The city of Shibam, located in the central-western area of Hadhramaut
Governorate, in the Ramlat al-Sab`atayn desert, is best known for its
towering mudbrick skyscrapers. This small town of 7000 is packed with
around 500 mud houses standing between 5 and 11 stories tall and
reaching 100 feet high, all constructed entirely of mud bricks. The
bizarre skyline that the high rise buildings bestow upon the city has
earned Shibam the moniker "Manhattan of the Desert."
Shibam is often called "the oldest skyscraper city in the world" and is
one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the
principle of vertical construction. Its plan is trapezoidal, almost
rectangular; and it is enclosed by earthen walls within which a block of
dwellings, also built from earth, have been laid out on an orthogonal
grid. Shibam was founded in the 3rd century AD, but most of the houses
you see here dates only to the 16th century, following a devastating
flood of which Shibam was the victim in 1532-33. However, some older
houses and large buildings still remain from the first centuries of
Islam, such as the Friday Mosque, built in 904, and the castle, built in
1220.
In general the windowless lower floors are used for grain storage, with
areas for domestic use above and those for family and leisure above
that. The main room on the second floor is used by men for socializing.
It often has wonderful carved plasterwork and freestanding decorated
wooden columns supporting the ceiling, while women's areas are found
higher, usually on the third or fourth floor. The highest rooms are for
communal use by the whole family, and on the upper levels there are
often bridges and doors connecting the houses. These are a defensive
feature, but also a practical one – especially for old people who find
it difficult to walk up and down the interminable staircases. 08 more images after the break...
