In Yemen, in the Hadramut governorate, there is a city called Shibam. Previously, it was several times the capital of the kingdom of Hadramut. And since 1982, this city has been listed among the UNESCO heritage sites. This city is famous for its unusual architecture. There are ancient skyscrapers built of unbaked clay before the discovery of America. And the very name of the city in translation means "height". And many more call it the "Manhattan of the Desert."
The first mentions of Shibam date back to the third century AD, and it was built, as scientists assume, about two thousand years ago. The inhabitants of this city were looking for an opportunity to defend themselves safer and more reliably from the Bedouin raids. And they found it. They built a city shaped like a rectangle. Vertically oriented multi-storey buildings were erected very close to each other. This was the insurmountable obstacle that was supposed to stop the Bedouins attacking the cities in the desert.
Shibam stands right on the trade route through South Arabia, along which caravans of spices and incense went. There are no rocks or mountains near the city that could protect it from the invasions of enemies. Therefore, people decided to protect themselves with a special architectural planning of their city. Some houses in Shibam have balconies that communicate with each other - in case any of the residents still have to flee from enemies. This city is practically the only one in Yemen built in such a fortification style.
All houses, of which there are about five hundred, are built of mud bricks and have from five to eleven floors. The height of the largest buildings is about thirty meters, and the average height of the walls is about 20 - 25 meters. The walls taper towards the top. The houses are arranged in such a way that each of them is equally illuminated by sunlight.
The oldest residential building built in Shibam dates back to 1609. Although there is also the Friday Mosque, erected in 904, and the Sultan Castle - in 1220. But the bulk of the buildings were erected between 1880 and 1915. Throughout its history, the city has had to endure floods and related destruction many times. For example, 10 years ago a severe flood happened here, as a result of which several dozen residents died, some houses were destroyed.
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The building material for the houses of Shibam was a raw clay-straw brick called madar. Due to the extremely arid climate in Yemen, such buildings can stand for 200 - 300 years. On the first floors of residential buildings there were storage rooms and cattle stalls. On the second and third - living quarters for the male half of the family, on the fourth and fifth - for women. The next two floors housed children and young married couples. Since there was especially nowhere to walk in the city, walking terraces were arranged right on the roofs. Some neighboring houses are even connected by bridges with sides, thanks to which you can run from one house to another without going down.
Now UNESCO is seriously concerned about the safety of the clay skyscrapers. Due to the fact that residents began to actively leave the city, it falls into desolation, houses are destroyed. People are leaving because of poverty, lack of work and developed infrastructure. Therefore, they began to lay electricity lines, sewage systems, and among people they conduct courses to train those who wish to various crafts.