The mud towers
Rising from the valley floor.
Dan from Brussels, Europe — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dan from Brussels, Europe — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dan from Brussels, Europe — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dan from Brussels, Europe — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hasso Hohmann — CC BY 4.0
The Old Walled City of Shibam is a town in Wadi Hadhramaut in eastern Yemen, with about 7,000 people, known for its high-rise houses of mud brick, some reaching eleven storeys. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1982, and it is sometimes called the Manhattan of the Desert. Its view from afar astonishes anyone who sees it for the first time. It was founded around the 3rd century, became the capital of the Kingdom of Hadhramaut in 300 AD, and has been lived in for an estimated 1,700 years. Its place on old trade routes helped it prosper. Building tall, close-packed houses protected its people from Bedouin raids. It has been on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 2015, and its mud buildings need constant upkeep. You see a mass of white and brown towers rising suddenly from the valley floor inside a rectangular wall, with cliffs behind them. Inside you pass narrow lanes and a white mosque. The finest view is from the facing slope at sunset, when the brick turns gold and then pink, so plan to reach the slope before the sun goes down. It is about 16 km in a straight line from Al-Kathiri Palace in Seiyun. These are lived-in homes, so dress modestly and ask before taking photos. Do not climb the fragile walls of the town. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to the whole of Yemen and tells anyone there to leave, so check official guidance before making any plans.
Rising from the valley floor.
Around the whole town.
Gold then pink from the slope.
Wadi Hadhramaut, eastern Yemen
Tall, close-packed building protected the people from Bedouin raids in the past.
From the facing slope just before sunset.