Yemeni cuisine is entirely distinct from the more widely known Middle Eastern cuisines, and even differs slightly from region to region. Throughout history, Yemeni cuisine has had a little bit of Ottoman influence in some parts of the north, and very little Mughlai-style Indian influence in Aden and the surrounding areas in the south, but these influences have only come within the last 300 years. Yemeni cuisine is extremely popular among the Arab States .

MARIB:

In ancient times Marib, 120 km from Sana’a in the Wadi Adhana region, was a major centre of  the Sabaean empire, the oldest, most celebrated and powerful of the south Arabian kingdoms. Ultimately it became the capital of the kingdom, supplanting Sirwah, 35km to the west. This once was Marib. As many inscriptions tell us, great temples and palaces once graced the city.
The fame of the once thriving metropolis survived. As late as the 10th century AD the Yemeni geographer and historian al-Hamdani described with nostalgia how Saba’s splendor and power vanished, and he paid tribute to the glories of the ruler’s palace Salhin in Marib. Inscriptions from the 7th century BC onward mention Salhin, and they also refer to two other palaces

TAIZ CITY

Capital of Yemen during one of the country’s most brilliant periods, Taiz enjoys a position today as a major economic center. Taiz is first mentioned in the late 12th century AD during the reign of the Ayyubids – the forces which had first been led by Saladin’s brother Turanshah. At that time, the quarterly revenue of the port city of Aden was brought to Taiz.  The following are some tourist sites in Taiz worth to be visited : 

The Old City of Taiz has two entrances – Bab al- Kabeer (the Great Gate) and Baba Musa (the Gate of Moses). The walled-in section of the town contains a lovely souk that specializes in a delicious kind of Taiz cheese, dried fish and silver jewellery. 

History:

The history of Yemen dates back to the Minaean (1200–650 B.C. ) and Sabaean (750–115 B.C. ) kingdoms. Ancient Yemen (centered around the port of Aden) engaged in the lucrative myrrh and frankincense trade. It was invaded by the Romans (1st century A.D. ) as well as the Ethiopians and Persians (6th century A.D. ). In A.D. 628 it converted to Islam and in the 10th century came under the control of the Rassite dynasty of the Zaidi sect, which remained involved in North Yemeni politics until 1962. The Ottoman Turks nominally occupied the area from 1538 to the decline of their empire in 1918.

The northern portion of Yemen was ruled by imams until a pro-Egyptian military coup took place in 1962. The junta proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic, and after a civil war in which Egypt's Nasser and the USSR supported the revolutionaries and King Saud of Saudi Arabia and King Hussein of Jordan supported the royalists, the royalists were finally defeated in mid-1969.

The southern port of Aden, strategically located at the opening of the Red Sea, was colonized by Britain in 1839, and by 1937, with an expansion of its territory, it was known as the Aden Protectorate. In the 1960s the Nationalist Liberation Front (NLF) fought against British rule, which led to the establishment of the People's Republic of Southern Yemen on Nov. 30, 1967. In 1979, under strong Soviet influence, the country became the only Marxist state in the Arab world.

Malaysia offers two very distinct experiences: the peninsula and Borneo (an island shared with Indonesia and Brunei). The peninsula is a mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian flavours with an efficient and modern capital, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Borneo features some of the most interesting places in Malaysia with a wild jungle, orang utans, granite peaks and remote tribes. Combined with some beautiful islands, luxury resorts and colonials towns, Malaysia, for most visitors, presents a happy mix.

Almost 2 million foreign tourists travelled to Malaysia in 2010. Most of them were citizens from neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Indonesia but a growing number of other foreign tourists are discovering this country as well.

The top 10 Malaysia tourist attractions:

Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation opened in 1964 for rescued orphaned baby orangutans from logging sites, plantations and illegal hunting. The orphaned orangutans are trained to survive again in the wild and are released as soon as they are ready. The Orang Utan sanctuary is located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, much of which is virgin rainforest. About 60 to 80 orangutans are living free in the reserve. It is one of Sabah’s top tourist attractions and a great stopover on any Malaysia itinerary.