Yemen
Shibam
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
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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
- whc.unesco.org — whc.unesco.org/
Related Resources
- yementourism.com — Yemen Tourism
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
Recent Connections
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Perfect Inscriptions
1982 -
Red Zone Travel Advisory
Yemen fully off-limits -
Terrorist Attacks
On 15 March 2009 a blast took place whe…
Connections of Shibam
- Individual People
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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"
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- Trivia
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On Banknotes
50 Rials issued 1993
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- History
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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 linkSee archnet.org
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- Architecture
- Damaged
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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 injuredSee en.wikipedia.org
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- World Heritage Process
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Perfect Inscriptions
1982 -
First inscriptions
Yemen 1982
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- Constructions
- WHS on Other Lists
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World Monuments Watch (past)
Shibam Historic City (1998) -
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Rehabilitation of the City of Shibam, Yemen (2007)
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- Timeline
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Built in the 16th century
Most structures date from after a flood in the mid-1550's (AB ev)
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- Visiting conditions
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Red Zone Travel Advisory
Yemen fully off-limits
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News
- gulftoday.ae 11/06/2020
- UNESCO listed World Heritage site,…
- news.bbc.co.uk 03/15/2009
- Four tourists have been killed and…
Recent Visitors
Visitors of Shibam
- Alexander Barabanov
- Ali Zingstra
- Ammon Watkins
- Christravelblog
- Emili Xaus
- Erik Jelinek
- Hanming
- henryjiao18
- Iain Jackson
- Janos
- Krijn
- liu tuo
- Loic Pedras
- Luis Filipe Gaspar
- Marcobrey
- MaxHeAnouBen
- Morodhi
- Roland
- SaoDies
- Sascha Grabow
- SHIHE HUANG
- Stanislaw Warwas
- Szucs Tamas
- Thomas Buechler
- Timothy C Easton
Community Reviews
Show full reviews
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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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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