شبام
( Shibam )
Shibam Hadramawt (Arabic: شِبَام حَضْرَمَوْت, romanized: Shibām Ḥaḍramawt) is a town in Yemen. With about 7,000 inhabitants, it is the seat of the District of Shibam in the Governorate of Hadhramaut. Known for its mudbrick-made high-rise buildings, it is referred to as the "Manhattan of the Desert" (مَانْهَاتَن ٱلصَّحْرَاء) or "Chicago of the Desert" (شِيْكَاغو ٱلصَّحْرَاء).
The first known inscription about the city dates from the 3rd century CE.[1] It was the capital of the Hadramawt Kingdom.
In the 20th century, it was one of the three major cities of the Qu'aiti Sultanate, the others being Al-Mukalla and Ash-Shihr.[2]
The city was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List[3] in 1982.[4]
In 2008, a tropical cyclone flooded Shibam.[5]
During the Yemen Civil War, the city suffered some damage[6][7] after insurgents detonated a car bomb.[8] There was also coalition bombing in the area. In 2015, UNESCO listed the city as "cultural heritage at risk".[4]
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