Zabid
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| Historic Town of Zabid* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
 |
|
| State Party |  Yemen |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv, vi |
| Reference | 611 |
| Region† | Arab States |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1993 (17th Session) |
| Endangered | 2000- |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
|
Zabid (Arabic: زبيد) (also spelled Zebid) is a town with an urban population of around 23,000 persons[1] on Yemen's western coastal plain. The town, named after Wadi Zabid the wadi to its south, is one of the oldest towns in Yemen, it was the capital of Yemen from the 13th to the 15th century and a center of the Arab and Muslim world due in large part to its famed University of Zabid and being a center of Islamic education. It was the capital of the Ziyadid dynasty from 819–1018 and the Najahid dynasty from 1022–1158.[2] Today, however, it is at the intellectual and economic margins of modern Yemen.[3]
Zabid has been declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. Its Great Mosque occupies a prominent place in the town. The vestiges of its university can also be visited. In 2000, Zabid was listed on the List of World Heritage in Danger; the listing was made on the behest of the Yemeni government due to a state of poor upkeep and conservation.
[edit] References
- ^ World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Zabid Joint Monitoring Mission, 17th - 26th January 2007
- ^ "Najahid Dynasty." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 14 Apr. 2006 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9054701>.
- ^ Eickelman, Dale F. "The Middle East and Central Asia." (Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River: 2002)
[edit] External links
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