Friday - April 03, 2009

A different kind of eye candy

Most people think of skyscrapers as inventions of the post-industrial world, characteristic of tightly-packed urban environments. Density in cities is, of course, nothing new. Surprisingly, neither is the art of constructing tall buildings, as evidenced by the city of Shibam.

Shibam, Yemen has been continuously occupied for over two millennia. This remote desert city boasts buildings of mud brick that reach up to fourteen stories in height, many dating back hundreds of years (and parts of which date back thousands).

Since becoming a World Heritage city over 20 years ago, the area has largely catered (for better or worse) to tourists. However, this has at least helped preserve both the buildings and aspects of the regional culture that might otherwise have been lost.

Shibam’s structures are built of load-bearing materials, as opposed to modern frame-and-cladding techniques (the building blocks of contemporary skyscrapers). As such, the bases of the buildings are up to four feet thick.

And I gather it’s pretty sturdy mud, unlike that poorly made mud from that city in Iran that got hit with the earthquake the other year. (That would be the city of Bam!, perhaps the worst named place on earth. Why not just challenge the Gods, why don’t ya?)

[news brief] October 28, 2008.  Shibam, a UNESCO world heritage site with towering 16th century mud brick buildings, also known as the “the Manhattan of the desert”, has survived a devastating flooding that hit southeastern Yemen destroying hundreds of mud houses and leaving dozens of people dead or missing.

Shibam is certainly one of the most architecturally outstanding places in the world. This dense walled maze of five hundred mud-brick skyscrapers seems to grow right out of the Yemeni desert. Many of its buildings date back to the 1500s—the city is as impressive from a distance as it is inside the city walls.

Shibam was declared a Wold Heritage city in 1982. World Heritage status has transformed Shibam in many ways. 95 percent of the shops in town are geared to tourists. There’s one on every corner. Yemen is a country with little tourist infrastructure and one of the lowest tourist arrival rates in Asia. Shibam is a surprise, the only place in Yemen where I frequently ran across white faces other than mine.

Since I come from a World Heritage city that has seen its historic core slowly turn into a theme park, I am a bit wary of certain effects caused by tourism. However, I would say that tourism has been kind to Shibam. UNESCO investments not only led to the restoration of skyscrapers and the preservation of traditional building techniques, but improvements in sewage and fresh water systems, storm drains, electricity and telephone cables, etc.

More importantly, it seems that somebody understood that a well-restored skyscraper is meaningless without its inhabitants. The city still feels real, despite the number of tourist shops. Whereas Quebec City has seen most residential buildings in its historic core turn into hotels, B&B’s, and summer homes for wealthy Americans, Shibam is still inhabited by its residents. There are no hotels within the walled city, perhaps because of a ban instigated by urban planners with enough foresight to understand the effects of tourism.

Rising from the valley floor like a mirage, the 450-year-old mud brick towers of Shibam in Yemen are the world’s first skyscrapers – dubbed the Manhattan of the Desert.

The 500 tower houses, made from mud mixed with chaff and hay, have withstood 113F (45C) heat, floods and, last Sunday, an explosion caused by suspected Islamic militants that killed four South Korean tourists and their local guide.

Inside the walled fortress, a Unesco World Heritage Site, the streets are eerily quiet in spite of the 7,000 residents.  Families pass silently from building to building high up along connecting corridors – built to protect early inhabitants from attacks by Bedouin nomads.

The mud walls of the tower houses – five to eight storeys and up to 130ft high – are thickest at the bottom for stability. By law, any rebuilding must follow the shape of the original structure.

The arched window frames are made from the leafless nabaq tree and some towers are whitewashed with lime to slow down erosion by heat and rain – the crumbled house to the left shows why this is needed. The city’s design serves as a giant air-conditioning unit, creating maximum shade. Each building is usually used by one family. Food and cattle are kept on the ground and first floors.

The second storey upwards is a living area, with kitchens and entrances to the corridors on the fourth floor.

So, pretty cool. Ancient mud skyscrapers, still occupied and kept up after centuries. Tough enough to withstand at least a bit of rain now and again. And the place stays naturally cool, even in the brutally hot desert of Yemen. Natural air conditioning from walls 4 feet thick, and your own spot of shade from the skyscraper next door. Of course, they haven’t yet invented windows, or screens, and possibly not running water, but some of the pictures out on the net show that at least some of the buildings have enough electricity to run a light bulb or two at night. This would be a great tourist attraction if it was a safe place to go to. [This other “tourist attraction” is probably not on the list of Things to see in Shibam”. Too bad for them!]

Posted by Drew458     on 04/03/2009 at 08:08 PM   
Filed Under: • Art-Photography • Fun-Stuff • RoPMA •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

DISCLAIMER

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

THE INFORMATION AND OTHER CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AMERICAN COURTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPLICABLE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THEN THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ACCESSED BY PERSONS FROM THAT COUNTRY AND ANY PERSONS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SUCH LAWS SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO USE OUR SERVICES UNLESS THEY CAN SATISFY US THAT SUCH USE WOULD BE LAWFUL.

Copyright © 2004-2015 Domain Owner