After the UNESCO listed Socotra Archipelago as a World
Heritage Site, gave Yemen the largest number of cultural and
natural heritage sites in Arabia.
Since UNESCO's World Heritage Committee met in Canada on 8
July, Yemen has had four internationally recognized sites.
No other country in Arabia has more and these sites are:-
The Old Walled City of Shibam.
The Old Walled City of Shibam in Wadi Hadhramaut , inscribed
by UNESCO in 1982,
just two years after Yemen joined the
world heritage organization, is known as the 'Manhattan of
the Desert', because of its 'skyscrapers' that literally
rise out of the sand. Surrounded by a fortified wall, the
16th Century City is one of the oldest and best examples of
urban planning based on the principle of vertical
construction anywhere in the world. New Yorkers would feel
at home here! The
ancient old city of Sana'a
The ancient Old City of Sana'a at an altitude of more than
7,000 feet has been
inhabited for over two and a half
millennia and was inscribed in 1986; the historic buildings
that are seen today were built before William the Conqueror
crossed the English Channel in 1066! Sana'a became a major
Islamic centre in the 7th Century and the 103 mosques, 14
hammams (traditional bath houses) and more than 6,000 houses
that survive all date from before the 11th Century. Visitors
will be mesmerized by the history that surrounds them.
The
Historic Town of Zabid.
Close to the Red Sea Coast, the Historic Town of Zabid ,
inscribed in 1993, was
Yemen's capital from the 13th to 15th
Century, and is an outstanding archaeological and historical
site. It played an important role in the world for many
centuries, because of its university, which was a centre of
learning for the whole Arab and Islamic world. Algebra is
said to have been invented there in the early 9th Century by
the little known scholar al-Jaladi. But you won't need to be
a mathematician to count the number of other tourists that
you're likely to meet there.
The latest addition to Yemen's list of World Heritage Sites is
the Socotra Archipelago . Often described as the 'Galapagos of
the Indian Ocean' and mentioned by Marco
Polo in the 13th
Century, this remote and isolated Archipelago consists of four
islands and two rocky islets near the Gulf of Aden. The site is
of universal importance, because of its rich biodiversity. 37%
of Socotra's more than 900 plants, 90% of its reptiles and 95%
of its snails are unique and do not occur anywhere else in the
world. With 191 bird species, 253 species of coral, 730 species
of costal fish and 300 species of crab and lobster, Socotra is a
naturalist's paradise. With an incredible range of Aloes and the
iconic Dragon's Blood Tree
(Draecaenia cinnabari),
Socotra also has a rich cultural heritage, which includes the
unique Soqotri language.
