ABSTRACT
This chapter provides background for the conservation of the old city of Sanaa, which began in the early 1980s. It discusses the wider historical and political context, and then looks more closely at Sanaa itself. Written during preparations for the Sanaa Campaign, it informed planning for the old city and thus can be seen as a kind of primary source. The chapter looks at the development of the city after the 1962 revolution, setting the stage for the conservation effort. It is reinforced by the sense of Yemen as a natural unit an idea that is rooted in Islamic history and local literature, and also in the popular imagination. The new state was entirely dependent on foreign aid, which was shaped by Cold War politics. The new government faced the task of creating an institutional structure and providing basic infrastructure for much of the country, in conditions of ongoing financial and political crisis.
