Sana'a University was established in 1970 as the first and the primary university in the Yemen Arab Republic, now the Republic of Yemen. It is located in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, and is currently organized with 17 faculties. Previously the university was located at 15°20′53.16″N 44°11′26.83″E. The university includes several accommodation buildings for staff and students and is partnered with the Kuwait University Hospital for medical students.

Tawakkol Abdel-Salam Khalid Karman is a Yemeni Nobel Laureate, journalist, politician, and human rights activist. She leads the group "Women Journalists Without Chains," which she co-founded in 2005. She became the international public face of the 2011 Yemeni uprising that was part of the Arab Spring uprisings. In 2011, she was reportedly called the "Iron Woman" and "Mother of the Revolution" by some Yemenis. She is a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first Yemeni, the first Arab woman, and the second Muslim woman to win a Nobel Prize.