Shibam

Shibam () (often referred to as Shibam Hadhramaut) is a town in Yemen, with about 7,000 inhabitants, which is thought to have existed since the 2nd century AD. It was the capital of the Hadramawt Kingdom.

Shibam owes its fame to its distinct architecture, which is now on UNESCO's World Heritage Site program 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, with each floor having one or two apartments. This building technique 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 originated during the 16th century. Many, though, have been rebuilt over and over again during 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.Old Walled City of Shibam, UNESCO World Heritage Centre The city has the tallest mud buildings in the world, with some of them over 30 meters (100 feet) high, thus being early high-rise apartment buildings. In order to protect the buildings from rain and erosion, the façades are thickly coated and need to be maintained and frequently renovated by the inhabitants. The renovation can be completed by well-practiced workers within a short time.

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.) This is the tallest minaret in the southern Arabian peninsula.p. 9, The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America, James Bamford, Random House, Inc., 2009, ISBN 0307279391.

Threats to Shibam

Another view of Shibam|thumb|300px

The city was heavily affected by the 2008 floods. The foundations of many of the buildings in the city were compromised by the flood-waters, eventually leading to their collapse. It was also the target of an Al Qaeda attack in 2009.

See also

• Kowloon Walled City, a former Hong Kong enclave

References

External links

• Shibamonline.net
• Shibam on archnet.org
• World Heritage Site
• Travel Adventures
• Shibam Urban Development Project

ar:شبام

ca:Shibam de:Schibam es:Shibam eo:Ŝibam fa:شبام fr:Shibam ko:시밤 hr:Shibam it:Shibam he:שיבאם hu:Sibám mn:Шибам nl:Shibam ja:シバーム pl:Szibam ro:Shibam ru:Шибам fi:Shibām sv:Shibam

Categories: Buildings | Buildings in Yemen | Buildings in , Yemen | UNESCO World Heritage Sites | UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Arab States | UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Yemen