Shibam city, a historic walled city dating back to the 16th century, is located on the edges of the rocky highlands in Wadi Hadramaut, Yemen. It is characterized by its high tower buildings made of sun-dried mud bricks, which reach up to nine floors, leading some to nickname it the “Manhattan” or “Chicago” of the desert.
The city, designed in the form of a rectangular fortified structure divided into streets and squares, is located at an important station for caravans on the trade route for spices, incense, and frankincense across the southern plateau of the Arabian Peninsula. The city was built on a rocky slope that rises hundreds of meters above the bottom of the valley, to replace its predecessor, which was partially destroyed by a devastating flood in 1532-1533. The Great Mosque, dating back to the 9th or 10th century AD, and the castle, which dates back to the 13th century AD, survived the flood.
The origins of the city of Shibam date back to the pre-Islamic period, where this city became prominent and eventually became the capital of the Kingdom of Hadramawt in 300 AD after the destruction of its previous capital, Shabwa, located in the far west of Wadi Hadhramaut.
The historical researcher and head of the Society for the Development of Heritage, Inheritance and Historical Crafts, Awad Afif, says that Shibam is a prestigious historical city with authenticity and ancient architectural history, which historians have differed on in terms of its construction date. He added that some suggest that Shibam was built in the 16th century BC, while others claim that it is currently 700 years old, which can be observed in some houses through the recorded history on some doors. There are modern houses built in the historical style of Shibam, and this city has a single gateway for entry to the city square and transportation inside the city, in addition to six mosques and four large courtyards and rest areas.
The ancient walled city of Shibam and its natural environment in Wadi Hadhramaut form a splendid model for human settlements, land use, and city planning when looking at the local architecture of Shibam. Including its view as it emerges from the valley’s floodplain, functional and practical design, building materials, and techniques, we find that they all collectively express a beautiful and clear representation of traditional Arab and Islamic culture.
Mohamed Qahtan, the director of the Culture Office in Shibam City, confirms that the buildings in Shibam are different because they are made of mud, and this is a special feature of the mud city. The buildings in this city were built in a beautiful geometric design and are considered a special archaeological museum in Wadi Hadhramaut. He continued to say that this historic city is distinguished by its inhabitants’ adherence to customs and traditions, and what also distinguishes this city is that its buildings do not exist anywhere else in the world.
According to UNESCO, the 9th century witnessed the construction of skyscrapers in Shibam, Yemen, in the Hadhramaut region, making it the first city to be vertically planned. Shibam City, which includes the skyscrapers of Yemen, is one of the UNESCO-protected World Heritage sites since 1982 and is home to densely populated buildings with an elevation ranging from 4 to 9 floors.
The historical researcher Salem Rabie explains that a Shibam house consists of several floors. The ground floor contains an entrance and a shop, while the first floor is called the rooftops and is designated for sheep, grain storage, and first aid tools for the house. The third floor is designated for men, and the fourth floor is for women, containing the kitchen and women’s belongings. The fifth and sixth floors are designated for festivities and weddings, and some buildings in Shibam consist of nine floors.
It is believed that this area became inhabited from 300 AD, but its construction was mostly completed after 1532 AD. Due to the presence of a fortified circular wall, the city survived nearly 2000 years despite its unstable location next to the floodplain of Wadi Hadramaut.