The town of Tarim located near Shibam hosts the mudbrick minaret of the Al-Mihdhar mosque. The buildings are maintained and protected from erosion and rain by the application of fresh layers of mud. The town houses some of the world’s tallest mud buildings, some as high as 100 feet. Shibam represents one of the best and earliest examples of urban planning that involved the construction of multiple-storied vertical structures. Many of these buildings have had to be rebuilt several times over the last few centuries. The buildings originated in the 16th century and were designed to protect the town’s residents against Bedouin attacks. These mud-brick towers rise for about 5 to 11 stories where each of the building's floors have one or two rooms. The houses of Shibam are unique in nature with all houses being made of mud brick of which 500 are tower blocks. Shibam, a 1,700-year-old town in Yemen is listed in the Guinness World Records as “the oldest skyscraper city in the world.” It is also nicknamed as "the Chicago of the desert” or "the Manhattan of the Middle East.” So, what makes this small town with a population of about 7,000 so famous? The Unique Architecture Of Shibam
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |