The Saydaliyyah – Around the Town In Sana’a

A saydaliyyah is a pharmacy. Unlike in the US, grocery stores typically do not sell medicine other than maybe pain pills or a stomach medicine, here and there. Like the itasaalat, maktabahs, and baqaalun, saydaliyyahs are not hard to find;  here, they go  one better than “there’s one on every corner.”  You will find several on [...]

The Maktabah: Around the Town in Sana’a

A maktabah is an office/school supply store.   What is a maktabah like? Maktabahs range in size from say a small bedroom(maybe even smaller) to the giant ones like Al Jeel Al Jadeed (two locations on the diary, one of which is three stories (basement, ground floor and one other floor). What does a maktabah [...]

The Itasaalat: Around the Town In Sana’a

What is an itasaalat? An itasaalat is a store from which you can make international or local calls. What does an itasaalat look like? An itasaalat is filled with numbered booths……    Making Calls at an Itasaalat To make a call, you simply go into a booth and dial your number on the phone. A [...]

The Baqaalah: Around the Town in Sana’a

I like to shop in the major western supermarkets, but there are many benefits of shopping at a baqaalah—neighborhood grocery store.  Baqaaluun (plural) are abundant here. On any given street, there may be several. When I walk out of my building there are at least 5 in the near vicinity.  Although prices in the baqaalah (especially [...]

Around the Town in Sana’a

Be sure to stop by TJ’s new feature, “Around the Town in Sana’a” for a look at different types of establishments (businesses), services, etc that you will find in Sana’a.  Great for those new to Sana’a, to get an idea of “how stuff works” in Sana’a’ or where to go to find the stuff you [...]