Who Built These Ancient Skyscrapers?

0:00 Somewhere in the desert there's an ancient city that seems unreal.

0:05 This is the oldest skyscraper city in the world.

0:09 Hundreds of apartment buildings dominate the skyline.

0:13 Some go up to 11 stories.

0:16 Modern skyscrapers are made of concrete and steel.

0:19 But this city is 2000 years old and made of mud.

0:23 Who built this city?

0:24 Why are the buildings so tall?

0:27 And how did they do it?

0:29 This is the old world city of Shibam.

0:34 I've been fascinated by the city ever since I saw this picture.

0:42 At first I didn't believe my eyes.

0:46 This ancient city just looked too modern.

0:49 Even comparing it to a modern place like Manhattan,

0:52 part of the city of New York, Shibam is special.

0:56 The city is 330 by 240 meters.

0:58 This is about the size of three apartment blocks on Manhattan,

1:02 part of the densest city of the United States.

1:06 With a population of 7,000, Shibam is way more densely populated.

1:10 And it's way older.

1:12 They were already building tower houses in Shibam during the Roman Empire.

1:17 It's also special when you compare it to its surroundings.

1:21 People use mud brick across the region.

1:24 But nowhere do they build as tall as in Shibam.

1:27 I thought that was strange.

1:30 What I found even stranger is how abruptly the city ends.

1:33 It just sits there in the middle of the desert.

1:36 There seems to be plenty of space around it.

1:39 There are even other buildings close by.

1:41 So why did they build so high?

1:45 Going into an investigation on a city like this starts with curiosity.

1:51 It's about wanting to know more about the world around us.

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2:55 And now, let's get back to those skyscrapers.

3:02 Shibam is in Yemen, a place you've probably only heard mentioned like this.

3:07 As fears grow over wider war in the Middle East,

3:11 explosions rocking the capital of Yemen.

3:13 It's one of the worst humanitarian crises we've seen in almost a century.

3:18 Yemen's Houthi rebels say they've attacked another cargo ship in the Red Sea.

3:22 14 million people that are sort of at risk of famine.

3:25 But I wanted to show you a different side of this country.

3:29 So instead of going there,

3:30 I reached out to every filmmaker from Yemen I could find.

3:33 And eventually, I got in touch with Mohamed.

3:38 Mohamed visited Shibam and talked to the locals.

3:41 What we found was a story of humans adapting to a harsh environment.

3:46 Of an ancient city with a vibrant community.

3:49 And why this city might be in danger.

3:57 But before we let the locals tell their story,

3:59 why even build a city in the middle of the desert?

4:04 The geography of Yemen gives us the answer.

4:09 In this map, orange and red is where people live.

4:13 Most of Yemen is empty.

4:15 The majority of the population lives in the west.

4:18 In the mountains, where you can find the capital Sana'a.

4:21 And on the coast, in places like Aden.

4:23 The middle of Yemen is a big desert where almost no one lives.

4:28 But here, in the cracks of a plateau, you can find human settlements.

4:34 Settlements like Shibam.

4:35 These cracks have been created by something humans can't live without.

4:39 Water.

4:40 Shibam is located in a valley of the wadi Hadramout.

4:43 A wadi is a riverbed that is dry for most of the year.

4:47 But in the rainy season, the river flows.

4:50 That water can be stored to drink and can be used for irrigation.

4:54 People have been settling close to wadi's all over desert areas.

4:58 Because of this water,

5:00 Shibam became an important step in a huge caravan network.

5:04 A network that carried spices and incense between Africa,

5:07 the Middle East and India.

5:09 It's a strategic location.

5:17 Shibam was mentioned in Greek sources and was part of many kingdoms and empires.

5:21 But it was completely unknown to European explorers.

5:24 It took until 1893 for the first western travelers to visit.

5:30 They saw a city that rose from the desert, like the steep side of a cliff.

5:35 But it wasn't a cliff.

5:37 It was Shibam.

5:40 500 houses all crowded together in a narrow space in the middle of the valley.

6:11 I found it interesting that some of the first

6:13 travelers compared this city to Chicago instead of Manhattan.

6:16 Maybe because this building from 1885 in Chicago

6:19 was seen as one of the first skyscrapers.

6:22 A building that had a skeleton made of steel.

6:25 But in Shibam, all buildings are made of mud.

6:33 The people that settled here had to do with extreme circumstances.

6:36 It is often hotter than 40 degrees Celsius.

6:39 There are not many trees to use for construction.

6:42 And the desert stone is so tough it can only be used for foundations.

6:46 So the people here have to rely on other local materials.

6:50 They mix sandy soil with some clay and straw to make bricks that dry in the sun.

6:55 16 workers can make 8,000 bricks a day.

6:57 A house they build can stand for 300 years.

7:00 And maintaining this city is a constant process.

7:15 The material they use influences the design of the buildings.

7:18 To support the weight, the foundation of the homes is wider.

7:22 The walls can be one meter thick at the base,

7:25 tapering to 30 centimeters at the top.

7:27 After laying the bricks, they are then covered with mud plaster.

7:31 This can be a challenge for higher floors.

7:33 The top parts of the buildings are then covered by white lime plaster.

7:36 This helps to make them waterproof.

7:38 This construction is perfect for the climate.

7:41 The high buildings act like trees, limiting sunlight from hitting the walls.

7:45 The thick mud also acts as an insulator, keeping the heat out.

7:50 And the white lime has good reflective properties.

7:53 Why wouldn't you just put white lime on the whole building then?

7:57 Well, lime is expensive, so it then becomes a status symbol.

8:00 The most important buildings are completely covered in them,

8:04 like these mosques in the city.

8:05 But there are other ways to show status.

8:08 To personalize these apartment blocks,

8:09 the doors and frames are made from carved wood in the most beautiful patterns.

8:14 But building so high also has its challenges.

8:17 The houses don't have elevators, so how do the locals deal with this?

8:40 But it's not only residents that have to get up.

8:43 The city may be ancient, but Shibami residents want modern amenities

8:47 like refrigerators and air conditioning units.

9:08 The different floors also have very specific uses.

9:11 The ground floor is used for storage or shops.

9:14 It was often closed off for defensive reasons.

9:16 The first floor can be used to keep animals.

9:19 The second floor is for the men as a formal reception area.

9:22 The third floor is for women, it's the main family area.

9:25 And also where you'll find the kitchens.

9:28 The floors above that are for sleeping arrangements of different family members.

9:32 But the question remains, why did they build so high?

9:40 Ancient people liked to settle on elevated mounds.

9:43 They were easier to defend from wild animals and invaders.

9:46 When the space is limited, you have to go up.

9:49 According to archaeological excavations,

9:51 people were already building four-story houses in this region 2,000 years ago.

9:56 And still, Shibam is much higher than other cities.

10:19 There was a lack of space because 500

10:21 years ago something happened that changed Shibam forever.

10:27 Two floods in 1298 and 1532 washed away huge chunks of the city.

10:47 It is these floods that shape the city we see now.

10:50 From then on, the only place that was

10:53 considered safe was on this elevated mound.

10:56 For 500 years, the people have had to resist temptation to build a bigger city.

11:00 So it was built by the people that have been living here all along.

11:04 This has led to a site that's so special

11:07 it was placed on a 1982 UNESCO World Heritage List.

11:11 But there are dangers to this peaceful community.

11:16 In 2008 a huge cyclone approached Yemen.

11:20 This led to severe flooding.

11:22 This image shows where the flooding happened.

11:25 Some buildings collapsed and people died.

11:27 But it could have been much worse for Shibam.

11:30 The age-old knowledge of only building on high ground helped.

11:35 Another threat to the city is the raging war in Yemen.

11:47 In 2009 a terrorist killed four South Koreans and their guide.

12:10 The dangers to the city withstanding, it is still around today.

12:13 It's a city where locals are extra proud.

12:41 It's so connected.

12:42 There are even passageways that link individual houses.

12:53 It's easy to forget there are so much more

12:56 to place in the news than whatever the current headline is.

12:59 Shibam is an amazing example of the way humans adapt to their situation.

13:02 Living in a harsh region with limited resources

13:05 in a climate not really suitable to humans.

13:08 But still making it work.

13:10 Keeping alive an ancient tradition to preserve a beautiful city.

13:14 Making buildings that are fit for the climate

13:16 instead of making the climate fit the buildings.

13:19 It's no wonder that this place is a World Heritage

13:22 Site and has a special place in the hearts of citizens.