Haraz Mountains

The mountains around Ibb form part of Yemen's southern highlands. Ridges rise above valleys that become green in the rainy season, and stone-walled terraces turn steep slopes into fields. Jabal Badhan overlooks the town of Ibb, where a route crosses the highland passes between Sanaa and Taizz. Travellers once climbed these passes on roads with steps cut from stone, passing cultivated mountainsides before descending into the next valley.