The 'Manhattan of the Desert': Shibam, Yemen's Ancient Skyscraper City

If you walk the alleys, you’ll notice plenty of goats. They live on the ground floor of many of the buildings. When I arrived, the goats were the only living beings I saw in Shibam, but this changed. I got invited to see the interior of one of the houses. They are colourful and not sandy as the outside! Each floor has a few rooms for the various families living together. The top floor often is for the newlyweds which move down once another couple marries. Once back outside in the alleys the whole city came to life because it was lunch time. Suddenly there were kids playing, shops opened and women coming back with the goats from outside the city. These Hadhrami women wear pointy hats which is an interesting sight. All this really gave a good impression of the life in Shibam.