The World Heritage Committee has voiced concerns over the damage inflicted to the old city of Sana’a (سناء), an Islamic city of historic and heritage importance. The neighbourhood of al Qasimi and the 12th century al-Mahdi Mosque and surrounding houses have been affected. The majority of the colourful, decorated doors and window panes characteristic of the city’s domestic architecture have been shattered or damaged.
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. Its religious and political heritage can be seen in 103 mosques, 14 hammams and over 6,000 houses, all built before the 11thcentury. Sana’a’s many-storeyed tower-houses built of rammed earth add to the beauty of the site, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986.
The Committee also noted that the Old Walled City of Shibam (شِبَام) in Yemen is under potential threat from the armed conflict, which compounds safeguarding and management problems already observed at the site.
The 39th session of the World Heritage Committee started on 28 June and will continue till 8 July under the chair of Maria Böhmer, Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office and member of the Bundestag. The inscription of sites will continue through 5 July.