Inside ancient city dubbed ‘Manhattan of the desert’ with skyscrapers made from MUD now facing risk of collapse

Inside ancient city dubbed ‘Manhattan of the desert’ with skyscrapers made from MUD now facing risk of collapse

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Located in central Yemen, an ancient desert city is characterized by a unique architectural style dating back to the sixteenth century.

The sprawling towers of this city, nicknamed “Candy Manhattan”, are made of a unique material – adobe.

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Shibam is an ancient city with a rich history and deep culture.Credit: Getty
One of the residential buildings in the city

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One of the residential buildings in the cityCredit: Getty

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Almost all of Shibam's buildings are built with mud bricks using a technique said to have been invented centuries ago.

This architectural style was used to protect the population from Bedouin attacks.

A mixture of soil, straw and water was made into bricks and left to bake in the sun for several days before being used to construct these buildings.

About 500 of them are tower buildings rising from five to 11 stories

The windowless ground floors were used to store livestock and grain, while the upper levels served as common floors for socializing.

The walls of these stunning mud towers are six feet thick at the bottom, while some of the upper floors have much thinner walls.

While the tradition of brick buildings dates back to the 8th or 9th century, it is difficult to know when they were first built due to how often they are touched.

This is because the external facade is often eroded by wind and rain, so it must be covered with mud periodically.

Each floor traditionally contains one or two rooms, and each building ranges in height from two to eleven floors.

Although centuries old, locals still use it to live and socialize.

But over the past few years, Shibam has been threatened by natural disasters as well as the war and terrorism that Yemen is suffering from.

In 2008, a flood caused severe damage to the buildings.

After that, the restoration program began. Furthermore, the city has been declared a World Heritage in Danger by UNESCO due to the war in Yemen.

Meanwhile, in a corner of Türkiye lies an abandoned village, whose residents have been forced to leave after seeing ghosts.

Kayaköy was once a vibrant, integrated community of Greek-Turkish people, but was left to rot by locals about 100 years ago.

It has now become a veritable ghost town that remains empty except for the tourist groups visiting the historical place which has failed to stand the test of time.

Most of the houses in the city have now lost their roofs and their collapsed walls are overgrown with vegetation.

Ruins of houses, churches and other buildings can be found in the city, which was once home to thousands of people before they left the city.

The creepy streets were left behind, as people were able to wander from building to building and catch a glimpse into the lives of those who used to live there.

Meanwhile, haunting images inside the abandoned ghost town show a once-thriving area frozen in time.

Nestled in the hills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Bodie was established in 1859 as a modest camp after gold was discovered in the area – but the old town now hides a dark curse.

The California city rose to prominence in 1876 after gold ore attracted settlers, and by 1879 the city had a thriving population of between 5,000 and 7,000.

In its heyday the city had about 70 saloons, bowling alleys, dance halls, gambling halls, and numerous stores, hotels, and churches.

This time period was marked by revelry, gambling, opium use, and regular, often deadly, bar fights.

But by the 1880s, a promising boom in Arizona, Montana, and Utah lured miners away, and the city began to decline.

The small mining community survived, but by the early 1900s, most of its mines had closed, and the population had declined to a few hundred people.

The area was designated as a state park in 1962 and receives about 200,000 visitors annually.

Legend has it that Bodhi's curse will haunt anyone who removes any of the ancient artifacts from the city.

Park rangers even received letters and packages from previous visitors in hopes of lifting the curse by returning what they had stolen.

Panorama of Shibam showing the mud-brick towers

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Panorama of Shibam showing the mud-brick towersCredit: Getty
The ancient walled city of Shibam at night

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The ancient walled city of Shibam at nightCredit: Getty
The wonderful view of the city of skyscrapers made of sand in the middle of Wadi Hadhramaut

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The wonderful view of the city of skyscrapers made of sand in the middle of Wadi HadhramautCredit: Getty
Streets of Shibam city, Hadhramaut Governorate, Yemen

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Streets of Shibam city, Hadhramaut Governorate, YemenCredit: Getty



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