The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IESCO) condemned Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen for stealing manuscripts, historical and scientific books and artifacts from the historic library of Zabid. The stolen items were valuable…
Source: IESCO Condemns Houthi Pillaging of Yemen’s Historic Zabid Library
DUBAI: The Islamic Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization condemned Sunday the Houthis’ theft of manuscripts, historical and scientific books and artifacts from the library of a fortress in…
Source: ISESCO condemns Houthi looting of artifacts from Zabid
Our planet is full of surprises. Here’s one more. Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean is one of a kind.…
Source: It May Look Like An Alien Planet, But This Incredible Island Is On Ea…
In a new report, a humans rights organization details the damage suffered by Yemen’s historical landmarks.
A 16th-century walled city in Yemen remains the World’s oldest metropolis to use vertical construction and is famous for its 600 adobe-built medieval skyscrapers, seven or eight stories high, as witnessed by these images released by an EPA photographer.
Source: World’s oldest high-rise metropolis still standing in civil war-torn Yemen
Yemen – Socotra Archipelago
Socotra island was once home to a thriving culture of Indic people.
Yemen – Historic Town of Zabid
The sand-coloured town overlooking the country’s west coast was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.
Zabid, Yemen: Once Yemen’s capital and famed as an architectural marvel of early Islam, the town of Zabid is fighting to survive as a brutal war closes in on its fortified walls.
The sand-coloured town overlooking the country’s west coast was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993 for its centuries-old urban planning and architecture, including the world’s fifth oldest mosque.
Riven by neglect and poverty, it was placed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage in Danger seven years later.
Yemen’s three-year war, which has killed nearly 10,000 people and pushed the country to the brink of famine, is now threatening the fate of Zabid.
So far the town has been spared in the battle between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a government allied with a military coalition.
But a fight for nearby Hodeida, home to Yemen’s most vital port, has raised fears the violence is closing in on Zabid.
Ahmed Hussein Ahmed says his home was damaged last month, as government forces clashed with Houthi rebels nearby.
Yemen – Historic Town of Zabid
GENEVA, FEBRUARY 20 – As fighting along Yemen’s Red Sea coast continues, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is urging all parties to the conflict to protect and respect the city of Zabid, a World Heritage Site that has the highest concentration of mosques in Yemen.
Fighting would endanger civilians, Zabid’s unique architecture and the city’s cultural connection to one of the world’s major religions. Cultural property like Zabid’s is protected by international humanitarian law.
“The fighting in Hodeida governorate is at the gates of the historic city of Zabid, fanning fears for the fate of its cultural heritage,” said Alexandre Faite, ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen.
The frontline is only kilometers from Zabid. Any destruction of cultural property there would mean that people, communities and all of humanity lose out.
“International humanitarian law makes it clear that special care must be taken in military operations to avoid damaging this outstanding archeological and historical site,” Mr. Faite added.
Source: Red Cross: Yemen offensive threatens World Heritage site of Zabid – OnuItalia
Yemen – Historic Town of Zabid
History is under siege across the Middle East and North Africa. Due to armed conflict, looting, construction, tourist traffic, water and wind erosion almost 20,000 sites are believed to be at risk. To help bring attention to the precarious situation, a team of British researchers recently launched the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) Database, an online resource that assesses the current condition of heritage sites and details threats to their survival.
A combination of the revolutionary upheavals of the Arab Spring, conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen; construction and agriculture projects, tourism and just plain old weather have put the diverse archaeological sites of the Middle East and North Africa at increasing risk over the last few years.
Photo credit: Flickr/ Najeeb Musallam
The nearly 2,000-year-old city of Shibam presents one of earliest and most perfect examples of rigorous planning based on vertical construction.
Source: This 2,000-year-old city in Yemen is known as the ‘Manhattan of the desert’
The Hidden Land offers a revealing look at the island’s stunning landscapes and its people, whose ancient beliefs and lifestyles are under threat as they embrace modern practices and technology.
Source: Film explores the exotic ‘lost world’ island where time stands still
A third of the plant species found on the island in the Indian Ocean are endemic and cannot be seen anywhere else on Earth.
Photo: AFP
To see Sana’a’s Old City for the first time is like “a vision of a childhood dream world of fantasy castles,” a visitor once remarked, but official neglect and unruly construction are threatening to destroy that magic.
Source: Old Sana’a, an endangered UNESCO heritage site | Al Arabiya English
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Aizudin Zainal
IU7. UNL.
All About World Heritage Sites 