Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
turies (right up to the 16th century) as an important capital for local dynasties. The current
structure of the city is around 500 years old. In 1982 the town was declared a Unesco
World Heritage Site.
Sights & Activities
Old Town
HISTORIC SITE
( 7am-6.30pm)
Although old Shibam covers a very small area, it manages to pack over
500 dwellings into this confined space. The exterior of the buildings tends to be dull and
featureless, but keep an eye open for the magnificent decorative doors and
windows.
Shibam is a silent and reserved place and in the mid-afternoon heat, when everyone else
is safely tucked away indoors, it can feel a little like a museum or a library. It's worth tak-
ing a late-evening stroll along the
city walls
, which date from the 17th century, and out into
the fields of date palms. Other worthy sites include the
Sultan's Palace
, built in AD 1220,
and the various
mosques
(none of which are open to non-Muslims), including the
Sheikh ar-
Rashid Mosque
(also known as the Al-Jami or Great Mosque), which dates from the 10th
century. Next door to this mosque is the tiny
Minbar Museum
which contains a stunningly re-
stored medieval minbar (pulpit) from next door's mosque. At the
souq
next to the mosque,
look out for the frankincense that has been sold here for centuries.
A bit of a tourist tradition used to be to climb the rocky hill above the 'suburb' of Sahil
Shibam, opposite the town, to watch the sun fall behind the city.
Sleeping & Eating
Currently all the tourist class hotels in and around Shibam are closed. If tourism starts up
again they will surely re-open. There were two main hotels: the very pleasent
Shibam Motel
and the
Al-Hawta Palace Hotel
(
)
, which was probably the nicest hotel in all of Yemen.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Sayun
05 / POP 49,100
Sayun has a distinguished history. From the earliest days, it was developed by the local
Hadramawt clans and dynasties, and since the 15th century has been the wadi's capital.
