Environmental Graffiti

Al Hajjara: The City That Hangs Over A Precipice

The city of Al Hajjara in Yemen’s Haraz Mountains seems ancient yet modern at the same time: the taller of the brown, flat-roofed houses so precariously balanced on top of the mountain resemble early skyscrapers. Many are decorated with elaborate white friezes and patterns so typical for the region. The town’s remoteness and narrow streets suggest a close-knit community that might, in times of invasions, have allowed outsiders to enter yet not necessarily to leave…

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Manhattan of the Desert: Yemen’s Ancient Mud Skyscraper City

Some might assume it to be a mirage. Rising out of the desert in the South Arabian Peninsula, ancient high-rise apartment buildings made of mud meet the eye. Centuries before the modern age of skyscrapers dawned in Chicago and New York, the Middle East had its own skyscraper city – the oldest on earth. This is Shibam in Yemen, a place thought to have existed since the 2nd Century AD.

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