Call for contribution to preserve Shebam Historic Town

SAYOON, Nov. 11 (Saba) - Minister of Culture Abu Bakr al-Muflahi
has called on international organizations interested in preserving
cultural heritage to contribute to protect the Shebam town and keep
its historical identity.

The town was among several areas in the Hadramout province hit by
heavy rains that affected people, buildings and agricultural lands.


Al-Muflahi said the town has been hugely affected by the rains,
adding many of its historical building were destroyed and cracked
and some others are threatened with collapse.

He stressed the importance of taking quick measures to rescue this
historical landmark and rallying efforts to rebuild the affected
parts of the town.

Shebam is a historic town of mud-brick houses, a 16th-century city
in Yemen, which is regarded as one of the earliest examples of
urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction.

Shibam was made up of over 500 tower houses, each one rising 5 to
11 storeys high, with each floor being an apartment occupied by a
single family.

The city was built in this way in order to protect it from Bedouin
attacks.

Shibam has the tallest mud buildings in the world, with some of them
being over 30 meters high.

It was prescribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007.
FR