British writer Jonathan Raban visited in the 1970s and described the city as fortress-like, its architecture and layout resembling a labyrinth", further noting "It was like stepping out into the middle of a vast pop-up picturebook.
Pro-republikanski uradniki v severno jemenski vojski so simpatizirali z vlado Gamal Abdel Naserja in pan-arabsko politiko Egipta ter izvedli državni udar in septembra 1962 strmoglavili vlado, teden dni po Ahmadovi smrti.