Shibam

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The high-rise architectures at Shibam, Wadi Hadhramaut
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The high-rise architectures at Shibam, Wadi Hadhramaut
Buildings inside the town of Shibam, with traditional windows and doors.
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Buildings inside the town of Shibam, with traditional windows and doors.

Shibam (Arabic: شبام) is a town in Hadramawt, Yemen with about 7,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of the Hadramawt Kingdom for several periods of time.

Shibam owes its fame to its distinct architecture, which now is on UNESCOs programme to safeguard the human cultural heritage. The houses of Shibam are all made out of mud bricks, but still there are about 500 tower houses, rising 5 to 9 stories high. While Shibam has existed for around 2,000 years, most of the city's houses come mainly from the 16th century. However, many were rebuilt over and over again during the last few centuries.

Shibam is often called "the oldest skyscraper-city in the world", or "Manhattan of the desert" which is a claim with quite a bit of consistency.

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Coordinates: 15°55′N 48°37′E

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