Sanaa (Arabic: ‫ء عَْنَص‬

‫ ن‬‎, Ṣanʿāʾ‎[sˤɑnʕaːʔ],‎Yemeni‎Arabic:‎[ˈsˤɑnʕɑ];‎Old‎South‎Arabian:‎����
Ṣnʿw),‎also‎spelled‎Sanaʽa‎or‎Sana,‎is‎the‎largest‎city‎in‎Yemen‎and‎the‎centre‎of‎Sanaa‎
Governorate. The city is not part of the Governorate, but forms the separate administrative
district of "Amanat Al-Asemah".‎Under‎the‎Yemeni‎constitution,‎Sanaʽa‎is‎the‎capital of the
country,[2] although the seat of the Yemeni government moved to Aden in the aftermath of the
Houthi occupation. Aden was declared as the temporary capital by President Abdrabbuh Mansur
Hadi in March 2015.[3]

Sanaʽa‎is‎one‎of‎the‎oldest‎continuously inhabited cities in the world. At an elevation of 2,300

metres (7,500 ft),[4] it is also one of the highest capital cities in the world and is next to the
Sarawat Mountains of Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb and Jabal Tiyal, considered to be the highest
mountains in‎the‎country‎and‎amongst‎the‎highest‎in‎the‎region.‎Sanaʽa‎has‎a‎population‎of‎
approximately 3,937,500 (2012), making it Yemen's largest city.

The‎Old‎City‎of‎Sanaʽa,‎a‎UNESCO‎World‎Heritage‎Site,‎has‎a‎distinctive‎architectural‎character,‎
most notably expressed in its multi-storey buildings decorated with geometric patterns. In the
conflict that raged in 2015, bombs hit UNESCO sites in the old city.[5][6] The Al Saleh Mosque,
the largest in Sana'a, is located in the Old City.