UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Yemen

UNESCO's Description

Surrounded by a fortified wall, the 16th-century city of Shibam is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction. Its impressive tower-like structures rise out of the cliff and have given the city the nickname of ‘the Manhattan of the desert’.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

The town is located in the central-western area of Hadhramaut Governorate, in the desert of Ramlat al-Sab'atayn. Its main road links Sanaa 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.

Climate

Shibam has a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh). At an average temperature of 28.0 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit), June is the hottest month of the year. January is the coldest month, with temperatures averaging 18.6 °C (65.5 °F).

History

The first known inscription about the city dates from the 3rd century CE. 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. 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.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q192518 (CC0).

Visiting Shibam

Shibam is in the Hadhramaut region of Yemen. The unique, sixteenth century, mud-built, high rise apartment buildings for which the city is famous constitute a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city dates back to the second century AD, while the high rises were built in the Middle Ages to protect the citizens from Bedouin raids. The bizarre "skyline" that the high rises (some sixteen stories tall) bestow upon the city has led to the moniker, "Manhattan of the Desert."

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Shibam (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

Situated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,200 m, Sana’a has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years. In the 7th and 8th centuries the city became a major centre for the propagation of Islam. This religious and political heritage can be seen in the 103 mosques, 14 hammams and over 6,000 houses, all built before the 11th century. Sana’a’s many-storeyed tower-houses built of rammed earth ( pisé ) add to the beauty of the site.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q1650596 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

Zabid's domestic and military architecture and its urban plan make it an outstanding archaeological and historical site. Besides being the capital of Yemen from the 13th to the 15th century, the city played an important role in the Arab and Muslim world for many centuries because of its Islamic university.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

The town is one of the oldest in Yemen. It was originally a village known as al-Husayb that was inhabited by the Asha'ir tribe. It later took on the name of the Wadi Zabid, the valley to its south. According to tradition, the town's early history is associated with Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, one of the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who is said to have built the al-Asha'ir Mosque as the fifth mosque in the history of Islam.

The present town was created circa 820 by Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Ziyad, the founder of the Ziyadid dynasty, who had been sent by the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun to suppress a rebellion of the Asha'ir and Akk tribes.

Economy

As of 1920, Zabid was one of two places in Arabia growing indigo. Zabid also grows and produces cotton. The British cite tribal disputes as dampening the economy in Zabid during the early 20th century.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q138986 (CC0).

Visiting Zabid

Zabid (Arabic: زبيد‎, also transliterated Zebid) is a city in Coastal Plains of Yemen, west of the country, near the Red Sea Coast. It is one of the oldest towns in Yemen, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. However, in 2000, the site was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Zabid (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

Socotra Archipelago, in the northwest Indian Ocean near the Gulf of Aden, is 250 km long and comprises four islands and two rocky islets which appear as a prolongation of the Horn of Africa. The site is of universal importance because of its biodiversity with rich and distinct flora and fauna: 37% of Socotra’s 825 plant species, 90% of its reptile species and 95% of its land snail species do not occur anywhere else in the world. The site also supports globally significant populations of land and sea birds (192 bird species, 44 of which breed on the islands while 85 are regular migrants), including a number of threatened species. The marine life of Socotra is also very diverse, with 253 species of reef-building corals, 730 species of coastal fish and 300 species of crab, lobster and shrimp.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

The archipelago consists of four larger islands, Socotra, Abd al Kuri, Samhah, and Darsah, and three small islets to the north of the archipelago. Socotra has most of archipelago's land mass and population. Abd al Kuri and Samhah are also inhabited. The islands are located between 12° 06′ and 12° 42′ N and 52° 03′ and 54° 32′ E.

The islands lie east of the Horn of Africa, separated from Cape Guardafui in Somalia by the Guardafui Channel. Abd Al Kuri is the westernmost island, located about 100 km from Cape Guardafui. Socotra is the easternmost approximately 380 km south of the Arabian Peninsula and 225 km east of Cape Guardafui. Samhah and Darsah, known as The Brothers, are southwest of Socotra and east of Abd al Kuri.

The islands are composed largely of limestone.

Ecology

Socotra is considered the jewel of biodiversity in the Arabian Sea. In the 1990s, a team of United Nations biologists conducted a survey of the archipelago's flora and fauna. They counted nearly 700 endemic species, found nowhere else on earth; only New Zealand, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and the Galápagos Islands have more impressive numbers.

The long geological isolation of the Socotra archipelago and its fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique and spectacular endemic flora. Botanical field surveys led by the Centre for Middle Eastern Plants of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, indicate that 307 out of the 825 (37%) plant species on Socotra are endemic.

History

Since before British rule, Socotra had been part of the Mahra Sultanate but later the British captured it and made Socotra a part of Bombay Presidency in British India and so it remained till 1937. In 1937 British made it part of Aden Protectorate. With the independence of South Yemen in 1967, the archipelago was attached to the Aden Governorate, despite its distance. In 2004, it was moved to the Hadhramaut Governorate.

The formation of the Socotra governorate is linked to the desire of Socotrans for greater political autonomy and direct governance. During the Arab Spring in 2011, Socotrans expressed opposition to the proposed "Socotra Authority", advocating for the archipelago to be integrated more closely into the mainland's administrative structure.

Economy

The primary occupations of the people of Socotra have traditionally been fishing, bee keeping, animal husbandry, and the cultivation of dates. Some residents raise cattle and goats. The chief export products of the island are dates, ghee, tobacco, and fish.

Monsoons long made the archipelago inaccessible from June to September each year. In July 1999, however, a new airport opened Socotra to the outside world all year round. There was regular service to and from Aden and Sana'a until the start of the civil war in 2015.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q15728745 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

The Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib, is a serial property comprising seven archaeological sites that bear witness to the rich Kingdom of Saba and its architectural, aesthetic and technological achievements from the 1st millennium BCE to the arrival of Islam around 630 CE. They bear witness to the complex centralized administration of the Kingdom when it controlled much of the incense route across the Arabian Peninsula, playing a key role in the wider network of cultural exchange fostered by trade with the Mediterranean and East Africa. Located in a semi-arid landscape of valleys, mountains and deserts, the property encompasses the remains of large urban settlements with monumental temples, ramparts and other buildings. The irrigation system of ancient Ma'rib reflects technological prowess in hydrological engineering and agriculture on a scale unparalleled in ancient South Arabia, resulting in the creation of the largest ancient man-made oasis.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q116943542 (CC0).