UNESCO World Heritage Site

Old Walled City of Shibam

Old Walled City of Shibam is a cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yemen, inscribed in 1982.

Surrounded by a fortified wall, the 16th-century city of Shibam is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction. Its impressive tower-like structures rise out of the cliff and have given the city the nickname of ‘the Manhat

Surrounded by a fortified wall, the 16th-century city of Shibam is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction. Its impressive tower-like structures rise out of the cliff and have given the city the nickname of ‘the Manhattan of the desert’.

Country
Yemen
Region
Asia
Category
Cultural
Inscribed
1982
UNESCO reference
192
Area
0 ha

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Counts are based on Zikzak's current UNESCO World Heritage dataset, sourced from UNESCO. Last updated 7 August 2026. UNESCO insights

Collections featuring Old Walled City of Shibam

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