Citadel of Rada'a

The Citadel of Rada'a (Arabic: قلعة رداع‎) is a historic castle in Yemen, located in the center of Rada'a District. The citadel sits at the highest point of the district, and consisted the original part of the city of Rada'a. The construction of the citadel precedes the introduction of Islam and dates back to the year 243 during the reign of Shammar Yahri'sh, the Himyarite king.[1] Specifically, the upper part of the citadel dates back to the Hymyarite era. Later the citadel was restored and renovated during the time of Omar bin Abdulwahhab of the Tahirids dynasty. During this time, the other parts of the citadel were added, and the construction was ended during the time of Imam Yahya Hamid al-Din, who used the castle as a prison for the rebels. Its status as a prison lasted until the 1990s.[2]

Citadel of Radaa, seen in the back

In September 2012, the western part of the citadel had collapsed due to the rainwater and the lack of proper maintenance and restoration.[3]

References

1. انهيار أكبر قلعة تاريخية في اليمن. Sky News Arabia. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
2. تعرف على قلعة رداع التاريخية. Al-Moheet. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
3. انهيار الجانب الغربي من قلعة رداع التاريخية. Yemress. Retrieved January 4, 2018.