Kawkaban (Shibam)

Kawkaban (Shibam)

Shibam Kawkaban is a dual municipality in the Al Mahwit Governorate, Shibam Kawkaban District, consisting of two separate adjacent towns. Shibam is sometimes referred to as "Shibam Kawkaban" to distinguish it from other towns with the name Shibam. Situated on the edge of a large agricultural plain, Shibam is a market town, and above it, on the top of the southwestern cliffs, is the fortress town of Kawkaban, which means "two planets" in Arabic, and is a major city in its own right, famous for its lavish tower blocks. Due to the nearby fertile farmlands, the strength of the Kawkaban fortress and the city's proximity to Sana'a, Shibam Kawkaban was of strategic importance throughout Yemen's history. The city has a fortified citadel at an altitude of around 2931 meters above sea level. It sits on a steep hilltop, walled in from the north and naturally fortified from the other sides. It served as the capital of the Yuʿfirid dynasty and was home to a Jewish community until its disappearance in the mid-20th century. The city provides a great panoramic view of the surrounding landscape, and it has a number of old mosques: al Madrasa, al Mansoor, al Sharefa and Harabat. There is an old market in the center of the city, and the fortified town contains old rainwater reservoirs called Meseda, Alasdad and Sedalhamam.