a peace treaty
C) He was elected president
D) He was ousted from power
  • 24. Which mountain is located to the east of Sanaa?
A) Jabal Din
B) Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb
C) Jabal Nuqum
D) Jabal Barash
  • 25. What is Yemen's tallest mountain?
A) Jabal Barash
B) Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb
C) Jabal Din
D) Jabal Nuqum
  • 26. What natural hazard has caused significant infrastructure strain in modern Sanaa?
A) Tsunamis
B) Wildfires
C) Frequent earthquakes
D) Water shortages
  • 27. Who is leading the UNESCO restoration project in Sanaa?
A) Ali Abdullah Saleh
B) Radhya Al-Mutawakel
C) Abdulrasheed Al-Faqih
D) Harbia Al Himiary
  • 28. What was the cause of the 115 deaths in Sanaa in May 2017?
A) Cholera outbreak
B) Suicide bombing
C) A massive flood
D) Airstrikes
  • 29. In what direction has Sanaa primarily expanded in recent decades?
A) East-west axis
B) North-south axis
C) Exclusively toward the mountains
D) Toward the coast
  • 30. What commodity did the 10th-century writer Al-Hamdani claim came from Jabal Nuqum?
A) Onyx
B) Silver
C) Gold
D) Coal
  • 31. How many years had it been since a commercial flight took off from Sanaa before May 2022?
A) Two years
B) Ten years
C) One year
D) Six years
  • 32. What body of water drains the northern part of the Sanaa plain?
A) Al-Jawf
B) Wadi al-Kharid
C) Wadi Siham
D) Yemeni Tihama
  • 33. In what year did the Ottoman Empire first enter Yemen?
A) 1547
B) 1538
C) 1835
D) 1602
  • 34. Who was the Sultan when the Ottomans first entered Yemen?
A) Imam Yahya
B) Ahmed Muhtar Pasha
C) Imam al-Mu'ayyad
D) Suleiman the Magnificent
  • 35. Who led the Ottoman conquest of Sanaa in 1547?
A) Imam al-Mansur al-Qasim
B) Ahmed Muhtar Pasha
C) Suleiman the Magnificent
D) Özdemir Pasha
  • 36. In what year were Ottoman troops forced out of Sanaa by Zaydi imams?
A) 1629
B) 1547
C) 1904
D) 1962
  • 37. Which leader was responsible for significantly weakening the Ottoman army before the 1629 retreat?
A) Ahmed Muhtar Pasha
B) Imam Yahya
C) al-Mansur al-Qasim
D) al-Mu'ayyad
  • 38. In what year did Ottoman troops capture Sanaa for the second time?
A) 1835
B) 1904
C) 1538
D) 1872
  • 39. Which Ottoman leader entered Sanaa in 1872?
A) Suleiman the Magnificent
B) Muhammad Ali
C) Özdemir Pasha
D) Ahmed Muhtar Pasha
  • 40. What reforms did the Ottoman Empire implement to solidify control in Sanaa?
A) Agricultural reforms
B) Tanzimat reforms
C) Isolationist reforms
D) Republican reforms
  • 41. Who took power in Sanaa in 1904?
A) Ahmed Muhtar Pasha
B) Imam Yahya
C) Imam Ahmad
D) Özdemir Pasha
  • 42. What policy did Imam Yahya embark on to secure independence?
A) Expansionism
B) Modernization
C) Isolationism
D) Westernization
  • 43. Which school did Imam Yahya close down?
A) The royal medical school
B) The military academy
C) The Fulayhi Madrasa
D) The Ottoman girls' school
  • 44. What was the name of the group of scholars based in Sanaa's Fulayhi Madrasa?
A) Republican Committee
B) Hait al-Nidal
C) Fatat al-Fulayhi
D) Shabab al-Amr
  • 45. Which city replaced Sanaa as the capital in 1948?
A) Aden
B) Taiz
C) Djibouti
D) Mocha
  • 46. In what year was the Imamate government overthrown in a coup?
A) 1962
B) 1948
C) 1936
D) 1970
  • 47. Which country supported the rural tribes against the republicans in Sanaa?
A) Saudi Arabia
B) France
C) Italy
D) Egypt
  • 48. When did the North Yemen Civil War end?
A) 1968
B) 1962
C) 1970
D) 1979
  • 49. What was built on the grounds of the former imam's palace?
A) A new hospital
B) A military base
C) Tahrir Square
D) A parliament building
  • 50. What caused the collapse of many buildings in the old city in the late 1970s?
A) Groundwater accumulation
B) Earthquakes
C) Warfare damage
D) Overcrowding
  • 51. Which dynasty took over Sanaa in 1062?
A) Hamdanid dynasty
B) Sulayhid dynasty
C) Rasulid dynasty
D) Ayyubid dynasty
  • 52. Who was the leader of the Sulayhid dynasty that captured Sanaa in 1062?
A) Ali al-Sulayhi
B) Saladin
C) Tughtekin ibn Ayyub
D) Turan-Shah
  • 53. To which city did Arwa al-Sulayhi move the capital in 1067?
A) Aden
B) Taiz
C) Baghdad
D) Jibla
  • 54. Which dynasty took control of Sanaa after the Sulayhids departed?
A) Najahid dynasty
B) Mameluke dynasty
C) Ayyubid dynasty
D) Hamdanid dynasty
  • 55. Who sent an expedition to conquer Yemen in 1173?
A) Ibn Rustah
B) Saladin
C) Ali al-Sulayhi
D) Imam Al-Shafi'i
  • 56. What was the name of the Ayyubid emir who improved Sanaa?
A) Ali al-Sulayhi
B) Turan-Shah
C) Najah
D) Tughtekin ibn Ayyub
  • 57. What was the garden area on the western bank of the Sa'ilah called?
A) Mikhlaf Sanaʽa
B) Zabid
C) Haraz Mountains
D) Bustan al-Sultan
  • 58. Which city was the principal income-producing city for the Ayyubids?
A) Taiz
B) Sanaa
C) Zabid
D) Aden
  • 59. During which period did Sanaa remain in the political orbit of the Zaydi imams?
A) 1175–1200
B) 1323–1454
C) 1067–1138
D) 1517–1600
  • 60. When did the Mamelukes arrive in Yemen?
A) 1517
B) 1323
C) 1173
D) 1062
  • 61. The Sulayhids were aligned with which caliphate?
A) Najahid Caliphate
B) Zaydi Caliphate
C) Abbasid Caliphate
D) Fatimid Caliphate
  • 62. Who assassinated Ali al-Sulayhi?
A) The Mamelukes
B) The Ayyubids
C) The Hamdanids
D) The Najahids
  • 63. Which Persian geographer praised Sanaa in the 10th century?
A) Turan-Shah
B) Ibn Rustah
C) Ali al-Sulayhi
D) Al-Shafi'i
  • 64. Which mountains surround Sanaa?
A) Zagros Mountains
B) Atlas Mountains
C) Himalayan Mountains
D) Sarawat Mountains
  • 65. What is the largest mosque in Yemen, located on the southern outskirts of Sanaa?
A) Al-Azhar Mosque
B) The Himyarite Mosque
C) The Great Mosque of Sanaa
D) Al-Saleh Mosque
  • 66. What is the origin of the word 'Sanaa' according to the Musnad script mentions from the 5th century BCE?
A) Azāl (ancient)
B) Aṣnaʿ (excellence)
C) Maṣna'a (fortress)
D) Uzal (Biblical)
  • 67. What does the Sabaic root 'ṣnʿ' mean?
A) Trade hub
B) Beautiful city
C) Well-fortified
D) High mountain
  • 68. Which famous palace is mentioned in Sabaean inscriptions?
A) The Axumite Palace
B) Ghumdan Palace
C) Queen of Sheba Palace
D) Al-Saleh Palace
  • 69. What was the ancient name of Sanaa according to the historian al-Hamdani?
A) Saba
B) Maṣna'a
C) Jabal Nuqum
D) Azāl
  • 70. Who was the Sabaean ruler credited with walling the city of Sanaa?
A) Sha'r Awtar
B) Shem
C) Abrahah
D) Dhu Nuwas
  • 71. What percentage of Yemen's population lived in the greater Sanaa urban area as of 2020?
A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 5%
D) 50%
  • 72. In what year was the Old City of Sanaa declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
A) 1980
B) 1986
C) 1976
D) 1996
  • 73. How high are the ancient clay walls surrounding the Old City?
A) 20–25 metres
B) 15–20 metres
C) 5–8 metres
D) 9–14 metres
  • 74. What is the name of the salt market in Sanaa?
A) Jāmiʿ al-Kabīr
B) Samsarh
C) Bāb al-Yaman
D) Suq al-Milh
  • 75. How many hammams are located in the Old City?
A) 12
B) 20
C) 8
D) 100
  • 76. What was used as fuel for the bathhouses in the Old City?
A) Firewood
B) Coal
C) Oil
D) Dried human waste
  • 77. How many mosques are in the Old City of Sanaa?
A) Exactly 50
B) More than 100
C) More than 500
D) Exactly 12
  • 78. What is the Arabic term for the quarters of the Old City?
A) Suq
B) Maqshama
C) Samsarh
D) Hara
  • 79. What is the status of economic activity in Al-Tahrir today?
A) Relatively low
B) Non-existent
C) Booming
D) Very high
  • 80. What is the literal meaning of the name Bi'r al-Azab?
A) The New City
B) The Golden Garden
C) The Single's Well
D) The Western Wall
  • 81. When was the Jewish Quarter in Sanaa established?
A) 1627
B) 1680
C) 1983
D) 1960
  • 82. What was the original name of the Bi'r al-Azab area?
A) The Turkish Quarter
B) The Old City
C) The Southern District
D) The Administrative Zone
  • 83. In which historical source was Bi'r al-Azab first mentioned in 1627?
A) Presidential Decree No. 13
B) The Sanaa Chronicles
C) Al-Tahrir Records
D) Ghayat al-amanni
  • 84. Which major administrative office is located in the Bi'r al-Azab district today?
A) Supreme Court
B) Minister of Defense
C) Prime Minister
D) President
  • 85. When did significant development begin in the Bi'r al-Azab area?
A) 1990s
B) 1970s
C) 1960s
D) 2001
  • 86. Where is the Al-Hasabah district located?
A) In the north
B) In the south
C) In the east
D) In the west
  • 87. Which area of Sanaa is known for being affluent with reliable utilities?
A) Shumayla
B) Haddah Road area
C) Old City
D) Al-Hasabah
  • 88. When did the influx of residents moving from Aden to the Haddah Road area primarily begin?
A) After 1983
B) After 1990
C) After 2001
D) After 1960
  • 89. What type of construction has been developed in the Haddah Road area since the 1990s?
A) Traditional mud-brick houses
B) Low-density villas
C) High-rise buildings
D) Industrial factories
  • 90. What is the name of the governorate created for Sanaa in 1983?
A) Amanat al-Asimah
B) Sanaa Central
C) Bani Al Harith Governorate
D) The Capital Secretariat
  • 91. Which Presidential Decree established Amanat al-Asimah?
A) No. 1983
B) No. 13
C) No. 2001
D) No. 2
  • 92. Which district is mentioned as being in the south?
A) Hayil
B) Shumayla
C) Al-Hasabah
D) Bani Al Harith
  • 93. What is the Köppen climate classification for Sanaa?
A) BSh
B) BWk
C) Cwa
D) Af
  • 94. What is the average annual precipitation in Sanaa?
A) 150 mm
B) 500 mm
C) 400 mm
D) 265 mm
  • 95. Which month is the coolest in Sanaa?
A) January
B) December
C) February
D) July
  • 96. Which month is the warmest in Sanaa?
A) August
B) June
C) January
D) July
  • 97. What is the approximate nighttime low temperature in Sanaa?
A) 15–18 °C
B) −9 °C
C) 10–12 °C
D) 3–4 °C
  • 98. In what year was al-Ghina al-San'ani designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage?
A) 1938
B) 2010
C) 1998
D) 2003
  • 99. What is the qanbus used in Sanaani music?
A) A wooden flute
B) A Yemeni lute
C) A small drum
D) A copper tray
  • 100. Who was the most popular early Sanaani recording star according to the text?
A) Muhammad 'Abd al-Rahman al-Makkawi
B) 'Ali Abu Bakr Ba Sharahil
C) Ibrahim al-Mas
D) Ahmad 'Awad al-Jarrash
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