Yemen

Shibam

WHS Score 3.95
rate
Votes 11 Average 4.55
Show votes
Votes for Shibam

3.5

  • Ammon Watkins

4.0

  • Alexander Barabanov
  • MaxHeAnouBen
  • Szucs Tamas

4.5

  • Stanislaw Warwas

5.0

  • Christravelblog
  • Hanming
  • Krijn
  • Marcobrey
  • Roland
  • SaoDies

The Old Walled City of Shibam is one of the earliest and most perfect examples of vertical construction.

Shibam, nicknamed "The Manhattan of the Desert", was built on a hill to escape the floods of the wadi Hadramawt. The dense setting of its mud-brick tower houses goes back to the need for protection against rivalling clans. Most houses date from the 16th century, when Shibam was recovering from a severe flood. It enjoyed prosperity as a stop on the caravan trade routes for incense and spices.

Community Perspective: located “in the middle of the desert”, it has escaped severe war damage so far and can be reached by air or overland from Oman. See Christravelblog’s review for logistics.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Old Walled City of Shibam (ID: 192)
Country
Yemen
Status
Inscribed 1982 Site history
History of Shibam
1982: Inscribed
Inscribed
2015: In Danger
under potential threat from armed conflict, in addition to already existing problems
In Danger
under potential threat from armed conflict, in addition to already existing problems Since 2015
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iii
  • iv
  • v
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
News Article
  • Nov. 6, 2020 gulftoday.ae — UNESCO listed World Heritage site, Yemen’s Shibam city, risks collapse
  • March 15, 2009 news.bbc.co.uk — Four tourists have been killed and two injured in an explosion at the town of Shibam

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Human activity: Urban planning
Travel Information
Red Zone Travel Advisory
Red Zone Travel Advisory
Yemen fully off-limits
Recent Connections
View all (14) .
Connections of Shibam
Individual People
  • Sir Wilfred Thesiger
    His travels there in the 1940s are described by Thesiger in "Arabian Sands" . "Whenever I was in the silent alleyways under the sheer walls of these houses I felt as if I were at the bottom of a well"
Trivia
History
  • Abbasid Caliphate
    Great Mosque of Shibam (The presence of red baked bricks, typical of ninth century Abbasid construction, point to reconstruction efforts during the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid) - see link

    See archnet.org

Architecture
Damaged
  • Terrorist Attacks
    On 15 March 2009 a blast took place when a series of tourists were posing for photographs on a hill overlooking Shibam. Four Korean tourists alongside their local Yemeni guide were killed, while three more tourists were injured

    See en.wikipedia.org

World Heritage Process
Constructions
WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
Visiting conditions
News
gulftoday.ae 11/06/2020
UNESCO listed World Heritage site,…
news.bbc.co.uk 03/15/2009
Four tourists have been killed and…

Community Reviews

Show full reviews
First published: 30/11/22.

Christravelblog

Shibam

Shibam (Inscribed)

Shibam by Christravelblog

In November 2022, finally I was able to visit Yemen Mainland. Just Hadramout though, but that's were Shibam is. Will advise on logistics below.

It was around 10AM when we finally headed to, in my opinion, the highlight of the Yemen trip: Shibam Hadramout, the Manhattan of Arabia. Shibam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982 and I now know why: It’s an amazing unique place.

Shibam is a unique city in Wadi Hadramout as it’s completely built from mud bricks up to eleven stories high. These skyscrapers house around 7000 people and are built very close to each other. The whole city is surrounded by a wall. It’s amazing to see that just mud and wooden beams are used to build these houses. Cars can get in through the main gate, but you’ll only be able to drive up to the mosque and the main square. The alleys must be explored on foot which you can cover all of them in 2 hours.

If you walk the alleys, you’ll notice plenty of goats. They live on the ground floor of many of the buildings. When I arrived, the goats were the only living beings I saw in Shibam, but this changed. I got invited to see the interior of one of the houses. They are colourful and not sandy as the outside! Each floor has a few rooms for the various families living together. The top floor often is for the newlyweds which move down …

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First published: 05/11/15.

Stanislaw Warwas

Shibam

Shibam (Inscribed)

Shibam by Stanislaw Warwas

Visited December 2009

Shibam Hadhramaut, called Manhattan of the desert... In the middle of the desert, with some palm grooves around, you can experience something really unexpected: 8-, 10-stories clay buildings, all brown with white geometrical ornaments. The oldest ones were built in 10th century - but according to the local law any new house built inside the city walls must follow the old pattern. There a small museum in Shibam and it is possible to visit some houses. Just ask around, and they let you in.

This starting point of visiting Shibam Hadhramaut (there's another Shibam close to Sana'a) can be Sayyun or for a very long day trip - Al Mukkalla.

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