Shibam

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Old Walled City of Shibam*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
High-rise architecture at Shibam, Wadi Hadhramaut
State Party Flag of Yemen Yemen
Type Cultural
Criteria iii, iv, vi
Reference 192
Region† Arab States
Inscription history
Inscription 1982  (6th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
† Region as classified by UNESCO.
Buildings inside the town of Shibam, with traditional windows and doors.
Buildings inside the town of Shibam, with traditional windows and doors.

Shibam (Arabic: شبام‎) is a town in Hadramawt, Yemen with about 7,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of the Hadramawt Kingdom for several periods of time. (There is also a town by the same name outside Yemen's capital of Sana'a. To avoid confusion, the town of this article is therefore often referred to as Shibam Hadhramaut.)

Shibam owes its fame to its distinct architecture, which now is on UNESCOs programme to safeguard the human cultural heritage. The houses of Shibam are all made out of mud bricks, but about 500 of them are tower houses, which rise 5 to 11 stories high.[1] This technique of building was implemented in order to protect residents from Bedouin attacks. While Shibam has existed for around 2,000 years, most of the city's houses come mainly from the 16th century. However, many have been rebuilt over and over again during the last few centuries.

Shibam is often called "the oldest skyscraper-city in the world", or "Manhattan of the desert".[2] The city has the tallest mud buildings in the world, with some of them being over 100 feet high.[3]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Helfritz, Hans (April 1937), “Land without shade”, Journal of The Royal Central Asian Society 24 (2): 201-16 
  2. ^ Old Walled City of Shibam, UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  3. ^ Shipman, J. G. T. (June 1984), “The Hadhramaut”, Asian Affairs 15 (2): 154-62 

Coordinates: 15°55′N, 48°37′E

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