Wadi Dawan (Arabic: وَادِي دَوْعَن, romanizedWādī Daw‘an) is a town and desert valley in central Yemen. Located in Hadhramaut Governorate, it is noted for its mud brick buildings.

Wadi Dawan
وَادِي دَوْعَن
Raybun
Town
Wadi Dawan
Wadi Dawan
Nickname: 
Wadi of Honey
Wadi Dawan is located in Yemen
Wadi Dawan
Wadi Dawan
Location in Yemen
Coordinates: 15°15′51″N 48°20′27″E / 15.26417°N 48.34083°E / 15.26417; 48.34083
Country Yemen
GovernorateHadhramaut
DistrictDaw'an District
Area
 • Total3,546 km2 (1,369 sq mi)
Elevation
1,358 m (4,455 ft)
Population
 (2004)
 • Total50,992
Time zoneUTC+03:00 (Yemen Standard Time)
Websitehttps://www.had-wadidoan.info/

Modern history

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On January 18, 2008, an ambush attack on Belgian tourists traveling in a convoy through the valley took place. A convoy of four jeeps carrying 15 tourists to Shibam were ambushed by gunmen in a hidden pickup truck.[1] Two Belgian women, Claudine Van Caillie, of Bruges, 63, and Katrine Glorie, from East Flanders, 54, as well as two Yemenis, a driver and a guide, were killed; another man was also heavily wounded, several others suffered minor wounds.[2] The tourists were repatriated to Belgium on January 19, except the for injured man, who remained in Sana'a.[3]

In the wake of the attack, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karel De Gucht originally rejected that Al-Qaeda might be responsible, explaining that although the possibility could be avoided, internecine disputes and latent Islamism were also to be taken into account.[2] A number of arrests were made on January 21.[4]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "BBC NEWS - Al-Qaeda attack Belgian Tourists". Archived from the original on 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
  2. ^ a b (in French) Deux Belges tuées au Yémen, Le Soir, January 18, 2008.
  3. ^ (in French) Yémen: les touristes belges rapatriés, Le Soir, January 19, 2008.
  4. ^ (in French) Plusieurs suspects arrêtés au Yémen, Le Soir, January 21, 2008.
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