Shibam

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For the coastal trading vessel, see MV Shibam.
Shibam
شبام حضرموت
Shibam Wadi Hadhramaut Yemen.jpg
Shibam is located in Yemen
Shibam
Shibam
Location in Yemen
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  Yemen
Governorate Hadhramaut
District Shibam
Population
 • Total 7,000
Time zone GMT+3
Official name Old Walled City of Shibam
Type Cultural
Criteria iii, iv, vi
Designated 1982
Reference no. 192
State Party  Yemen
Region Arab States

Shibam (Arabic: شِبَام‎‎) (often referred to as Shibam Hadhramaut) is a town in Yemen. With about 7,000 inhabitants, it is the seat of the Shibam District in the Hadhramaut Governorate. It is famous for its mudbrick-made high-rise buildings.

History

The first known inscription about the city dates from the 3rd century AD.[1] It was the capital of the Hadramawt Kingdom.

Geography

The town is located in the central-western area of Hadhramaut Governorate, in the Ramlat al-Sab`atayn desert. Its main road links Sana'a and other cities of western Yemen to the far eastern territories. Nearest towns are Seiyun, seat of an airport, and Tarim, both in the east. Another road, departing from the village of Alajlanya, in the west; links Shibam to Al Mukalla, governorate's capital, located by the Indian Ocean.

Architecture

Overview

Shibam, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, owes its fame to its distinct architecture.The houses of Shibam are all made out of mud brick and about 500 of them are tower blocks, which rise 5 to 11 stories high,[2] with each floor having one or two rooms.[3] This architectural style was used in order to protect residents from Bedouin attacks. While Shibam has been in existence for an estimated 1,700 years, most of the city's houses originate from the 16th century. Many, though, have been rebuilt numerous times in the last few centuries.

Shibam is often called "the oldest skyscraper city in the world" or "the Manhattan of the desert", and is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction.[4] The city has some of the tallest mud buildings in the world, with some of them over 30 meters[5] (100 feet) high, thus being early high-rise apartment buildings. In order to protect the buildings from rain and erosion, the walls must be routinely maintained by applying fresh layers of mud.

The nearby town of Tarim contains the tallest structure in the Wadi Hadhramaut valley, the mudbrick minaret of the Al-Mihdhar mosque. It stands at a height of approximately 53 meters (175 feet.)[3] This is the tallest minaret in the southern Arabian peninsula.[6]

Threats

The city was heavily affected by flooding in 2008.[7] The foundations of many of the buildings in the city were compromised by the flood waters, eventually leading to their collapse.[8] It was also the target of an Al Qaeda attack in 2009.[9][10]

Gallery

  • City gate

  • View of some "skyscrapers"

  • Two buildings on a street inside the town

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Old Walled City of Shibam, UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ p. 9, The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America, James Bamford, Random House, Inc., 2009, ISBN 0-307-27939-1.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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