While painting the picture above I was approached by a student of English, curious to see what I was doing and also to practice his English. I found him to be an interesting person to talk with, and on completing my picture, he joined me for a walk to the town's souk, which thanks to his guidance in explaining the many strange foods on sale, and their uses, I found it most enlightening. 
Taiz dates from around 1100 AD. It was the capital for a short period between 1948 and 1962. It is now the third largest city in Yemen with a population of around 300,000. Altidude 1400 m." - MH