The Manhattan of Desert

With its 500+ odd narrow houses bunched close together, built like a fortress in the midst of Wadi Hadramaut, Shibam of Yemen is architecturally unique. Its six-storey houses, built of mud with stone foundations, look like skyscrapers. So, Shibam is also known as 'the Manhattan of Desert'. These houses are the world's oldest(and still standing) skyscapers.


Those tall houses were destroyed twice in the 13th and 16th centuries. But, as per the customary law they were rebulit again, following the exact pattern of the original structures. So, the place looks same even after50 years! The current population of this place is about 7,000. As, all of those houses were built from mud and bricks, regular repairing is done to prevent them from erosion. Link