Al Mahwit

Al Mahwit (Arabic: المحويت Al-Maḥwīt) is the capital city of Al Mahwit Governorate, Yemen. It is located at an elevation of about 2000 metres.

Al Mahwit
المحويت
City
Al Mahwit is located in Yemen
Al Mahwit
Al Mahwit
Location in Yemen
Coordinates: 15°28′10″N 43°32′43″E
Country Yemen
GovernorateAl Mahwit
DistrictAl Mahwit
Population
 (2012)
  Total16,291

History

Al Mahwit

Al-Mahwit's development is fairly recent compared to some other Yemeni settlements. Its first known historical mention is in 1599 (1007 AH), in the Ghayat al-amani of Yahya ibn al-Husayn.[1]

The old town of Al-Mahwit is situated around a mountain fortress. Until the 1970s, Al Mahwit was extremely isolated. The town had a population of about 10,000 in the early 1980s, after which infrastructure was developed and water, sanitation and electricity added.[2]

Geography

The area is mountainous, set in the Haraz Mountains and attracts trekkers.[3] Al-Mahwit is surrounded by several wadis such as Wadi Sama'a, Wadi Eyan, Wadi Juma't Saria, Wadi Hawar, Wadi Bour, Wadi Al- Hawdh, Wadi Thabab, Wadi Laa'a, Wadi Al-Ahjer and Wadi Naa'wan. Numerous villages are spread in the area that were built on and around rocks.

Climate

Al Mawhit has a cold desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWk) with warm days and cool nights, typical of Yemen's highlands. Rain is concentrated in spring and summer, with a dry gap between the two rainy seasons. April, July and August are the only months with significant precipitation.

Climate data for Al Mahwit
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 22.6
(72.7)
24.8
(76.6)
25.7
(78.3)
25.4
(77.7)
26.7
(80.1)
29.0
(84.2)
27.4
(81.3)
27.0
(80.6)
26.4
(79.5)
23.5
(74.3)
21.6
(70.9)
21.1
(70.0)
25.1
(77.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 13.8
(56.8)
15.4
(59.7)
17.2
(63.0)
17.8
(64.0)
19.3
(66.7)
20.7
(69.3)
21.1
(70.0)
20.9
(69.6)
19.3
(66.7)
16.7
(62.1)
14.5
(58.1)
13.6
(56.5)
17.5
(63.5)
Average low °C (°F) 5.1
(41.2)
6.0
(42.8)
8.7
(47.7)
10.2
(50.4)
12.0
(53.6)
12.5
(54.5)
14.8
(58.6)
14.8
(58.6)
12.2
(54.0)
9.9
(49.8)
7.5
(45.5)
6.1
(43.0)
10.0
(50.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 8
(0.3)
11
(0.4)
27
(1.1)
51
(2.0)
29
(1.1)
7
(0.3)
46
(1.8)
71
(2.8)
16
(0.6)
5
(0.2)
10
(0.4)
8
(0.3)
289
(11.3)
Source: Climate-Data.org[4]

Economy

The area and surrounding governorate depends on agriculture, mainly the production of coffee, tobacco, corn, sorghum and qat.[2]

References

  1. Wilson, Robert T.O. (1989). Gazetteer of Historical North-West Yemen. Germany: Georg Olms AG. p. 296. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. Burrowes, Robert D. (2010). Historical Dictionary of Yemen. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-8108-5528-1.
  3. Hämäläinen, Pertti (1999). Yemen. Lonely Planet Publications. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-86442-603-1.
  4. "Climate: Al Mahwit". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
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