Is Yemen able keep Zabid listed in World Heritage?

By: Ahmad al-Aghbari and Mohammad al-Ulofi

Translated and edited by: Mahmoud Assamiee

SANA'A, Feb. 14 (Saba)-Zabid Historical City has been suffering the
problem of losing its historical identity since 1993 when the city's
emigrants returned to it.

This caused population growth led to increasing demand of new
housings. "Because the city lacks to baked bricks cremators for more
than forty years, people turned to cement brick workshops which
provide cheaper bricks for building houses," said Zabid Office's
Director of the General Authority of Protecting Historical Cities
Arafat al-Hadrami.

He continues with sad tone "with absence of strict protection to
city's architecture heritage, violations and distortions to the city
have increased."

These distortions which affected the city, says al-Hadrami, are two
kinds, the first one distortions resulted by expansion in old
buildings with modern materials. The second one is resulted by
building new houses with cement substances such as bricks.

These buildings have spread gradually in the city and in areas
located before historical and Islamic schools and historical gates.
Day after day, he continues, the wastes were distorting the
historical sites of the city till these violations have distorted
the exterior shape.

The problem has become known to every visitor coming to the city, a
matter has attracted the UNESCO's attention on the danger this city
faces. Responding to this danger, the organization issued a
resolution for including Zabid within the World Heritage Danger List.

According to al-Hadrami, Zabid Historical City has 4200 old houses
of different ages ranging between 200-600 years. The city also has
85 mosques and Islamic schools. Four of these mosques are of 1400
years of age such as al-Ashaer Mosque.

Al- Hadrami concludes that 40 percent of Zabid's houses suffer
distortions resulted by violation to the historical form of the
city, while 60 percent are old wither evacuated old houses or ruined.

Nowadays, Yemenis are waiting the date of the World Heritage
Center's meeting due next June for discussing a report raised by the
mission of the center which visited Zabid Historical City recently.

The aim of the visit was for discussing the situation of the city
and inspecting the implementing the UNESCO's conditions which gave
the city two years respite started on June 2007 for maintaining the
city or to be removed from World Heritage List.

According to Chairman of the General Authority for Protecting
Historical Cities (GAPHC) Abdullah Eisa, the aim of the mission is
reporting on what has the government achieved in the city and
raising these reports to the center. Based on these reports, the
center will issue its decision wither to extend the period of the
respite or removing the city from the list.

Positive impression

Director of GAPHC's Zabid Branch Nabil Munasar indicated that the
delegation has studied in four-day period the government's works in
the city.

Eisa indicated that talks have been made with the mission over the
situation of the city and what has been achieved. He asserted that
the delegation is satisfied with what has been achieved for
protecting the city.

"They (the mission's members) informed us they have touched serious
tendency to preserve the city and saving it from the current status
it suffers. They also affirmed this in their report raised to the
World Heritage Center," added Eisa.

General Manager of the Yemeni-German for Developing Historical City
Omer al-Hallaj says the mission has met many concerned partners and
observed positive mechanism on different levels.

Professor Daniel Bini, one of the experts who accompanied the
mission during their visit to Zabid says we studied the situation in
Zabid and felt that there was positive mechanism from the government
for changing the situation of the city.

Expansion is expected

In addition to the mission's good impression on efforts exerted for
protecting the city, Eisa says the mission demanded continuous
efforts from the government. "We seek more time because the problem
is great and needs more time. The important thing is achieving
something on the ground," said Eisa who expected expansion of the
respite.

According to Munassar, the most important remarks and demands of the
mission are quick issuing of a law protecting historical cities,
removing all violated buildings, providing enough capabilities and
boosting traditional construction materials.

"The mission demanded speeding up carrying out administrative and
development design to include all maps, engineering studies,
awareness programs and reviving traditional handicrafts," he added.


However, Bini concludes that the situation in Zabid is complicated.
Despite there is satisfaction on what have been achieved, more work
and support is needed for improving the economic situation of the
city.

According to GAPHC's official, the decision of the World Heritage's
commission has demanded Yemen "instant stop of playing with Zabid's
ancient form and distorting the heritage of the city."Yemen will
lose more if the city removed

Al-Hadrami says if the city removed from the list, this will cause
great economic and cultural damages. Further more the country's
tourism will get painful hit will not cured easily.

This removal will hurt Yemen's fame and doubt the country's ability
in protecting its civilization in addition to failure of honoring
its commitments to conditions of World, Cultural and Natural
Heritage Convention.

The World Heritage List includes three Yemeni cities, Sana'a,
Shibam Hadramout and Zabid.

Zabid is considered one of the most western coastal cities with
historical and antique significance in Yemen. The city includes many
important antique sites besides its scientific status it enjoyed in
the past Islamic and historical period.

The city was established in 204 in hijri calendar when it was taken
over by Mohammad bin Ziyad upon directives from the Caliph Haron
Arrashid.