Best Yemen Travel Guides of 2025

The Monk of Mokha is an inspiring and gripping true story that follows Mokhtar Alkhanshali, a young Yemeni American man who embarks on a journey to revive the ancient art of Yemeni coffee amidst the country's civil war. The book offers a vivid portrayal of Mokhtar's ancestral homeland and the challenges he faces in his pursuit to save the coffee industry while navigating through war-torn Yemen. This book stands out for its exceptional storytelling and its ability to offer hope in the midst of adversity. The Monk of Mokha is a must-read for anyone who loves a good adventure story.

The book “Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire” by Caroline Finkel is a definitive account of the Ottoman Empire's epic story from its origins in the 13th century to its destruction in the 20th century. Finkel, a renowned scholar and journalist, has produced a scholarly, lucid, judicious and enjoyable account of over 600 years of history in a single volume. The book is a revelation and a vital corrective to the wrong-headed readings of the flagbearers of intellectual Islamophobia. This book is a treasure for anyone who wants to know precisely what happened in the Ottoman Empire and takes into account the writings of the Ottomans themselves.

It's Good to Be Queen by Liz Curtis Higgs is a captivating book that sheds new light on the ancient biblical role model, the queen of Sheba. Higgs unveils timeless wisdom for all who aspire to please the king of Kings through the journey of the queen of Sheba's quest for wisdom. The book offers practical applications and challenges the reader to live boldly, seek after truth, ask the right questions, encourage others, receive graciously, and honor the Lord above all. Overall, this book is highly recommended for those who want to learn from the wise queen of Sheba and apply her wisdom to their lives.

The book "Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires" by Tim Mackintosh-Smith is a masterful and brilliant work that covers nearly three millennia of Arab history. The author traces the origins of the Arabic language and how it served as a source of cultural identity for the Arab peoples and tribes who conquered vast territories. Mackintosh-Smith explores how linguistic developments have influenced Arab history, from pre-Islamic poetry to the challenges of printing Arabic. Despite the current political fragmentation, Arabic still represents a source of unity and disunity. This sweeping book is a must-read for anyone interested in Arab culture, history, and identity.

"ARABIC in 10 minutes a day" is a language course designed for beginners and advanced learners. The book, workbook, flashcards, sticky labels, menu guide, and software provide an easy, step-by-step approach to learning Arabic. The program is designed so that you can work at your own pace and includes study tools and fun activities to keep you engaged. The book covers material equivalent to more than a year of high school Arabic or the first quarter of Arabic at university. Overall, this is a great resource for anyone looking to learn Arabic in a short amount of time.

Arabia Felix: The Danish Expedition of 1761-1767 is a fascinating true story of a scientific expedition that went terribly wrong, leaving only one survivor. The book follows six men who set out from Copenhagen in 1761 to explore the unknown corners of Yemen. However, the group quickly became divided and began to undercut and even kill one another. Nearly seven years later, a single survivor returned to Denmark to find himself forgotten and all the specimens ruined by neglect. Based on diaries and notebooks that lay unread in Danish archives until the twentieth century, this book is a tale of intellectual rivalry and a comedy of very bad manners, as well as an utterly absorbing adventure.

The Art of Leaving: A Memoir is a deeply personal collection of essays by award-winning Israeli writer Ayelet Tsabari. In this poignant and intimate memoir, Tsabari travels the world in search of love, belonging, and an escape from grief following the death of her father. From Israel to New York, Canada, Thailand, and India, she explores her identity as an Israeli of Yemeni descent and her struggle to define herself as a writer in a new language. With emotional prose, Tsabari crafts a beautiful meditation on grief, the search for a place to belong, and the sense of home we eventually find within ourselves.

Birds of the Middle East is a portable and authoritative guide for birdwatchers and travelers visiting the region. With photographic coverage of over 320 species, this book provides concise information on identification, songs and calls, behavior, distribution, and habitat for each species. The inclusion of a guide to the best birdwatching sites in the Middle East makes this book a perfect companion for any wildlife-friendly visitor. The photographs are of excellent quality and cover variation well. Overall, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in the avifauna of the Middle East.

Reports from Hell is a gripping, gonzo-style adventure through the Middle East by the award-winning author Chas Smith. In this book, Smith takes readers on a wild ride as he and his crew search for the origins of Al Qaeda and surf the unsurfed waves of Yemen. The book is a humorous and insightful look into the slim opportunities for fun amid the global war on terror. Smith's writing is both entertaining and informative, making this book a must-read for both surfers and non-surfers alike. Rare Bird Books has once again published a unique and exciting book that will leave readers wanting more.

"Baghdad without a Map and Other Misadventures in Arabia" by Tony Horwitz is a hilarious and insightful journey through the Middle East. Horwitz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, takes readers on a wild ride through fourteen countries, including Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Israel, and Afghanistan. He offers an honest and close-up view of the region while debunking the romantic myths and solemn newspaper headlines of the 1990s. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the Middle East and its complex history and culture."