Documentation of endangered architectural heritage of Yemen

Yemen’s historical cities boast unique examples of decorated high-rise earthen buildings, religious and military architecture, and Islamic urban planning. The outstanding nature of the historic cities of Sanaa, Zabid, and Shibam has been recognized by being inscribed on the World Heritage List. This unique heritage has been severely damaged by the ongoing conflict, as well as by the increasing impact of extreme weather events related to climate change.

To support the conservation and management of these important heritage buildings, Monumenta Orientalia, in partnership with the Social Fund for Development (SFD) carried out detailed architectural assessments of listed heritage buildings in Sana’a, Zabid, Shibam, Aden, and Taiz.

At the same time, the Centre français de recherche de la péninsule Arabique (Cefrepa), based in Kuwait, and Iconem, a startup specialized in digitizing endangered cultural heritage sites, provided on-site job training and deployed advanced 3D technologies to document several endangered urban centers.