Shibam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Old Walled City of Shibam* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
 |
|
| 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. |
|
Shibam (Arabic: شبام) (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,[1] with each floor having one or two apartments.[2] 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.[3] The city has the tallest mud buildings in the world, with some of them over 30 meters[4] (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.)[2] This is the tallest minaret in the southern Arabian peninsula.[5]
[edit] Threats to Shibam
The city was heavily affected by the 2008 floods.[6] The foundations of many of the buildings in the city were compromised by the flood-waters, eventually leading to their collapse.[7] It was also the target of an Al Qaeda attack in 2009.[8][9]
[edit] See also
- Kowloon Walled City, a former Hong Kong enclave
[edit] References
- ^ Helfritz, Hans (April 1937), "Land without shade", Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society 24 (2): 201–16
- ^ a b Pamela Jerome, Giacomo Chiari, Caterina Borelli (1999), "The Architecture of Mud: Construction and Repair Technology in the Hadhramaut Region of", APT Bulletin 30 (2-3): 39–48 [44], doi:
- ^ Old Walled City of Shibam, UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- ^ Shipman, J. G. T. (June 1984), "The Hadhramaut", Asian Affairs 15 (2): 154–62, doi:
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Death Toll Mounts In Tropical Storm". CBS 13. 2008-10-26. http://cbs13.com/national/Death.Toll.Mounts.2.848789.html. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ "Historic Town of Shibam Hadramout Escapes Flooding Largely Unscathed". ITN Source. November 3, 2008. http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//RTV/2008/11/03/RTV3319008/?s=floods.
- ^ "Al Qaeda blamed for Yemen attack". CNN. 2009-03-16. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/03/16/yemen.bombing.alqaeda/index.html. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- ^ "Al-Qaeda in Yemen:Political, Social and Security Dimensions". Yemen Post. 2009-04-12. http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=542&MainCat=5. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
[edit] External links
- Shibamonline.net
- Shibam on archnet.org
- World Heritage Site
- Travel Adventures
- Shibam Urban Development Project
Coordinates: 15°55′N 48°37′E / 15.917°N 48.617°E
