Shibam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and for good reason... this village in Yemen is right in the middle of a dusty desert, far from any modern conveniences.
The desert city of Shibam consists of 500 buildings, all built with mud bricks from the local clay, and they tower in size, from 5 to 9 storeys high. That's right, there are literally skyscrapers in the middle of this desert.
Built in the 16th century, Shibam was a walled city, forcing the inhabitants to build up instead of out... now there are only 7000 people, and many of them work very hard to keep the buildings from being destroyed by seasonal floods and wind erosion.
Built in the 16th century, Shibam was a walled city, forcing the inhabitants to build up instead of out... now there are only 7000 people, and many of them work very hard to keep the buildings from being destroyed by seasonal floods and wind erosion.
The streets are too narrow for traffic, if there were enough people to demand the need for any kind of traffic. Each building has one or two families in it, with ample space for storage, and huge open floors for the kids to play ball hockey, if they wanted to play ball hockey.
The population is dwindling in Shibam, which is perhaps it's most crucial problem. It was once the mighty capital of the kingdom of Hadramwat. It was at the height of its prosperity, with trade to India, Africa and Asia, that the city inhabitants decided to build the skyscrapers... with the declining population, the buildings sit hollow and empty. if no one decides to live there, who'll keep the erosive forces of nature away?
