:en:Shibam

The first known inscription about the city dates from the 3rd century CE.{{cite web|title=Wadi Hadramowt and walled city of Shabam|url=http://www.shibamonline.net/eng/wadi13.php|access-date=3 January 2010|website=ShibamOnline.net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304065740/http://www.shibamonline.net/eng/wadi13.php |archive-date=March 4, 2012|url-status=dead}}{{Sfn|lewcock|1986|p=86}} According to al-Hamdani, the origins of the city of Shibam date back to the pre-Islamic period, when the town rose to prominence until it became the capital of the Kingdom of Hadhramaut in 300 AD, after the destruction of its previous capital, Shabwa, located in the far west of the Hadhramaut Valley.{{Cite web |last=shawahed |date=2022-01-19 |title=مدينة شبام حضرموت الأثرية - أقدم ناطحات سحاب في التاريخ |url=https://www.shawahed.net/heritagecities/shibam-hadramout/33 |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=شواهد |language=ar}}{{Sfn|lewcock|1986|p=86}} It is not clear whether the current city is standing where the ancient city stood, a theory suggests that the city's rise of more than 6 meters from the surrounding floor plain might be because of the accumilation of ruins over a long period of time, although there hasn't been any archaeological excavations that back this theory up and it might be a natural outcrop of the mountain spur behind it.{{Sfn|lewcock|1986|p=86}}

There are two major archaeological sites near Shibam: {{ill|Jujah|ar|جوجة (شبام)}} and Gabusa.{{Sfn|lewcock|1986|p=86}} Jujah used to be a quarry for large squared building stones. Gabusa was the site of an Assyrian-style bronze lion's head.{{Sfn|lewcock|1986|p=86}}

In the 20th century, it was one of the three major cities of the Qu'aiti Sultanate, the others being Mukalla and Ash-Shihr.{{cite book |last=McLaughlin |first=Daniel |title=Yemen |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |chapter=10: Southeast Yemen |pages=191–198 |isbn=978-1-8416-2212-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQvhZaEVzjcC&q=shihr |year=2008}}

The city was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982.{{Cite web |last=Varoutsikos |first=Bastien |date=2015-12-16 |title=Bricks and mortar fire: Yemen's cultural heritage is in the crosshairs |url=https://theconversation.com/bricks-and-mortar-fire-yemens-cultural-heritage-is-in-the-crosshairs-48484 |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Old Walled City of Shibam |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/192 |website=World Heritage Convention}}

The 2008 Yemen cyclone flooded Shibam causing some of the buildings to collapse.{{Cite web |date=2017-06-18 |title=This Ancient Mud Skyscraper City is the 'Manhattan of the Desert' |website=National Geographic Society |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/yemen/shibam-mud-skyscraper-yemen/ |access-date=2024-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170618112700/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/yemen/shibam-mud-skyscraper-yemen/ |archive-date=18 June 2017 }}

During the Yemen Civil War, the city suffered some damage{{Cite web |date=2017-06-18 |title=This Ancient Mud Skyscraper City is the 'Manhattan of the Desert' |website=National Geographic Society |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/yemen/shibam-mud-skyscraper-yemen/ |access-date=2024-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170618112700/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/yemen/shibam-mud-skyscraper-yemen/ |archive-date=18 June 2017 }} after insurgents detonated a car bomb.{{Cite web |last=Michael |first=Maggie |date=November 15, 2018 |title=Report details damage to ancient Yemeni archaeological sites |url=https://phys.org/news/2018-11-ancient-yemeni-archaeological-sites.html |website=Phys.org}} There was also coalition bombing in the area. In 2015, UNESCO listed the city, along with Old Sana'a, as "cultural heritage at risk".

{{Main|Culture of Yemen}}

File:فرحة العيد (edited).jpg in Shibam]]

{{See also|Architecture of Yemen}}

{{external media|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm8OGIZ7tag Old Walled City of Shibam (UNESCO/NHK)] (via UNESCO)}}

File:11 Hadramavt (4).jpg

File:Shibam Wadi Hadhramaut Yemen.jpg in the background]]

Shibam, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is known for its distinct architecture. The houses of Shibam are all made out of mudbrick, and about 500 of them are tower blocks, which rise 5 to 11 stories high,{{cite journal|title=Land without shade|first=Hans|last=Helfritz|journal=Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society|volume=24|issue=2|date=April 1937| pages= 201–16| doi= 10.1080/03068373708730789}} with each floor having one or two rooms.{{cite journal|title=The Architecture of Mud: Construction and Repair Technology in the Hadhramaut Region of Yemen |last1=Jerome |first1=Pamela |last2=Chiari |first2=Giacomo |last3=Borelli |first3=Caterina |journal=APT Bulletin |volume=30 |issue=2–3 |year=1999 |pages=39–48 [44] |doi=10.2307/1504639 |jstor=1504639}} This architectural style was used in order to protect residents from Bedouin attacks.{{Cite book |last=Morrison |first=Alastair M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=71HzDwAAQBAJ |title=Routledge handbook of tourism cities |last2=Coca-Stefaniak |first2=Andres |date=2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-367-19999-9 |series=Routledge handbooks |location=London |via=Google Books}} While Shibam has been in existence for an estimated 1,700 years, the present town dates to 1533.{{Cite journal |last1=Jerome |first1=Pamela |last2=Chiari |first2=Giacomo |last3=Borelli |first3=Caterina |date=1999 |title=The Architecture of Mud: Construction and Repair Technology in the Hadhramaut Region of Yemen |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1504639 |journal=APT Bulletin: The Journal of Preservation Technology |volume=30 |issue=2/3 |pages=39–48 |doi=10.2307/1504639 |jstor=1504639 |issn=0848-8525|url-access=subscription }} Many houses, though, have been rebuilt numerous times in the last few centuries.

Shibam is often called "the oldest skyscraper city in the world". It is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction. The city has some of the tallest mud buildings in the world, with some of them over {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=in}} high,{{cite journal |title=The Hadhramaut |first=J. G. T. |last=Shipman |journal=Asian Affairs |volume=15 |issue=2 |date=June 1984 |pages=154–162 |doi=10.1080/03068378408730145}} thus being early high-rise apartment buildings. In order to protect the buildings from rain and erosion, the walls must be routinely maintained by applying fresh layers of mud. The city is surrounded by a fortified wall, giving it the name "the walled city of Shibam".

The mudbrick buildings are frequently threatened by wind, rain, and heat erosion, and require constant upkeep in order to maintain their structures. The city was heavily affected by flooding from a tropical storm in 2008.{{cite news |url=http://cbs13.com/national/Death.Toll.Mounts.2.848789.html |title=Death Toll Mounts In Tropical Storm |date=26 October 2008 |website=CBS13.com |access-date=26 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322174111/http://cbs13.com/national/Death.Toll.Mounts.2.848789.html |archive-date=22 March 2009 }} The foundations of many of the buildings in the city were compromised by the flood waters, eventually leading to their collapse.{{Cite news |date=3 November 2008 |title=Historic Town of Shibam Hadramout Escapes Flooding Largely Unscathed |url=http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//RTV/2008/11/03/RTV3319008/?s=floods |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191700/http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//RTV/2008/11/03/RTV3319008/?s=floods |archive-date=3 March 2016 |publisher=ITN Source}} It was also the target of an Al Qaeda attack in 2009.{{Cite news |date=16 March 2009 |title=Al Qaeda blamed for Yemen attack |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/03/16/yemen.bombing.alqaeda/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317033410/http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/03/16/yemen.bombing.alqaeda/index.html |archive-date=17 March 2009 |access-date=26 April 2009 |publisher=CNN}}{{Cite news |last=Al-Ghabri |first=Mohammed |date=12 April 2009 |title=Al-Qaeda in Yemen: Political, Social and Security Dimensions |url=http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=542&MainCat=5 |access-date=26 April 2009 |work=Yemen Post}}

In 2015, Shibam was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in danger when violent civil war erupted in Yemen. Historic buildings were significantly damaged during heavy bombing in Sana'a, and remain at risk from armed conflict.{{cite web |work=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |title=List of World Heritage in Danger: The 54 properties which the World Heritage Committee has decided to include on the List of World Heritage in danger in accordance with Article 11 (4) of the Convention |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/danger/ |year=2015 |access-date=30 April 2017}}{{cite web |last=Bokova |first=Irina |title=UNESCO Director-General calls on all parties to protect Yemen's cultural heritage |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |quote=In addition to causing terrible human suffering, these attacks are destroying Yemen’s unique cultural heritage, which is the repository of people’s identity, history and memory and an exceptional testimony to the achievements of the Islamic Civilization. |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1278/ |date=12 May 2015 |access-date=30 April 2017}}

The town is located in the central-western area of Hadhramaut Governorate, in the desert of Ramlat al-Sab'atayn. Its main road links Sana'a and other cities of western Yemen to the far eastern territories. The nearest towns are Seiyun, seat of an airport, and Tarim, both in the east. Another road, departing from the village of Alajlanya, in the west, links Shibam to Mukalla, the governorate's capital on the Indian Ocean.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}

Shibam has a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh). At an average temperature of {{convert|28.0|°C|°F|abbr=off}}, June is the hottest month of the year. January is the coldest month, with temperatures averaging {{convert|18.6|°C|°F|abbr=on}}.

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| collapsed = yes

| location = Shibam

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

| Jan high C = 24.0

| Feb high C = 25.3

| Mar high C = 27.4

| Apr high C = 29.5

| May high C = 31.8

| Jun high C = 33.4

| Jul high C = 32.5

| Aug high C = 31.8

| Sep high C = 30.8

| Oct high C = 29.0

| Nov high C = 26.7

| Dec high C = 25.3

| Jan mean C = 18.6

| Feb mean C = 19.9

| Mar mean C = 22.1

| Apr mean C = 24.3

| May mean C = 26.7

| Jun mean C = 28.0

| Jul mean C = 27.5

| Aug mean C = 26.9

| Sep mean C = 26.0

| Oct mean C = 23.3

| Nov mean C = 20.8

| Dec mean C = 19.8

| year mean C =

| Jan low C = 13.3

| Feb low C = 14.6

| Mar low C = 16.9

| Apr low C = 19.2

| May low C = 21.7

| Jun low C = 22.7

| Jul low C = 22.6

| Aug low C = 22.1

| Sep low C = 21.3

| Oct low C = 17.6

| Nov low C = 14.9

| Dec low C = 14.3|

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 8

| Feb precipitation mm = 5

| Mar precipitation mm = 17

| Apr precipitation mm = 10

| May precipitation mm = 3

| Jun precipitation mm = 0

| Jul precipitation mm = 3

| Aug precipitation mm = 4

| Sep precipitation mm = 1

| Oct precipitation mm = 0

| Nov precipitation mm = 5

| Dec precipitation mm = 8

| source 1 = Climate-Data.org{{cite web |url=https://en.climate-data.org/asia/yemen/hadhramaut/shibam-30013/ |title=Climate: Shibam |access-date=22 May 2020}}

}}

The Dubai Global Village, an open-air shopping and entertainment complex in the United Arab Emirates, includes a Yemeni pavilion with mud-brick structures intended to evoke the architecture of Shibam.{{Cite journal |last=O’Connor |first=Paul |date=2022-01-16 |title=Spectacular memory: Zombie pasts in the themed shopping malls of Dubai |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17506980211066579 |journal=Memory Studies |language=en |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=212–226 |doi=10.1177/17506980211066579 |issn=1750-6980 |s2cid=257805765|url-access=subscription }}

{{clear}}

File:Shibam2.JPG|View of several buildings

File:Shibam, Yemen 16.jpg|Detail of intricate wooden door

File:Shibam, Yemen 24.jpg|Interior of one of the buildings

File:15 Šibam (10).jpg|Street view

File:History window.jpg|Wooden windows of the city

File:Old Walled City of Shibam-109044.jpg|Shibam buildings with balconies

File:Shibam-scenes-2019.webm|Video of several scenes of Shibam

• Mukalla
• Marib
• Seiyun
• Tarim

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{Cite book |last=Lewcock |first=Ronald B. |url=https://www.google.com.sa/books/edition/W%25C4%2581d%25C4%25AB_%25E1%25B8%25A4a%25E1%25B8%258Dramawt_and_the_Walled_City/88ltAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=w%25C4%2581d%25C4%25AB%2520%25E1%25B8%25A5a%25E1%25B8%258Dramawt%2520and%2520the%2520walled%2520city%2520of%2520shib%25C4%2581m%2520ronald%2520lewcock |title=Wādī Ḥaḍramawt and the Walled City of Shibām |date=1986 |publisher=Unesco |isbn=978-92-3-102338-5 |language=en}}

{{Commons category|Shibam}}

{{Wikivoyage|Shibam}}

• [http://www.shibamonline.net/eng Shibamonline.net]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060203054020/http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.tcl?place_id=2716 Shibam] at Archnet.org
• [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/192/ World Heritage Site]
• [http://www.alquaiti.com Official website of the Al-Quaiti Royal Family of Hadhramaut]
• [http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/shibam.shtml Shibam] at TravelAdventures.org
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1geT8MUIOI Shibam, Yemen – Ciudad de Tierra] at YouTube
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjT7Dk3bus8 Shibam] at YouTube
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANG1XQH40-I اليمن ـ شبام حضرموت] (in Arabic)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060203054020/http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.tcl?place_id=2716 Shibam / Shabwa]

{{World Heritage Sites in Yemen}}

{{Hadhramaut Governorate}}

{{Yemeni cities}}

{{Tourist attractions in Yemen}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Hadhramaut Governorate

Category:World Heritage Sites in Yemen

Category:Archaeological sites in Yemen

Category:Architecture in Yemen

Category:Towns in Yemen