The Manhattan of the Desert’ as its known is an ancient fortified village about half an hour away from the town of Seiyun. It is often called “the oldest skyscraper city in the world” as it has some of the tallest mud buildings in the world, with some of them 11 storeys high.

It is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction. Amazingly, they are all fully inhabited and is more a functioning town than a tourist attraction.

While Shibam has been in existence for an estimated 1,700 years, most of the city’s houses originate from the 16th century. Many, though, have been rebuilt numerous times in the last few centuries.