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[Our heritage] Old City of Sana'a

[Our heritage] Old City of Sana'a

Published on 26 March 2018 - Updated 18 April 2018
Cet article date d'il y a plus de 6 ans

Culture

Situated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,200 m, Sana’a has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years. In the 7th and 8th centuries the city became a major centre for the propagation of Islam. This religious and political heritage can be seen in the 106 mosques, 12 hammams and over 6,000 houses, all built before the 11th century Sana’a’s many-storeyed tower-houses built of rammed earth (pisé) add to the beauty of the site.

Described by historians, geographers and scholars of the early Islamic and medieval eras, Sana'a is associated with the civilizations of the Bible and the Koran.

The World Heritage Committee inscribed the Old City of Sana'a on the List of World Heritage in Danger on 2 July 2015. For it sustained serious damage due to armed conflict in the country. The neighbourhood of al Qasimi near the famous urban garden of Miqshamat al Qasimi sustained particularly serious damage. The 12^thcentury al-Mahdi Mosque and surrounding houses have also been affected and the majority of the colourful, decorated doors and window panes characteristic of the city’s domestic architecture have been shattered or damaged.