Yemen’s ‘Manhattan Of The Desert’ Is The World’s Earliest Skyscraper City
Photo 18972201 © Javarman | Dreamstime.com
Centuries before LED-illuminated skylines and graffitied street art were a thing, Yemen’s Walled City of Shibam reached toward the clouds with its mud skyscrapers. This manmade, 16th-century metropolis is attributed as the oldest in the world to adopt a vertical masterplan, and its similarities with modern apartment building clusters have deservedly awarded it the nickname of “Manhattan of the desert,” as termed by British explorer Freya Stark in the 1930s.
Appearance wasn’t the only thing that set Shibam apart from others in its day. As National Geographic details, every bit of the city’s architecture was well-thought-out. Most crucially, it stands behind a fortified wall that—coupled with the vantage points of high-rises—provided protection and allowed citizens to remain vigilant against incoming intruders.
Photo 19125324 © Javarman | Dreamstime.com
Workers built bricks using materials from the Earth: soil, hay, and water. These were mushed into a mixture, shaped, and then baked under the sun for days.
The buildings stretch four to eight stories. At the top were shared rooftops for socializing. The basements, hidden from outside eyes, didn’t have windows, and mostly served as storage areas for livestock and grains.
Image by UNESCO via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)
Meanwhile, bridges and doors connected the structures, allowing for an easy escape from enemies.
The buildings themselves were erected high up on a rocky spur, keeping them off floods while staying reasonably close to water access and fertile soil for agriculture.
The ancient desert city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, still has some buildings from way back in 300 AD, though the majority were constructed after 1532.
Although still standing, the buildings require regular maintenance today, as the desert exposes them to damaging winds, rain, and heat. Shibam is also at the mercy of war, leaving some of its centuries-old structures in shambles.
[via National Geographic, ArchDaily, r/ArtefactPorn, images via various sources]
Also check out these recent news
