The city of Shibam, located in Yemen, is called “the oldest city of skyscrapers in the world”, “Manhattan desert.” It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Shibam owes its fame to the original architecture of houses that were built of clay, and the city is considered one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction.
The world’s tallest clay buildings are located here, some of them exceed 30 meters in height! The average number of building floors in Shibam is 5, the tallest house has 8 floors. Most of the buildings have been rebuilt many times over the centuries, as rain destroyed the walls of Shibam. It is necessary to constantly strengthen the building with fresh layers of clay, otherwise the city will disappear.
