'Amran

This article is about the city. For the governorate, see 'Amran Governorate.

ʿAmrān عمران
City
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ʿAmrān Location in Yemen
Coordinates:
Country	Yemen
Governorate	'Amran Governorate
District	Amran District
Population (2012)
• Total	90,792
Time zone	Yemen Standard Time (UTC+3)

ʿAmrān (Arabic: عمران‎‎) is a small city in western central Yemen. It is the capital of the 'Amran Governorate, and was formerly in the Sana'a Governorate. It is located 52.9 kilometres (32.9 mi) by road northwest of the Yemeni capital of Sana'a. According to the 2004 census it had a population of 76,863, and an estimated population of 90,792 in 2012.

History and architecture

The founding of the town dates back to the era of the South Arabian Himyarite Kingdom. At the time of the Sabaean kingdom, the town blossomed into a fortress. A series of bronze plaques from that time were found in the town in the mid-nineteenth century and are now in the British Museum. In particular, in the seventh century it was the great city of valour during the clashes against the Sabeans, a plurality of regionally based tribes. Remains of carved stones that belonged to former temples and palaces bear witness today of past glory. A large stone inscription is found in the western city gate (Bab al-Kabir). The old souq is noted for its stone columns. ʿAmram is completely surrounded by walls which date to 1720. The surrounding landscape is dominated by terraced landscapes with stone walls to counteract erosion of fertile arable land.

Economic development

The road through the city from Sana'a was modernized following Chinese investment and is over 200 km (120 mi) long, and the old medical centre has been transformed into a small public hospital. The city is located in a fertile area in what was the centre of the area's coffee industry.