Yemen’s warring sides blamed for destruction of heritage during heavy rainfall
Yemen is trying to save its cultural heritage by appealing to UNESCO and the international community, after many of its historic cities have started collapsing due to heavy rains.
Yemen is already reeling from diseases, famine and a war that has been raging since March 2015. And now cities are collapsing because of heavy rainfall. The poor infrastructure in the country's historic cities can not deal with the torrential rain and floods, causing another disaster.
Several historic monuments and buildings in the UNESCO-listed Old City of Sanaa have already collapsed. Many of the mud houses and multistory tower buildings in Sanaa’s historic neighborhoods, which have been inhabited for 2,500 years, have partially collapsed due to the exceptional heavy rainfall.
Sanaa’s Old City was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986, with its 103 mosques, 14 bathhouses and over 6,000 houses dating from before the 11th century.
Similarly, the historic city of Shibam Hadramout, in eastern Yemen, as well as the historic city of Zabid, in the west, both on UNESCO’s list, face a threat to their heritage for the same reason.
