Place
Shibam
The Manhattan of the Middle East — mud tower blocks from the 16th century that Harry calls the first skyscrapers in the world, standing almost empty.
Shibam
A UNESCO World Heritage site in the Hadhramaut, in southern Yemen, and the first stop on Harry’s road trip out of Seiyun. He calls it one of the most unique places he has ever been.
The buildings
Known as the Manhattan of the Middle East for the obvious reason: a dense block of tower houses rising straight out of the desert floor. Harry’s framing — which is the local one — is that these are the first skyscrapers in the world, dating back 500 years, to the 16th century.
They are built of mud, and the engineering is the part he keeps pointing at. Rain is rare, but the whole town is set on a slant with a drainage system cut into it, so when it does come, the water runs off and Shibam does not flood.
What it’s actually like
Quiet — much quieter than the reputation suggests. The busiest corner Harry finds is a competitive game of dominoes, and he says that this is the liveliest part of the town.
He is shown the Yemeni way of sitting, a squat he cannot work out until it’s demonstrated, and which he then declares one of the best inventions he has ever encountered and says he could hold for hours.
What people say about life here
Asked what the biggest challenge is, the answer is immediate and it isn’t the war: the cost of living.
- Prices are rising and people complain about them constantly.
- The currency is not stable. For anything substantial — a car is the example he’s given — you don’t buy in Yemen, you buy in Saudi riyals.
The absence of women
Walking Shibam, Harry notices there are no women on the streets at all, which is what sends him looking for some to talk to. He finds a group of married women and speaks to them through his guide; the exchange is friendly and mostly teasing — they offer to find him a Yemeni wife — and the substance of their answers is not carried in the video.
Harry’s tips
- Come for the architecture and stay a while. It is quiet, and that’s the point rather than a disappointment.
- Learn the Yemeni sit. His own recommendation, delivered seriously.
Source
Videos featuring Shibam
Linked from
- Yemen Country
- Judge a place for yourself Tip
- Travel with a local guide Tip
- Jamal Person